The West Memphis Three case involves the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—in West Memphis, Arkansas. Three local teenagers—Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr.—were arrested and convicted, largely based on a coerced confession, their appearance, and the hysteria of the Satanic Panic era. There was no physical evidence linking them to the crime, and later DNA testing excluded all three. After years of public outcry and legal battles, they were released in 2011 under an Alford plea, which allowed them to maintain innocence while pleading guilty. The real killer remains unknown