In 1993, three West Memphis, Arkansas, teens were arrested for the murder of three young boys--which, the town concluded, must have been an "occultic ritual". In a time of "Satanic Panic," these teens were sentenced based on the fact that they dressed in black, listened to heavy metal, and read Stephen King books. To ice the cake, the police forced a false confession out of a mentally retarded boy after 12 hours of largely-untaped interrogation. These three young men, now known as the "West Memphis Three," are all in prison: One is on death row, and the others are serving life sentences. And the scary thing is, they never did anything wrong. The situation surrounding the investigation, their arrests, and the trial...is horrendous. One of the worst screw-ups in legal history. The bad thing is, these three are stuck in jail thanks to a bundle of red tape and bureaucratic legalities, even though they are completely innocent. Now, one is about to be executed. But you can help.

Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence?

The same police officers coerced an error-filled "confession" from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late— Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994.

Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40.

For over 12 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. They were all condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, satanic panic and a rush to judgment.

But there’s still hope for them, and you can help.