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What a horrific and bizarre story.
I've read the post and the links provided and must confess that I'm a little confused. How in the world does this even work? Does or doesn't the law have evidence that accurately establishes (established) the guilt of these 3 individuals? So after you've sent these guys away for 18 of the 58+ years (and death row in one case) they were originally convicted to serve now you're releasing them "conditionally" because the evidence is wrong? Are they saying that this is a case of newer DNA techniques exonerating them? Cause I gotta say, from what I've read today, I think these three have a MAJOR lawsuit. What am I missing here? And am I correct in understanding that the father of one the boys killed is speaking on their behalf while another of the boys' father is denouncing the findings but has himself been linked to evidence at the crime scene??? WHAT……THE……FUDGE*** (except I don't really mean fudge). Am I just being dense here or is there other evidence they're not providing or what?
All 3 of the boys were submerged in about a foot and a half of muddy creek water for up to 24 hours ….b
From wikipedia:
WARNING-GRAPHIC
Three eight-year-old boys -- Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers -- were reported missing on May 5, 1993. The first report to the police was made by Byers' adoptive father, John Mark Byers, around 7:00 p.m. The boys were last seen together by a neighbor, who reported having been called by Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Steve Branch, around 6:00 p.m. Hobbs later denied seeing the boys at all on May 5.[9] Initial police searches made that night were limited.[10] Friends and neighbors also conducted a search that night, which included a cursory visit to the location where the bodies were later found.[10]
A more thorough police search for the children began around 8:00 a.m. on the morning of May 6, led by the Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel. Searchers canvassed all of West Memphis, but focused primarily on Robin Hood Hills, where the boys were reported last seen. Despite a human chain making a shoulder-to-shoulder search of Robin Hood Hills, searchers found no sign of the missing boys.
Around 1:45 p.m., Juvenile Parole Officer Steve Jones spotted a boy's black shoe floating in a muddy creek that led to a major drainage canal in Robin Hood Hills.[9] A subsequent search of the ditch revealed the bodies of three boys. They were stripped naked and had been hogtied with their own shoelaces: their right ankles tied to their right wrists behind their backs, the same with their left arms and legs. Their clothing was found in the creek, some of it twisted around sticks that had been thrust into the muddy ditch bed. The clothing was mostly turned inside-out; two pairs of the boys' underwear were never recovered. & ***snipped***
The original autopsies were inconclusive as to time of death,[citation needed] but the Arkansas medical examiner determined that Byers died of blood loss, and Moore and Branch drowned.[13] A later review of the case by a medical examiner for the defense determined that the boys had been killed between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on May 6, 1993.[11]
The official interpretation of the crime scene forensics for the case remains controversial. Prosecution experts claim Byers' wounds were the results of a knife attack and that he had been purposely castrated by the murderer; defense experts claim the injuries were more probably the result of post-mortem animal predation. Police suspected the boys had been raped, however later expert testimony disputed this finding[11][14] despite trace amounts of sperm DNA found on a pair of pants recovered from the scene.[15] Police believed the boys were assaulted and killed at the location where they were found; critics argued that the assault, at least, was unlikely to have occurred at the creek.[11]
DNA testing and new physical evidence (2007–2010)
In 2007, DNA collected from the crime scene was tested. None was found to match DNA from Echols, Baldwin, nor Misskelley.[43] In addition, a hair "not inconsistent with" Terry Hobbs, stepfather to Stevie Branch, was found tied into the knots used to bind one of the victims.[44][45] The prosecutors, while conceding that no DNA evidence ties the accused to the crime scene, said that, "The State stands behind its convictions of Echols and his codefendants."[46]
On 29 October 2007 papers were filed in federal court by Damien Echols' defense lawyers seeking a retrial or his immediate release from prison. The filing cited DNA evidence linking Terry Hobbs (stepfather of one of the victims) to the crime scene, and new statements from Hobbs' now ex-wife. Also presented in the filing is new expert testimony that the "knife" marks on the victims were the result of animal predation after the bodies had been dumped.[4][47]
On 10 September 2008 Circuit Court Judge David Burnett denied the request for a retrial, citing the DNA tests as inconclusive.[48] That ruling was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on September 30, 2010.
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Just wondering if any of my fellow PUGsters were close to the epicenter of the 5.9 in VA. Hope all is well.
And for those PUGsters along the mid-Atlantic states/North Carolina…hope you guys make it throught the 'possible' effects of Irene.
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Just wondering if any of my fellow PUGsters were close to the epicenter of the 5.9 in VA. Hope all is well.
And for those PUGsters along the mid-Atlantic states/North Carolina…hope you guys make it throught the 'possible' effects of Irene.
Not me, I'm in KS but my oldest daughter and her beau were both there in MD. That was here first but he grew up and CA, so it didn't even phase him.
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Just wondering if any of my fellow PUGsters were close to the epicenter of the 5.9 in VA. Hope all is well.
And for those PUGsters along the mid-Atlantic states/North Carolina…hope you guys make it throught the 'possible' effects of Irene.
I've got family in NoVa (Northern Virginia) and everyone got through unscathed. They were all a bit suprised, to say the least but okay. And now they're bracing for the hurricane. In fact one of my two older brothers says he was gearing up for a planned vacation in the outer banks….(whoops). /blink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
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I thought it was the well that was being drilled, they are still building by us, nah, then thought the sonic booms from Dover AFB, we're about 50 miles away, and they make the house shake very now and then flying over. I just watching the globe on my desk move and vibrate. My daughter runs down and screams omg it's an eartquake, what do I do? I keep working, start laughing like idiot, and said well you might want to get out of the kitchen, with all the cabinets, for starters.
We had a week of intense thunder storms, high winds and hail, and flooding. It really hasn't rained much all summer. An earthquake and the hurricane is coming. She came home from work, freaking out about the hurricane. After 22 yrs. of her life I've now realized she will useless in a disaster.lol I didn't raise her this way. lol
This weather has been messing up my baseball.
I have not checked the stucco my house yet for cracks, it cracks without earthquakes around here. I just keep seeing $$$ and dread looking.
There was a small earthquake around 91, centered at Reading Pa, that I remember. Our pool heaved out of the ground a few inches, and patios around it moved. I was told because of the rock base here, that damage comes very easily to buildings support structures.
Next week Locust, stay tuned /tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
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Growing up we lived near the San Andres fault line. When the San Fernando earthquake shook us, our pool did the same thing. Very little damage because our home was built on rock.
There have been an awful lot of grasshoppers here this year. If you are looing for the locusts, they are in Oklahoma. /laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
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Not to make light of what's going on in the Delaware Valley right now, but saw this photo and the irony wasn't lost on me nor was the expression "be careful what you ask for…."
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Fifty new alien worlds revealed
By Alan Boyle
European astronomers have announced the discovery of more than 50 new planets beyond our solar system, including 16 that are just a notch above our own planet in mass. They say their record-breaking findings suggest that more than half of the stars like our sun possess planets, and that many of those worlds are less massive than Saturn.
The pick of the litter is a planet that's already been in the spotlight: HD 85512 b, a world at least 3.6 times as massive as Earth that's located 36 light-years away in the constellation Vela. HD 85512 b is the only one of the 16 super-Earths on today's list that is located in its star system's habitable zone. That's the area around a star where scientists believe water could exist in liquid form, which would make a rocky planet potentially livable.
HD 85512 b's status came to light a couple of weeks ago in a paper submitted to the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, but the team behind the discovery provided more details about that super-Earth and the dozens of other worlds in papers presented today at the Extreme Solar Systems II conference in Wyoming.
The findings came from the team behind the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, or HARPS, which is installed at the European Southern Observatory's 11.8-foot (3.6-meter) La Silla Observatory in Chile.
More of the story here:
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I just saw on the news where they're going to release the Berkeley hikers in a couple of days for "humanitarian reasons". I have lost what LITTLE respect I had for the Iranians. Stick to your guns and keep those dopey numbnuts there in an Iranian prison. Since I live in the epicenter for "victims" of this story it's been discussed quite a bit and I have even less compassion for these IDIOTS then ever. I'm not sure that I can appropriately contain my utter contempt for Berkeley (the town itself, the university and the people that not only attend the school but reside there). There is this air of entitlement and superiority that these people EXUDE that is so offensive and ill placed that it just makes a rational mind go into overload. I'm not sure how to explain it. It just seems that the prevailing winds through Berkeley is that there are rules in the world….and they don't apply to THEM. It is the most contrarian (if that's even a word) segment of society I've ever had the misfortune to be around. I'm not going to say that there aren't kind hearted, friendly, intelligent people there, because there are but there are so many of these nudnicks running around that live in a bubble that's it's downright scary. There is a HUGE festering presence of what I refer to as the Sacred Trinty of dysfunction in our current society coursing through that town and it's inhabitants that it almost precludes me from doing anything there….the big three are 1)Lack of common sense 2) lack of responsibility and 3)lack of accountablity. In this particular case…of all the places in the whole wide world to choose to go hiking, why the blue farfegnugen would you got to Iraq (where there's a war going on) and specifically why along the Iraq/Iranian border? IDIOTS. How much diplomatic coin has this country had to waste on behalf of these 3 jacka$$es?? So they can get book deals and go on to have a movie (and you all know that's exactly what's going to happen). While I thought it was a bummer (for them), I can't get too worked up about it because THEY MADE THEIR OWN HELL. And what's up with their moronic parents not warning them about this. Now we owe that pyscho (Ahmadinejad) one AND give him a chance to shine on the world stage. Once again…. Berkeley way to go!!! thanks!
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Once again, I agree with you, Monk. Certain groups of people today have way too much understanding of their rights and not nearly enough understanding of their responsibilities. There also seems to be a vast dearth of common sense, especially among the so-called "elites". I can guarantee you wouldn't see some farmer's kid doing something as idiotic as hiking in Iran. First of all, their parents would never allow them to do it. Ever.
Where are the parents in this situation? Have they just completely abdicated any parental responsibility? Maybe that's where their kids learn their total lack of responsibility. I think the hikers and their parents should be billed for any and all costs associated with recovering these morons.
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Once again, I agree with you, Monk. Certain groups of people today have way too much understanding of their rights and not nearly enough understanding of their responsibilities. There also seems to be a vast dearth of common sense, especially among the so-called "elites". I can guarantee you wouldn't see some farmer's kid doing something as idiotic as hiking in Iran. First of all, their parents would never allow them to do it. Ever.
Where are the parents in this situation? Have they just completely abdicated any parental responsibility? Maybe that's where their kids learn their total lack of responsibility. I think the hikers and their parents should be billed for any and all costs associated with recovering these morons.
In China definitely and I think North Korea, if you are found guilty of a capital offense that requires execution, specifically firing squad, they charge the guilty person's family for the bullets.
Let me be as clear as I possibly can about what I refer to as "the Berkeley Mindset".
The Berkeley folks LOOOVE their Cal Bears football….when they're winning. The stadium is ANCIENT and as it lies on a FAULT line needs all kinds of repairs and retro fitting for seismic activity. The university wants to do the repairs so that no one is injured while at the stadium for an event. The STUDENTS and a bunch of the locals protested the decision by climbing up the trees and refusing to move. The trees that are ear marked to be removed to make way for the renovations are not all healthy trees and pose a threat AS IS. So these dummies climb the trees and camp out delaying construction and endangering themselves. The whole time carrying on about the environment and what jerks the administration is etc etc fill in random cliched protest slogan here….meanwhile if those trees fell with these idiots in them, they'd sue the school AND THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE TRESPASSING. If they were in the stadium when a mild tumbler hit and a section of the stadium collapsed….the dust wouldn't even have settled and the lawyers would be there before the first responders handing out cards and point the finger around. Meanwhile, the school had plans to replant more trees, but the delay cost the school even more money and more people lost jobs because they couldn't start on time.
After 9-11 happened the Berkeley Fire Department to show solidarity for their fallen breathern in NYC and the country in general started flying more flags on the trucks and the firehouse. Basically there were people on TV protesting this move saying it was insensitive to Muslim Americans and could be construed as an intimidation tactic etc. I kid you not.
Every time there is a problem in neighboring Oakland, you get all these agitators who just pour into the trouble zone banging drums and shouting and getting everyone in Oakland even more shook up. They don't live in Oakland and even though they THINK they know the issues and problems, they usually don't and when the shite hits the fan and the violence takes over, they disappear back over the border into their priviledged life and let the cops worry about the damage and vandalism to the small business owners….case in point are the latest round of Bart protests/Oscar Grant riots.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to turn on the local news in the morning and NOT hear some sort of crazy rhetoric coming out of Berkeley it's repulsive. I mean, if you walked around Berkeley with a placard reading "i'm d@mned mad and I'm not going to take it anymore" I can guarantee within 15 minutes you'll get a bunch of Birkenstock wearing, paccholi reeking, dope smoking, hipster wannabes who aren't employed (btw) making a scene.
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Amanda Knox…free. Wow.
http://gma.yahoo.com…s-innocent.html
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In NYC now in its third week I believe, there have been a bunch of anti-business, anti-wall streek "citizens" protesting the un-employment rate and the so called ripping off of the little people by big business. I have to love these protesters…they yell about how big business is ruining this country and asthey are doing this they are walking around on their I-Phones and I-Pads. They've pretty much taken over a park in the area and when they atarted to march over the Brooklyn Bridge the NYPD told them to stay off the road way and stay ON the pedestrian walkway. Some did. Most did not. For three hours the bridge was shut down forcing the working men and women who were trying to get home after a long day of WORK were forced to wait in 3 or more hours of traffic jam.
700 were arrested and then they started to complain that the NYPD tricked them into the road way by not telling them to stay off it just so they could arred the protesters…
The NYPD released two videos of the marchers being told by police to stay out of the roadway and stay on the path…
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/l…..nOgYSN4fJJ
Wall Street protesters dress as zombies in NYC:
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Obama declares Iraq war over with all US troops home at year's end
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Obama declares Iraq war over with all US troops home at year's end
http://thehill.com/h…me-at-years-end
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it's about time…they should be redeployed along the southern border
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it's about time…they should be redeployed along the southern border
And along the northern boarder. Do we need any more Celin Dions and Justin Biebers coming south? 8-{0
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And along the northern boarder. Do we need any more Celin Dions and Justin Biebers coming south? 8-{0
amen brother….
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Well as anyone following this "occupy" movement thing, predictably things got out of control right here in Oakland. And it's the same nonsense I commented on above: the Berkeley element. What I would love to see happen is that when these "occupy" people are arrested they should be checked to see if they are students and more specifically if they are students receiving state and federal grants. If they are, the aid should be terminated immediately and a bill prepared for the aid already used to be repaid to the government. Here's why. One of the local news channels was estimating the expenses the local government has to pay in overtime for the cops and for sanitation workers etc. So here's an idea, how about if you "occupy" your classrooms or your aid gets terminated! Just the way I feel about it. The image that bothers me the most is that the Oakland pd had to use stun grenades, plastic bullets etc to get the crowd to disperse AFTER the protesters were throwing bottles (of beer and urine), paint, rocks etc at the cops who were trying to keep them corraled into one area. The park they'd been habitating was cleared because of safety and health code violations that had been allowed to slide for awhile in a good will gesture to let them voice their displeasure. Anyway the disturbing image is these idiots, who refused to disperse after several warnings were injured when they became disoriented from flash bangs and fell. Their fellow protestors picked them up and ran through the streets with them yelling "medic" at the top of their lungs like they were on a battle field. What complete a-holes. You are NOT in a war zone, I'm sure from you're pampered suburban, call of duty playing point of reference you THINK you are….but you're not. The city of Oakland is going bankrupt because businesses can't afford it there and these morons insist upon starting a riot that will invariably lead to looting (as it does EVERY TIME) and there's no one there to pay taxes, so when the businesses move out there are no jobs to be had by the locals and they cycle just gets deeper and more vicious. A town closer to where I live, Richmond, had an "occupy" event planned….but no one showed up, why? Because Richmond is a dangerous, crime ridden cesspool, no one WANTS to occupy it, but do you know why they targeted Richmond? Because Chevron has refineries and an office here, it (next to the Railroad) are the only things keeping Richmond afloat. You take that $$$ away and guess what, this place becomes Compton north. It already is with gangs and drugs etc. The people who live here, don't even want to occupy Richmond. What a farce. I just saw where Sean Lennon was joining the OWS and singing, hey Sean, I loved your father but you have NEVER worked a day in your life (a day in the life hahahaha) and while I know you didn't choose who your parents were, you've done pretty good so far in your life, just be quiet and let this blow over, YOU ARE NO JOHN LENNON. To have the nerve to perform "Material Girl" with that other knucklehead Wainwright (also a child of priviledge) just shut up!
And guess what, I have to get up at 5am to get ready FOR WORK! I don't love it but I do it because no one is going to pay me to lay around and do nothing.
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