Three men convicted of killing three West Memphis boys in 1993 were set free at a court hearing today.
Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Junior and Jason Baldwin, dubbed the “West Memphis Three” were released after new DNA testing failed to link the men to the crimes.
Echols had been sentenced to death and Misskelley and Baldwin were given life sentences in the May 1993 slayings of three second-graders.
Terry Hobbs, the step-father of one of the victims believes this judgement presents more questions than it has answered.
“I think in Arkansas history, this is the worst travesty that could ever be committed. I think it is a terrible crime to have to be put in prison for a crime that you didn’t do, and then you have to admit to a crime you didn’t do on a plea bargain to get out of prison. Now it makes me wonder what’s the state hiding. What do they not want to come out? And if the defense has all the strong evidence that they said, DNA, circumstantial evidence and we all know who it points to. It doesn’t point to the West Memphis Three, it doesn’t point to me, so what’s being hidden? It seems totally ludicrous, crazy, that you’re imprisoned on capital murder but now that you’ll agree to a lesser charge, they’re going to let you go free.”