I have had some messages from people inquiring me about my feelings on the West Memphis 3, and some people have been upset with me and have asked me to defend why I feel the way I do. I am a conservative woman, as you most know pretty well. ;) I do believe in the death penalty when its needed. I do believe in our justice system. I do believe it is the best in the world, hands down, by far. I do believe it works very well for the most part, but I am not one who can't admit when it doesn't. I am not one who is so politically rigid that I can't admit when I see an injustice. Our system isn't perfect and in this case it did fail EVERYONE involved. We discredit ourselves when we are unable to admit things that go against the principals we believe in (like the death penalty in this case) just because we don't want to give our counterparts credit.
Do you REALLY think that the state would have agreed to this deal if they REALLY thought that these boys were guilty of murdering 3 children? Really??? Think about it. Use common sense. They would have fought TOOTH AND NAIL to keep them there, behind bars where they couldn't hurt anyone else. They would have NEVER IN A TRILLION YEARS taken the risk at letting 3 indivduals out they truely felt had murdered 3 children so brutally. The state knew they were innocent. Let me rephrase....they KNOW they are innocent. They saw the new evidence. These are not stupid people. They are pretty dang smart to be where they are. They realized the gross injustice that occurred with this case 18 years ago. It hit them square in the face and they couldn't ignore it. Because they knew if they did, they would be tarnishing our justice system knowingly...even more than it already has been in this case. They were trying to right a wrong as best as they felt they could. And this option was the best option at the given time for all parties involved. They KNEW that these boys were going to get a new trial, based on the blaring new evidence. They KNEW that these boys would be acquitted at their new trial. And when that happened, they KNEW that they would have to publically apologize to these boys and publically admit that they were wrong 18 years ago, not to mention face millions of dollars worth of lawsuits. Do you really think they wanted to do that? No. They did NOT want to have to do that. They didn't want to have egg on their face. There is no way they are going to admit that they were wrong. They were going to take the route in order not to have to do that. This excuse they used that the reason that they agreed to let them out is because they didn't want to play out another trial that might drag out 3-4 more years and they were ready to end this saga, is HOGWASH. When has that EVER stopped the state in prosecuting people that they felt were murderers? Drug dealers....car thiefs.....burglars.....fine. Murderers? Child murderers? Uh......NO. Not buying it. I am ALL FOR PROSECUTING MURDERERS. I am ALL FOR going after murderers swiftly and unmercifully, when they are GUILTY. The sheer fact that they agreed to this deal, tells you that they believe they are innocent. They KNOW THEY ARE NOT GUILTY. Period. But they CAN’T say that. Why? That’s just the way it is. They just can’t. But they KNOW. If they really thought that these boys were guilty…..I'll say it again. No way on God's green earth, no how, not in a trillion years, would they have allowed those boys to walk. These state employees, in this case, were cowards. They refused to admit they were wrong….so this is the best they could offer these boys. Period. Done. Bottom line.
Take a moment.....look at the new evidence. Look at the new facts in the case. My theory.....the man that was seen at Mr. Bojangles that night holds the key to this case. My theory....Terry Hobbs, the stepfather did it. He lied about being with the boys that night. Why do you lie? Why do you lie if you have NOTHING to hide? He stated under oath that he DID NOT SEE the boys that night. Why lie? Why not be totally and completely honest with the police? Wouldn't being honest help find the boys? Wouldn't being honest help find the people that did this quicker? Wouldn't you want that if you were a parent? If you had nothing to do with the crime? 3 credible eyewitnesses have come forward that put him with the boys 30 minutes before they went missing. The stepdad's DNA was found at the crime scene. The stepdad's best friends DNA, whom he happened to be with that night, was found at the crime scene. That man at Mr. Bojangles came up on them in the woods that night. He saw something he shouldn't have seen and he knew it. He panicked....took off running, getting muddy, cutting himself up on vines/trees. OR Terry Hobbs caught up with him after he saw that he had discovered them and there was a struggle, and that's why the mystery man was bloodied and muddy. Either way....he knew he saw something that was going to threaten his life. Why do I think that? Because Terry Hobbs made up a story and told police that the morning after the boys went missing he saw a man fitting the description of the man at Mr. Bojangles walking in the area. There were SEVERAL people with him that morning when he claims to have seen this mystery man he described to the police, including one of the victims mothers. NOONE ELSE saw this man. He described a man that FIT perfectly the description of the man at Mr. BoJangles, based on employees description of the mystery man. Now...HOW could Terry Hobbs describe this man IF he hadn't seen him? How? Because I do believe that he DID see him in the woods that night. He saw him. He knew this mystery man had caught him in the act of murdering these boys. He wanted to try and pin the murders on this mystery man. Just read up on the case. Go to YOUTUBE and google Terry Hobbs and watch those police interviews with him. All arrows point to him. Not ONE arrow pointed to those boys. Were they a little strange. Yes...maybe. They may have even dabled in devil worshipping. Although I don't think that is true. The witness that testified to that has since come out and said that she lied about that on the stand. Which could prove that there was misconduct in the West Memphis Police Department in attempting to pin the murders on these boys. Just another flaw in this case. These boys may not have been the clean cut kids we aspire our children to be. They may have caused other kinds of trouble. They may have not been kids that I would want my children associating themselves with. They may not be individuals who hold the same religious, political, and/or social beliefs I do, but that doesn't mean they aren't deserving of compassion. They doesn't mean they aren't deserving of being treated fairly. That doesn't mean they are murderers. This is America. You are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. These boys weren't proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The juror misconduct in one of the trials also makes this case a gross injustice. These boys were never given a fair trial. These boys are innocent of this crime. I hope one day they are exonerated. And I hope one day charges are brought up against Terry Hobbs and he is convicted. Only then will justice be served. Only then will these little boys have justice.
Do you REALLY think that the state would have agreed to this deal if they REALLY thought that these boys were guilty of murdering 3 children? Really??? Think about it. Use common sense. They would have fought TOOTH AND NAIL to keep them there, behind bars where they couldn't hurt anyone else. They would have NEVER IN A TRILLION YEARS taken the risk at letting 3 indivduals out they truely felt had murdered 3 children so brutally. The state knew they were innocent. Let me rephrase....they KNOW they are innocent. They saw the new evidence. These are not stupid people. They are pretty dang smart to be where they are. They realized the gross injustice that occurred with this case 18 years ago. It hit them square in the face and they couldn't ignore it. Because they knew if they did, they would be tarnishing our justice system knowingly...even more than it already has been in this case. They were trying to right a wrong as best as they felt they could. And this option was the best option at the given time for all parties involved. They KNEW that these boys were going to get a new trial, based on the blaring new evidence. They KNEW that these boys would be acquitted at their new trial. And when that happened, they KNEW that they would have to publically apologize to these boys and publically admit that they were wrong 18 years ago, not to mention face millions of dollars worth of lawsuits. Do you really think they wanted to do that? No. They did NOT want to have to do that. They didn't want to have egg on their face. There is no way they are going to admit that they were wrong. They were going to take the route in order not to have to do that. This excuse they used that the reason that they agreed to let them out is because they didn't want to play out another trial that might drag out 3-4 more years and they were ready to end this saga, is HOGWASH. When has that EVER stopped the state in prosecuting people that they felt were murderers? Drug dealers....car thiefs.....burglars.....fine. Murderers? Child murderers? Uh......NO. Not buying it. I am ALL FOR PROSECUTING MURDERERS. I am ALL FOR going after murderers swiftly and unmercifully, when they are GUILTY. The sheer fact that they agreed to this deal, tells you that they believe they are innocent. They KNOW THEY ARE NOT GUILTY. Period. But they CAN’T say that. Why? That’s just the way it is. They just can’t. But they KNOW. If they really thought that these boys were guilty…..I'll say it again. No way on God's green earth, no how, not in a trillion years, would they have allowed those boys to walk. These state employees, in this case, were cowards. They refused to admit they were wrong….so this is the best they could offer these boys. Period. Done. Bottom line.
Take a moment.....look at the new evidence. Look at the new facts in the case. My theory.....the man that was seen at Mr. Bojangles that night holds the key to this case. My theory....Terry Hobbs, the stepfather did it. He lied about being with the boys that night. Why do you lie? Why do you lie if you have NOTHING to hide? He stated under oath that he DID NOT SEE the boys that night. Why lie? Why not be totally and completely honest with the police? Wouldn't being honest help find the boys? Wouldn't being honest help find the people that did this quicker? Wouldn't you want that if you were a parent? If you had nothing to do with the crime? 3 credible eyewitnesses have come forward that put him with the boys 30 minutes before they went missing. The stepdad's DNA was found at the crime scene. The stepdad's best friends DNA, whom he happened to be with that night, was found at the crime scene. That man at Mr. Bojangles came up on them in the woods that night. He saw something he shouldn't have seen and he knew it. He panicked....took off running, getting muddy, cutting himself up on vines/trees. OR Terry Hobbs caught up with him after he saw that he had discovered them and there was a struggle, and that's why the mystery man was bloodied and muddy. Either way....he knew he saw something that was going to threaten his life. Why do I think that? Because Terry Hobbs made up a story and told police that the morning after the boys went missing he saw a man fitting the description of the man at Mr. Bojangles walking in the area. There were SEVERAL people with him that morning when he claims to have seen this mystery man he described to the police, including one of the victims mothers. NOONE ELSE saw this man. He described a man that FIT perfectly the description of the man at Mr. BoJangles, based on employees description of the mystery man. Now...HOW could Terry Hobbs describe this man IF he hadn't seen him? How? Because I do believe that he DID see him in the woods that night. He saw him. He knew this mystery man had caught him in the act of murdering these boys. He wanted to try and pin the murders on this mystery man. Just read up on the case. Go to YOUTUBE and google Terry Hobbs and watch those police interviews with him. All arrows point to him. Not ONE arrow pointed to those boys. Were they a little strange. Yes...maybe. They may have even dabled in devil worshipping. Although I don't think that is true. The witness that testified to that has since come out and said that she lied about that on the stand. Which could prove that there was misconduct in the West Memphis Police Department in attempting to pin the murders on these boys. Just another flaw in this case. These boys may not have been the clean cut kids we aspire our children to be. They may have caused other kinds of trouble. They may have not been kids that I would want my children associating themselves with. They may not be individuals who hold the same religious, political, and/or social beliefs I do, but that doesn't mean they aren't deserving of compassion. They doesn't mean they aren't deserving of being treated fairly. That doesn't mean they are murderers. This is America. You are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. These boys weren't proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The juror misconduct in one of the trials also makes this case a gross injustice. These boys were never given a fair trial. These boys are innocent of this crime. I hope one day they are exonerated. And I hope one day charges are brought up against Terry Hobbs and he is convicted. Only then will justice be served. Only then will these little boys have justice.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly right, not only through common sense, but also the eyes of the law. In a capital murder case, you should have (at the very least) physical evidence. This case had absolutely none, as in zero! If you were to search capital murder cases in Arkansas, where the defendant was found to be guilty without any physical evidence, you would be searching a long time. There are not many. The second glaring deficiency within the prosecutions case was that the main statement in which the relied was given by a person deemed mentally incompetent. This blog ties directly into your Democracy v. Republic, because the case of the West Memphis 3 was mob justice, you'd hope that Arkansans', at the very least, would learn something from this.