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

Case 4:09-cv-00008-BSM Document 30-5 Filed 07/17/2009 Page 34 of 297
SPOTLIGHT ON BRUCE sn .SKY.. JOEL BERLINGER;DOCUMENTA1.. "-J"S TASTE BITTER FRUIT IN
'PARADISE' Morning Call (Allentown, PA) January 18,1997, Saturday,
movie and believe that the three teen-agers received a fair trial. But it's not impossible to watch the movie and believe
they might be guilty ofmurder.
While making the movie, the filmmaker says he changed his mind about the boys' guilt and innocence several
times. "From the news articles, we were sort ofconvinced that they were guilty," relates Sinofsky. "So when we got
down to Arkansas, we expected to fmd a real-life 'River's Edge.' But instantly we realized that there was more than one
perspective. I'm 95 percent certain these kids didn't do the crimes, but I can see how you could watch the movie and
come to another conclusion."
Unfortunately, the fey Echols does little to help his own cause. In one ofthe movie's creepiest shots, the camera
catches him vainly preening before a hand mirror, seemingly oblivious to the day's gruesome testimony.
"It's indicative ofhis personality; he is a narcissist," says Sinofsky about including the strange shot. "Teen-agers
think they are indestructible. He fIrmly believed he didn't do the crime, so how could he be convicted ofit? There's a
certain smugness and arrogance to that. It's a casual indifference to what's going on."
In a way, "Paradise Lost" puts its viewers in the jurybox by serving up crime-scene videos, courtroom testimony
and interviews with all ofthe participants.
"The beauty is that our audience is given a context for the courtroom testimony which, unfortunately, the real jury
didn't receive," notes Sinofsky.
Sinofsky and Berlinger found themselves becoming more than mere observers ofthe trial when the vaguely sinister
Mark Byers, one ofthe victims' stepfathers, handed cinematographer Doug Cooper a bloody knife similar to the one
used in the crimes.
"When Doug showed it to us, we couldn't believe it," recalls Sinofsky. "It put us in an odd position. We were concerned
that ifwe turned the knife over, it would shut the film down because Mark would feel that he couldn't trust us
anymore." In the end the filmmakers made "the civic decision" and handed the knife over to police.
As it turns out, the blood on the knife wound up matching both Byers' and his stepson's basic DNA type, but the police
felt the evidence was inconclusive. It's unfollowed leads like the bloody knife that convinced followers ofthe case,
including O.J. Simpson attorney Barry Scheck, that the teen-agers didn't receive a fair trail.
Since the movie was completed, Sinofsky and Berlinger have collected enough information for a sequel, which may
end up on HBQ.
On Dec. 2, 1996, the convictions ofall three defendants were upheld by the Arkansas State Supreme Court -- an
unhappy footnote to a tragic case. "West Memphis is one ofthe saddest places I've ever been," says Sinofsky. "In two
years, the boys will wind up in federal court. But I'm not hopeful that they'll get off."
For information about "Paradise Lost" and updates on the appeals ofEchols and Baldwin before the U.S. Supreme
Court, the filmmakers have created a web page: http:/www.gothamcity.com/paradiselost
Amy Longsdorf is a free-lance writer.
CORRECTION-DATE: January 21, 1997, Tuesday
CORRECTION:
*A Web site for the film "Paradise Lost" was incorrect in Saturday's entertainment section. The correct site is http:/
www.gothamcity.com/paradiselost./
GRAPHIC: PHOTO by UNKNOWN. CAPTION: Bruce Sinofsky, left, and Joe Berlinger made the documentary
'Paradise Lost,' which opens tomorrow at the 19th Street Theatre, Allentown.
LOAD-DATE: April 26, 1997