Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

often forgotten with the presence of strong religious beliefs and rising emotions following violent crimes. Directors, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, in the documentary film Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) takes an insider look surrounding the trials of three teens who were accused of brutally murdering and sexually assaulting three eight year old boys in the Bible Belt town of West Memphis, Arkansas. The accused, Jessie Misskelley Jr., Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin would…

The day after the bodies were discovered, Damien Echols was questioned. A juvenile probation officer was on scene when the three bodies were discovered in “The Robin Hood Hills”. The officer said he had been following the actions of Damien Echols, a local student, stating that it was possible that he could be responsible for the act.(Sauls) After hearing about Damien, the police drew the idea that the crime could be related to Satanistic rituals or some sort of cult sacrifice. They went from…

Understandably, those facing justice are sure to carry a different perspective of its meaning than those who are seeking it. Damien Echol’s, the innocent teenager sentenced to death, understands firsthand the oppressive nature justice can have on society. He spent almost twenty years on death row in solitary confinement for a crime he did not commit (Paradise Lost 3). Furthermore, Damien’s situation is not an isolated incident, especially when organizations like The Innocence Project were…