Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Tony brooks:
cameras are rolling

on every word and movement

Of the west Memphis

murder trials

As reporters scurry

to get the story.

But as Deirdre Koon

reports,

The crew behind one camera

isn't chasing a story.

They're creating

a comment on society.

Deirdre Koon:
this is the

scene at the corning courthouse-

The defense, the prosecution,

and this film crew

Getting ready

for the day ahead.

These New York filmmakers

spent the last eight months

Getting to intimately know the

people involved in the case.

The filmmakers are considering

calling the documentary

"Paradise lost. " They expect

it to air on HBO in about a year.

Woman:

is it fair to say

That following

the HBO documentaries,

- The "paradise lost" documentaries...

- Yes.

- ... There became sort

of a public- - That's-

Let me finish my question,

Im sorry-

There became

sort of a public debate

Or controversy about whether

the west Memphis three

- Had been wrongfully convicted?

- Yes.

And that public

controversy-

And I understand

your position

That it was caused

by the documentaries,

But that public

controversy

Really did expand to be

a national controversy?

Right.

It's almost a cause.

Mark byers:

last time we saw them,

The three boys were

riding bikes together,

And they headed down towards a

wooded area at the end of the street,

Which was about 6:30

yesterday evening.

And they're always

in the house before dark.

None of the three

have ever been missing

Or taken off

ever before.

Male reporter:
what's going

through your mind as a parent?

I'm scared to death.

That's, you know,

plain and simple.

I'm scared for the safety

and welfare of all three boys

And would appreciate any

help that anyone would give us

In recovering

our three sons.

welcome to where time

stands still

no one leaves

and no one will...

Green one

on the left side there,

Red one on

the right side.

dream the same thing

every night

I see our freedom

in my sights...

Man over radio:
don't

let nobody come up here.

Don't let nobody

in here.

my brain

seem scarred

sleep, my friend,

and you will see

the dream is

my reality

they keep me locked up

in this cage

can't they see

it's why my brain says

"rage"?

sanitarium

leave me be

sanitarium

just leave me alone...

( wailing )

build my fear

of what's out there

cannot breathe

the open air...

Jenna newton:

west Memphis investigators

Continue to track down

leads in the case,

But they still have

no suspects.

We've got 28,000-30,000

people in west Memphis.

And as far as Im concerned,

everybody's a suspect.

Diana Davis:
instead of letting

their kids walk home from school,

Parents started

picking them up.

Jenna newton:
and in this

middle-Class neighborhood,

People wonder why no one has

been arrested for the murders.

Diana Davis:
the reward for

information leading to the conviction

Of the killer or killers

has skyrocketed

And is now at $25,000.

All of west Memphis-

All of west Memphis

is just torn up.

( Child crying )

Get out of the way

of the van.

Male reporter:
people in west

Memphis gathered in church today

To count

their blessings

After an emotional week

capped by the arrests.

For more than a month,

the savage murders

Of Steve Branch, Chris Byers,

and Michael Moore

Had nagged

people's conscience.

Jenna newton:
at a press conference,

inspector Gary Gitchell said

The case against the accused

teens is very strong.

Man:
on the scale from one to 10,

how solid do you think the case is?

( Laughter, applause )

Jessie Miskelly, Damien

Echols, and Jason Baldwin

Are now

convicted killers.

Judge Burnett:
do you

have any legal reason

To show the court or give

the court at this time

As to why sentence

should not be imposed?

- Because Im innocent.

- Pardon?

Because Im innocent.

( Crossing bells

ringing )

Michael was

kind of like-

Kind of like

Bart Simpson.

He had a great

sense of humor.

He could make you laugh no

matter how depressed you was,

No matter how bad

things were going.

He always wanted everybody

to be in a good mood.

And he- He could make

anybody laugh.

He'd come up with

the silliest things.

I damn sure miss him.

Terry Hobbs:
Stevie

was a fine boy. He was.

We gave him a nice home,

we felt like.

And, you know,

we're sad

That this- You know,

this has happened.

We're sad

that he's gone.

I always said that

Christopher was a gift,

That Christopher was

my gift.

I have asked god "why?"

You know?

"If you were going to

take him,

Why didn't you take him

when he was tiny?"

You know?

"Why did it-?"

You know,

"Why did you let me love

him for eight years?"

Damien Echols,

Jason Baldwin,

Jessie Miskelly Jr,

I hope you all

burn in hell

And are tormented

for eternity and a day.

I couldn't ever put into

words how much I hate you.

Damien Echols:
I know, no

matter what I say or do,

There are still

going to be people

Who won't believe it,

no matter what.

But I did not

Kill those children

or anybody else.

I had nothing

to do with it,

And I know

nothing about it.

Jason Baldwin:
if I could talk to

the families of the victims right now,

They were led to believe by

the police that we'd done it,

And so I understand

if they hate us,

You know, hate me.

But I didn't do it,

you know?

I didn't have anything

to do with it.

And Im sorry that

your kids are dead.

I'm sorry

about that.

But all I ask is

That y'all go back

and look at the evidence.

Just- Just stop

and think

And don't let your

emotions about it all

Get to your head

And just stop and think and

look back at the evidence.

And look where

the evidence does point.

And ask yourself,

"Now who do you think

really done it?"

Jessie Miskelly:
they know that

they got three innocent people

Locked up for a crime

they didn't commit.

I didn't kill nobody.

But, you know, to me,

I think it's wrong,

Because, you know,

it ain't about us.

It's about the victims theirselves,

you know what Im saying?

They need peace. The

victim's family needs peace.

And I think the police

owes that to 'em.

The facts of the crime scene

are actually

A pretty interesting

part of the case,

Because this crime

Took place

in a wooded area.

It was near

two major freeways.

It happened right near

a truck stop,

Which is now closed.

But it was a major

truck stop.

People would be in and out

of that truck stop

24 hours a day.

It was open 24 hours

a day.

And it also adjoined

A 24-Hour-A-Day

truck wash place.

So there was- There was

traffic in that area.

Don Horgan:

there was so much hysteria

Around the nature

of the crimes.

There was a lot of fear

in the community.

And naturally there was an

incredible amount of pressure

On the police

to find who's responsible.

But as days go by,

there isn't-

The evidence doesn't

obviously point

To any particular

individual, again,

Because there's very little

left at the scene.

At about 6:
00

on may the 5th,

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