In April, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of using new DNA testing methods on evidence from the crime scene that wasn’t available when it was originally tested. However, until their innocence can be proven beyond doubt, the West Memphis Three remain burdened by their convictions.
The timeline of events in the case shows that in May 1983, Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were reported missing and their bodies were found in a muddy creek. Damian Echols was interviewed in May 1983, and Jessie Misskelley Jr was questioned for 12 hours in June 1983 without a legal representative or guardian present. In February 1994, Misskelley was convicted of one count of first – degree murder and two counts of second – degree murder, while Damian Echolls and Jason Baldwin were found guilty of three counts of murder in March 1994. The three defendants launched an appeal in May 1994 which was upheld. In October 2003, witness Vicki Hutchenson recounted her evidence and claimed it was a fabrication due to police threats. In 2007, DNA testing showed no match for Echols, Baldwin, or Misskel