Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:12 PM

Parents of 2 slain Ark. boys angered by Oscar nod for film about the murders, West Memphis 3

Parents of 2 slain Ark. boys angered by Oscar nod for film about the murders, West Memphis 3

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The parents of two of three Arkansas boys who were brutally murdered nearly two decades ago said they’re disappointed that a documentary about the killings and the three men convicted, known as the West Memphis Three, was nominated Tuesday for an Academy Award.

Todd and Diana Moore had asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to exclude “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” from consideration, saying it glorifies Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. The three spent 18 years in prison, long claiming their innocence and attracting attention from celebrities, before reaching a deal with prosecutors to be set free last year.

The film, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, is the third in a series of HBO documentaries about the case. The 8-year-old Cub Scouts — Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers — were found dead in 1993 in West Memphis, a town along the Mississippi River. Two drowned in a drainage ditch, the other bled to death; all were found naked and tied up.

The Moores, along with Stevie Branch’s father and stepfather, sent a letter to the Academy and reporters on Tuesday expressing their “sadness, disappointment, and outrage” about the Oscar nod.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/parents-of-2-slain-ark-boys-angered-by-oscar-nod-for-film-about-the-murders-west-memphis-3/2012/01/24/gIQAwfY1NQ_story.html

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9 replies	Author	Time	Post
Parents of 2 slain Ark. boys angered by Oscar nod for film about the murders, West Memphis 3 (Original post)	The Straight Story	Jan 2012	OP
of course Hobbs objected	OKNancy	Jan 2012	#1
They should be angry at the Police who investigated the case	FreakinDJ	Jan 2012	#2
+1	zappaman	Jan 2012	#3
that pound of flesh not enough for them?	frylock	Jan 2012	#4
I just watched this film recently. I always knew they were innocent.	sunwyn	Jan 2012	#5
Funny how they fail to even mention the third kids parents	SomethingFishy	Jan 2012	#6
Branch's mother also supports the filmmakers and WM3, iirc. n/t	girl gone mad	Jan 2012	#8
Grief does strange things, and the parents have more than enough...	TreasonousBastard	Jan 2012	#7
West Memphis 3 was one of the worst cases of injustice I've ever seen.	Puregonzo1188	Jan 2012	#9

Response to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:19 PM

OKNancy (29,964 posts)

1. of course Hobbs objected

Terry Hobbs, (the stepfather of Stevie Branch ) I'm sure objected since the film makes him look pretty darn guilty.

He sure looks like a shady character.

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Response to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:19 PM

FreakinDJ (13,064 posts)

2. They should be angry at the Police who investigated the case

Such a travesty

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Response to FreakinDJ (Reply #2)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:22 PM

zappaman (8,392 posts)

3. +1

Exactly.
Those kids were falsely convicted and the plea deal is so they can't sue.
The judge and prosecutors should all lose their licenses.

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Response to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:29 PM

frylock (19,050 posts)

4. that pound of flesh not enough for them?

Last edited Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:30 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

18 years in prison ffs.

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Response to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:33 PM

sunwyn (446 posts)

5. I just watched this film recently. I always knew they were innocent.

And it seems very clear that Terry Hobbs committed this horrible act. You would think that all but him would want the truth.

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Response to The Straight Story (Original post)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 07:41 PM

SomethingFishy (2,078 posts)

6. Funny how they fail to even mention the third kids parents

who believe that Branch's stepfather is guilty and have been supporting the WM3...

This was a travesty. Those three kids were railroaded because they were the town stoners. They could have been any kid in the 80's who listened to Heavy Metal, including myself.

I was just reading a piece in Time about how Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh paid for much of the re-investigation and spent years trying to help these kids.

The state knew they fucked up too. That was the point of the Alford Plea. It keeps the 3 from suing the state. I hope they finally get the real killer and these kids are compensated for the life they lost.

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Response to SomethingFishy (Reply #6)

Tue Jan 24, 2012, 08:11 PM

girl gone mad (20,634 posts)