EXHIBIT A-IOI - West Memphis Three Case - Document Archive

Case 4:09-cv-00008-BSM Document 30-5 Filed 07/17/2009 Page 2 of 297
* LexisNexi's"
SECTION: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Pg. B-5
LENGTH: 522 words
Copyright 2000 P.G. Publishing Co.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)
October 9,2000, Monday, SOONER EDITION
HEADLINE: CD WILL BENEFIT CONVICTED 'WEST MEMPHIS 3' KILLERS
BYLINE: DAVE FERMAN, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
BODY:
On May 6, 1993, three 8-year-old boys were found murdered in West Memphis, Ark. Steve Branch, Michael Moore
and Chris Byers had been hog-tied, tortured and mutilated. The crime shocked the small town and became, briefly, national
news. Three young local men -- Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. (at the time 18, 16 and
17, respectively) -- were convicted ofthe crime, part ofwhat prosecutors said was a satanic ritual.
They were poor, and they were fans ofMetallica and Megadeth and Anne Rice and Stephen King. They looked like
the kind ofrock dudes you can see anywhere. Echols was sentenced to death and the other two to lengthy prison terms,
and that, as far as most folks were concerned, was that. Only, it's not that simple. The case ofthe so-called "West Memphis
3" has become something ofa cause celebre in the entertainment industry, in large part due to a 1996 HBO documentary
"Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills."
"South Park" co-creator Trey Parker has spoken out about the case, as have others, and those seeking acquittal or at
least a new trial for the WM3 number in the thousands. A second documentary, "Paradise Lost II: Revelations," was
aired on HBO this year.
Which is where "Free the West Memphis 3" comes in. Set for release tomorrow, the benefit CD brings together a
wide range musicians -- from Tom Waits to Steve Earle to the Supersuckers -- to, as executive producer Danny Bland
puts it, "make sure a spotlight is put on Arkansas. I don't want them to think they swept three guys under the rug."
Bland is the co-founder ofSeattle's Aces & Eights Records; he and co-founder Scott Parker became aware ofthe
case via the first HBO show.
"I grew up a punk rocker in Phoenix, so I know about alienation and being different," Bland says. "And it grew into
a bigger understanding that we have a big problem and I'm not going to stand for it."
Several aspects ofthe case trouble Bland and WM3 supporters. Misskelley, who has an IQ of72, was questioned
for 12 hours without a lawyer or parent present; only 30 minutes ofthe interrogation was recorded.
Also, there's basically no physical evidence linking the men to the crime -- no blood, no hair, no semen. As a result,
he says, the lifestyle ofthe three was used against them: Books by Rice, King and Aleister Crowley were entered as
evidence, as were CDs and concert T-shirts.
"The prosecutor held up a record by Blue Oyster Cult, the one with 'Don't Fear the Reaper' on it, and kept emphasizing
the word 'cult,' " says Bland. "And at the time Jason had never heard ofBlue Oyster Cult. The record belonged to
a friend ofDamien's mom -- they were even grasping for straws at that. They introduced into evidence T-shirts by
Megadeth and Metallica. They were playing on a naive or backwards jury."