Back in February 2010, we pondered the case of the West Memphis Three in a post entitled, "Johnny Depp on 48 Hours Today Fighting 4 West Memphis 3, Will He Help the Dubose Brothers?"
Eighteen months later, and the West Memphis Three are free men. It’s a big deal and a big story in more ways than one — here are some of the various online sources that provide various takes on what has happened here:
1. The Power of the Media in Freeing the West Memphis Three.
"How Rockers Helped Free the West Memphis Three" – Rolling Stone delves into the contribution made by public figures shedding light on the case, here discussing musicians (from Henry Rollins to Ozzy Osborne) though other popular figures also made contributions (such as Johnny Depp, mentioned above, and film director Oliver Stone, among others).
2. The Psychological Lessons to be Learned from the West Memphis Three.
In an op-ed piece published in the Los Angeles Times, Jennifer L. Mnookin discusses psychological lessons to be learned in "[t]he ‘West Memphis Three’ and combating cognitive biases."
3. What Public Service Can Really Do — Who Did What in the case of the West Memphis Three.
The University of Arkansas’ Clinton School for Public Service held a program to discuss the case, where more than 1100 people attended to hear the discussion, ask questions, and learn things like panel participant and West Memphis 3 prosecutor Scott Ellington telling the crowd that the state lab would look at the DNA evidence after the private lab in Virginia (hired by the defense) was done; the video is available online here.
4. The Defense Team’s First Hand Revelations About Representing the West Memphis Three
AmLawDaily interviewed the white collar defense attorney considered key to the West Memphis Three being freed: Ropes & Gray partner Stephen Braga on the defense lawyer’s perspective of the case – Braga took the case pro bono.
5. The Legal Analysis of the Case of the West Memphis Three (and Can It Apply to Others?)
Lawyer and law professor Gerald L. Shargel gives a legal analysis of what went down – including the use of the Alford Plea in a piece he writes for the Daily Beast, "How the West Memphis Three Got Out."