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West Memphis 3 Released From Prison (Top 11 of 11)


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West Memphis 3 Released From Prison was a top 11 story of 2011 for August. Here is the recap: (Rock News Desk) Three victims of wrongful imprisonment were released today after an 18-year ordeal, following years of campaigning supported by the rock and metal community. And one of the West Memphis Three admits freedom is overwhelming after having spent nearly a decade in solitary confinement on Death Row � for a crime he didn't commit.

Support for the trio, who were teenagers at the time of their arrest, had come from all corners of the world. Momentum increased after forensic evidence proved there was no connection between Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley and the deaths of three eight-year-old boys in Akansas, USA, in 1993. Evidence used to convict the three in 1994 included bigoted attempts at staining their characters because they were fans of heavy metal.

A retrial was ordered for November at which the new evidence, it's believed, would have cleared them � although they'd have had to cover the costs of re-testing the material themselves. But at a hearing in Jonesboro, Arkansas today, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were sent home after their eighteen-year ordeal. Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder and members of country rock band the Dixie Chicks were present in court to offer moral support. - more on this story

This Thanksgiving weekend we are looking back at the top 11 B Sides stories for each month of 2011. See the other Top 11 of 11 stories here

RockNewsDesk.com is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
Copyright RockNewsDesk.com- Excerpted here with permission.

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