West of Memphis Page #4

that we've written to each other

over the past 15... Fourteen, 15 years.

You know, it's the way

we got to know each other.

I saw the film Paradise Lost,

which is a documentary

that was made about the original trial.

I was living in New York City

at the time

and I saw it at probably

the second time it was screened.

We were just watching TV

the night we were arrested.

We were in the bedroom,

turned the light off.

LORRI:
To hear Damien talk in that

film, he reminds me so much of myself.

DAMIEN:
Did she tell you whenever

she awarded herself the first-place prize

and rode in a parade?

She had this sign on the side

of a car that's saying "first place"

and it's got a blue ribbon on it.

And it was not even a contest!

She just gave herself "first place."

LORRI:
After a series of letters,

writing, corresponding with him,

and then I cared deeply about him.

And the next thing I know,

I'm in Arkansas.

DAMIEN:
When I was a real little kid, I had,

uhh, a pet turtle for a while. A box turtle.

Did you do any painting on its shell?

I most certainly did not.

We did.

Seeing the film, you realize

something has gone wrong.

You don't get the full picture

because there's so much to the story,

as we've learned,

as it's unfolded over the years.

I was struck by the fact that these people

didn't commit these crimes.

They don't have the right people

in prison.

REPORTER:
Questions about

whether justice was served

have loomed in this case

since the verdicts.

The HBO documentary Paradise Lost

gave the case worldwide attention.

I am so glad to see so many people here,

people who are interested in this case.

When I started to write Devil's Knot,

my friends said, "Mara, they did it."

And I said, "Well, that may be,

and if that's true I'm gonna find out."

This was probably the first

crowd-sourced criminal investigation

in history,

is about the only way to describe it.

The case was supposedly solved.

If it was an open case,

the West Memphis Police wouldn't be

required to make available documents.

The West Memphis Police put together

an incredibly large investigation.

Even if a lot of it was nonsense

and rumors.

So we could take on the case,

we could begin to ask the questions.

We can look at Jessie's confession

and we could say:

"Wait a second,

what did he really say

compared to what he was claimed

to have said?"

LEVERITT:
Right from the start, after Jessie

Misskelley made his statement to police,

it was recorded, transcribed.

And then it was immediately leaked

to The Commercial Appeal.

STIDHAM:
I read the confession on the front

page of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

just like everybody else did.

And it seemed like it happened.

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