Grab some tissues and your inner rage because today we're getting the verdict in the trial of Jason and Damien.


In part one of this series we told you about Stevie, Michael, Chris and the murders that would forever change West Memphis Arkansas, and in part two we covered the satanic panic that led to the arrests of Jason, Damien, and Jessie. In Part three we examined the months leading up to the trials. In part four, Jessie Misskelley was found guilty of the crimes in a separate trial. In part five we heard from the prosecution but today it's all about the defense.

In part 6, Damien's defense calls witnesses to the stand (including Damien himself) while Jason's team opts to only call on one witness, a fiber specialist. 
We hear closing statements from the state and defense as well as clips from the trial, Paradise Lost & Damien's book. 

We end the episode with the verdict and what it means for Damien and Jason
 
CW: child abuse, child death, self-harm

Sources:
Jenkins, P (1992). Intimate enemies: moral panics in contemporary Great Britain. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Victor, J (1998). "Construction of Satanic Ritual Abuse and the Creation of False Memories". In DeRivera J; Sarbin T (eds.). Believed-In-Imaginings: The Narrative Construction of Reality. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Finkelhor, David; Williams, Linda Meyer; Burns, Nanci; Kalinowski, Michael (1988). Sexual Abuse in Day Care: A National Study; Executive Summary (Report). Durham, North Carolina: University of New Hampshire. 
Michelle Remembers, Lawrence Pasdar and Michelle Smith (1980)
Court Documents:
http://callahan.mysite.com/custom.html
Murders in West Memphis- 
https://www.jivepuppi.com
Young WC; Sachs RG; Braun BG; Watkins RT (1991). "Patients reporting ritual abuse in childhood: a clinical syndrome. Report of 37 cases". Child Abuse Negl. 15 (3): 181–89. 
Damien Echols, Life After Death
Mara Leverit, Dark Spell (with Jason Baldwin)
Goleman, Daniel (October 31, 1994). "Proof Lacking for Ritual Abuse by Satanists". The New York Times. 
Fraser, GA (1997). The Dilemma of Ritual Abuse: Cautions and Guides for Therapists. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc
Spanos, NP (1996). Multiple Identities & False Memories: A Sociocognitive Perspective. American Psychological Association. pp. 269–85. 
McLeod, K; Goddard CR (2005). "The Ritual Abuse of Children: A Critical Perspective".
Wood, JM; Nathan, D; Nezworski, MT; Uhl, E (2009). "Child sexual abuse investigations: Lessons learned from the McMartin and other daycare cases"

Further Viewing: The Paradise Lost Series- HBO/Max Devil’s Knot (film and bookL Geraldo Show - March 16, 1994 Transcript
Maury Povich Show - August 2, 1994 Transcript
CNN - "Presumed Guilty: Murder in West Memphis" - January 14, 2010 Transcript
Piers Morgan Tonight: "West Memphis Three Freed After 18 Years" - September 29, 2011 Transcript 

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