West Memphis Pt 3: Jason, Damien and Jessie

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 of our West Memphis Murders series we focus on the time period after the arrests- June 1993 to jury selection for Jessie's trial in January of 1994.

We hear from the Paradise Lost filmmakers, the families of the accused and include exercerpts from both Damien and Jason's books as well as clips from Paradise Lost and Devil's Knot as we gain a broader understanding of the work private investigators like Ron Lax and the public defenders appointed in the case did in preparation for trial.

 We end the episode with a conversation with Brooke's dad, The Honorable Judge Fisher and hear his perspective on Satanic Panic and this case.



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

Further Reading:
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, Devil's Knot  (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 book)

 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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