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#017 Jason Flom and Barry Scheck with Jason Baldwin

#017 Jason Flom and Barry Scheck with Jason Baldwin

FromWrongful Conviction


#017 Jason Flom and Barry Scheck with Jason Baldwin

FromWrongful Conviction

ratings:
Length:
49 minutes
Released:
Mar 27, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

At 16 years old, Jason Baldwin along with Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley – known as the West Memphis Three –was convicted in 1994 of killing three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. There was no DNA linking the WM3 to the crime, and some of the DNA found at the crime scene even seemed to implicate the stepfather of one of the victims. The case gained national attention soon after the teenagers' arrests when word was leaked that the murders were committed as part of a satanic ritual. A key prosecution witness in the second trial was a self-proclaimed cult expert who stated that the murders bore "trappings" of the occult. This testimony, combined with testimony about books Damien Echols read and some of his writings, plus evidence that he and Mr. Baldwin liked heavy-metal music and several black t-shirts were found in Mr. Baldwin's closet, helped to convict the two teenagers. Mr. Baldwin received life without parole; Echols was sentenced to death, and Misskelley was sentenced to 40 years. After serving more than 17 years in prison, all three of the WM3 took the Alford Plea, which meant that the state of Arkansas admitted no wrongdoing. After being released, Jason Baldwin executive produced the 2014 film about his tragic saga, Devil’s Knot. He is joined by the co-founder of the Innocence Project, Barry Scheck.
Released:
Mar 27, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Based on the files of the lawyers who freed them, Wrongful Conviction features interviews with men and women who have spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit – some of them had even been sentenced to death. These are their stories.