Robert Burkes
Second Unit
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2000
- Messages
- 260
Have any of you seen Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills? I was recently introduced to it by a friend and watched it for the first time last night. At the end of the tape, I was so angry and frightened that I didn't sleep when I turned out the lights and closed my eyes. This is a documentary on a murder case in West Memphis, AR. Here is a summary copied from a post on imdb.com:
In West Memphis, three young children are found mutilated in a patch of woods just off the interstate. For no real reason whatsoever, three nonconformist teens are brought to trial, one of which has an I.Q. that is somewhere in the 70s. When he gives a very phony sounding confession, the trials begin with absolutely no other evidence to prove that the boys are guilty. Throughout the film, we meet each of the deceased boys parents, the defendants, and the defendants' families. Most angry of all are the parents of the Byers boy who was murdered. Now, before I get started on the step-father Mark Byers, I really want to say that I can totally empathize with the guy and his rage is completely understandable. However, what I really can't get past is the guy's bizarre behavior and the impression that he left me with. The guy takes up a lot of screen time. I know that the guy is a jeweler by trade and acting may not be his thing, but this is a DOCUMENTARY and while watching him, on more than several occasions I got a little confused. Yeah, the guy has some mental problems, he's on numerous medications, he's suffering from a brain tumor and he's going through some major grieving. But why does he act like he's been watching TOO much WWF? His lines are straight out of a BAD movie and if this is how the guy really is, I'm staying the hell out of this guy's way. Throughout the film there are several subtle (or not so subtle) indications that he may be a suspect. The fact that he gave one of the film-makers a bloody knife as a Christmas present more than proves that the guy is a little off his rocker. He even admitted to having beat the child the day that he was murdered.
Remember, there is absolutely NO physical evidence to pin on the accused and the only thing that got them there was a false confession given by a legally retarded teenager who had been interrogated for hours. Oh, and did I mention that his story KEPT changing? Listening to Jesse Misskelly, the time that the boys were murdered takes place all over the clock. Once, he states that the boys were murdered in the A.M. hours, then during broad daylight, then at night. I don't get it. It didn't matter to the jury. Two of the boys still got life sentences and the other (Damien Eckols) got the death sentence. His crime is that he had a fondness for wearing black, had a bad haircut, and a slight interest in Wicca...Not a whole lot different from myself. Anyway, there is also mention of another mysterious person who made an appearance in a Bojangles restaurant restroom, covered in blood. Oh yeah, that is another issue that is barely mentioned, and then dropped.The whole time I was watching this film, I was thinking, "Why in hell are these three here?" The police led a retarded kid through a confession after terrorizing him for 12 hours, and throughout the confession, there are inconsistencies with the facts of the case. This is all over-looked. The police ignored evidence, and the judge would not allow testimonies in favor of the boys. One particularly infuriating piece of the story involved a bloody and muddy man going into a restaurant nearby and freaking out in the restroom the night of the murders. The manager called the police. A detective came by and went through the drive through of the restaurant. Nothing was done about the man while he was there. Later, the police came and scraped blood off the walls. When asked about the blood in court, the detective in charge said he lost the samples! There are holes throughout the investigation and trial. It seems that the only reason these boys are sentenced to life terms and lethal injection is because they wore black, were outcasts with their peers, and one of them dabbled in Wicca (which is portrayed as Satanic but is really a form of earth worship). Now three more lives are ruined without due cause. I was hoping to spread the word on this documentary and its sequel, which I'm about to watch for the first time as well. It's hard to come across, but if you can get your hands on a copy, watch it. You'll never be the same.