Devil Knot by Mara Leveritt - Book Report/Review Example

Philosophy 2 December Devil Knot by Mara Leveritt Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three is written by Mara Leveritt and it is a true crime story telling about the murders of three eight year old boys. The book under consideration gives the information about both the murders and the subsequent trial demonstrating the details of investigation to the readers. Three other teenagers are convinced in committing the crime. Here are their names: Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley. There was much various evidence found in the trial to prove the guilt of the three young people. However, all of them seem to be just the police’s attempt to keep their reputation by means of solving the case. This fact can be easily proved by analyzing the key elements of the prosecution case. As for the evidence and witness testimony against Damien Echols and Jason Baldman, it is necessary to consider the following things: the lake knife, the fiber evidence, the testimony of Dale Griffis, the testimony of Michael Carson and the testimony of the girls from the snowball game. The first evidence against the accused boys is the knife found in the lake. According to Deanna Holcomb’s testimony, Echols was carrying the similar knife one day. The similarity of the knife was connected with the information that there were upside-down crosses in the boy’s room together with the journal about dead children. As for me, I think that seeing the knife in the boy’s hand is not firm evidence against him. I do not think that the one who killed three people is able to walk in the street with the same knife without the fear of being suspected in the crime. Perhaps, Deanna Holcomb saw something like toy knife of the similar size and thought that it was the tool of the murders. She had no opportunity to look at that knife closer and there is no evidence that the knife (if there was any) carried by Echols was the one from the lake. DNA analysis was one more important evidence. I think that it is central evidence in the whole trial. The results were the following ones: None of the genetic material recovered at the scene was Damien Echols’, Jason Baldwin’s or Jesse Misskelley. A hair found in the ligature applied in order to bind Michael Moore was consistent with Terry Hobbs (Steven branch’s stepfather). Genetic material taken from the penis of Steven Branch belonged to the individual other than any of the defendants or victims. A hair taken from a tree root or stump at the crime place was consistent with the hair of one of Mr. Hobb’s friends who was together with him when the crimes took place. It is not difficult to see that the results of analysis of fiber evidence have nothing in common either with Damien Echols or Jason Baldwin. To my mind, the court should have doubted this evidence at once. It is not against the accused, but it proves that the three teenagers are innocent and could not commit the crimes. Dr Dale Griffis was an occult expert who attended no primary classes. I do not understand why he was listened to at all. According to his words, there were a lot of various drawings of a pentagram and upside down crosses in Echols’s room. Griffis was sure that it is the sign of Satanism and the three boys were killed in order to perform some Satanist rituals. Moreover, the doctor frequently saw the accused children dressed in black, their nails and hair were also black and there were tattoos on their body. It was the sign that the teens practiced Satanism. As for this evidence and point of view, I do not think that it is a reliable one. Wearing black closes and having dark nails does not mean that a person (especially a child) is Satanist and killed somebody to perform a ritual. Moreover, it was a mistake to listen to a person who just pretends to be an expert in the occult, but does not have enough knowledge for this. From my perspective, it is one more mistake made by the police and justice. There was an important testimony given by sixteen-year old Michael Carson. This boy told a story about an encounter he had had several months earlier with the accused teens. Here are Michael’s words: “He told me how he dismembered the kids. He sucked the blood from penis and scrotum and put the balls in his mouth”. The reply to the question “what caused you to come forward at that point in time?” was: “because I saw the family on TV and saw how brokenhearted they were about their children being missing. And I have got a soft heart. I could not take it” (Leveritt, 228). These words belong to a sensitive boy who spends too much time before the screen believing in everything he watches there. He saw how someone kills and sucks blood from pennies and began to think that this happens during each murder. The words of such a person are not reliable as well. Fiber analysts gave very interesting information to the court. It was the following. A green polyester fiber taken from a Cub Scout cap found at the place where the boys were killed was “microscopically similar” to the fibers and cotton clothing founded by the police during their search of Damien’s house. Moreover, the fibers from the clothing were also microscopically similar to the fibers taken from a pair of blue pants found near the bodies of killed boys. There was also a single red rayon fiber taken from a white shirt found near the killed children. It was “microscopically similar” to a female red bathrobe that was seen in Jason’s house (166). At first sight, this information may prove the guilt of the accused teenagers. However, there is nothing strange in the fact that some fibers were found at Damien’s house because he knew the killed and was in friendly relations with them. Children could just play together or have some fun; that is why the fiber stayed on their clothes. As for a red bathrobe found in Jason’s house, I think that the police could find the same thing in any other house. It is not the only bathrobe in the world. So, fiber evidence is not enough to make sure that it was Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin who committed the crimes. The girls from softball game told a rather awkward story. Thus, they were sure that Damien discussed his murders at the softball game. The girl heard the accused say “that he killed the three little boys and before he turned himself in that he was going to kill two more and he already had one of them picked out” (240). According to the girls’ words, there was a crowd of children around Damien when he was saying that. However, the girls could not call their names or recognize those people. So, nobody could prove these words. That is why it is possible to say that the girls just invented this story. They kept silence before the arrest because of unknown reason. Perhaps, they only were eager to attract attention to their personality with the help of the above-mentioned story. An interesting and strange fact about the murders is that the father of one of the murdered boys (John Mark Byers) had a knife with blood. It was found on the blade and between the handles. He gave this knife to the company preparing a documentary. The blood type of the father and his son was the same. This person passed a lie detection test, but a few people suspected this person in committing the crime. It is strange because he refused submitting his teeth impressions for unknown reason and his first wife died because of the reason nobody was aware of. It is unclear why the police did not blame this man for killing the boys. It is not logical because it is not understandable whose blood was on that knife – his own or the one of his son (they had the same type). Moreover, I think that the person who refuses doing some tests has something to hide. I do not understand why the police paid little attention to this father and his connection with the murders. Thus, John Mark Byers knife is one of the elements of Echols’s defense. The incident at Bojangles restaurant also deserves much attention. Marty King (the manager of Bojangles restaurant) stated that after the boys’ murders some bloody man came to the restaurant. He called the police and the officers checked everything in the building. They were in the rest room and found some remaining flecks of blood. According to King’s words, “he gave Allen and Ridge a pair of sunglasses he’d pulled out of the commode, and that the detectives then took blood scrapings from the rest room wall. After that, King said, he never heard from them again” (141). This sounds rather strange. Why the police did not investigate who that bloody man had been? It was not a child, it was a man. Nobody knew anything about that man. The situation in the restaurant is very important for the trial, but the police completely neglected it. I think that this event proves that Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin are innocent and could not kill the tree boys. To conclude, I would like to answer the question “did the jury reach the correct verdict?” I think “no”. The verdict was wrong. I am sure that the three children in the court were innocent. No evidence discussed during the trial was reliable. Firstly, Dale Griffis’s point of view based on the children’s appearance is wrong. Teenagers just used such clothes for fun and self-expression. It is normal to do that at their age. Secondly, the accused and killed children knew each other. That is why there is nothing strange in the fact that some fiber of the killed was found in Echols and Jason’s houses. All these children could just have fun and nothing more. It is impossible to play or fool around without touching each other. This could lead to the appearance of fiber on the things belonging to the accused. Thirdly, incident at the restaurant and John Mark Byers knife proved that there can be someone who really committed the crime. However, there were no attempts to investigate this version. Moreover, there is some additional information that may support my judgment. I do not think that three children are able to kill another three kids. It is impossible, because they do not have enough strength to do that. There was someone elder and experienced in such crimes. It is known that the victims were strangled by their own shoelaces. One should be much stronger than a victim to do that. So, I am sure that the teens could not do such a thing with the people of the same age. I think that the police just did not want to investigate this case properly or just wanted to be discussed by the public and become popular. The reason of this negligence is unclear but the innocence of the accused is evident. As for me, all the evidence given against the accused is just childish tales and unproved information. No one was sure in this data. Moreover, I think that teens are not clever enough to plan the murders and kill people without being noticed either in the street or at home. There must have been some clothes with blood or suspicious behavior. I have not found this information in Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt. That is why I am able to affirm that none of the three accused deserve death penalty; they are innocent. Works Cited Leveritt, Mara. Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. New York, NY: atria Books, 2003. Print. Read More

Moreover, it was a mistake to listen to a person who just pretends to be an expert in the occult, but does not have enough knowledge for this. From my perspective, it is one more mistake made by the police and justice. There was an important testimony given by sixteen-year old Michael Carson. This boy told a story about an encounter he had had several months earlier with the accused teens. Here are Michael’s words: “He told me how he dismembered the kids. He sucked the blood from penis and scrotum and put the balls in his mouth”.

The reply to the question “what caused you to come forward at that point in time?” was: “because I saw the family on TV and saw how brokenhearted they were about their children being missing. And I have got a soft heart. I could not take it” (Leveritt, 228). These words belong to a sensitive boy who spends too much time before the screen believing in everything he watches there. He saw how someone kills and sucks blood from pennies and began to think that this happens during each murder.

The words of such a person are not reliable as well. Fiber analysts gave very interesting information to the court. It was the following. A green polyester fiber taken from a Cub Scout cap found at the place where the boys were killed was “microscopically similar” to the fibers and cotton clothing founded by the police during their search of Damien’s house. Moreover, the fibers from the clothing were also microscopically similar to the fibers taken from a pair of blue pants found near the bodies of killed boys.

There was also a single red rayon fiber taken from a white shirt found near the killed children. It was “microscopically similar” to a female red bathrobe that was seen in Jason’s house (166). At first sight, this information may prove the guilt of the accused teenagers. However, there is nothing strange in the fact that some fibers were found at Damien’s house because he knew the killed and was in friendly relations with them. Children could just play together or have some fun; that is why the fiber stayed on their clothes.

As for a red bathrobe found in Jason’s house, I think that the police could find the same thing in any other house. It is not the only bathrobe in the world. So, fiber evidence is not enough to make sure that it was Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin who committed the crimes. The girls from softball game told a rather awkward story. Thus, they were sure that Damien discussed his murders at the softball game. The girl heard the accused say “that he killed the three little boys and before he turned himself in that he was going to kill two more and he already had one of them picked out” (240).

According to the girls’ words, there was a crowd of children around Damien when he was saying that. However, the girls could not call their names or recognize those people. So, nobody could prove these words. That is why it is possible to say that the girls just invented this story. They kept silence before the arrest because of unknown reason. Perhaps, they only were eager to attract attention to their personality with the help of the above-mentioned story. An interesting and strange fact about the murders is that the father of one of the murdered boys (John Mark Byers) had a knife with blood.

It was found on the blade and between the handles. He gave this knife to the company preparing a documentary. The blood type of the father and his son was the same. This person passed a lie detection test, but a few people suspected this person in committing the crime. It is strange because he refused submitting his teeth impressions for unknown reason and his first wife died because of the reason nobody was aware of. It is unclear why the police did not blame this man for killing the boys. It is not logical because it is not understandable whose blood was on that knife – his own or the one of his son (they had the same type).

Moreover, I think that the person who refuses doing some tests has something to hide.

Read More