An author whose extensive work helped build support that led to the release of the West Memphis Three has teamed up with one of the men to tell his story. It’s the second book on the case for Mara Leveritt whose previous book, Devil's Knot, was recently made into a movie.
Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelly Jr. were teenagers when they were convicted of the 1993 murders of three eight-year-olds in West Memphis. Prosecutors alleged the killings were part of a satanic ritual. The case galvanized national attention and, as it was on appeal, the men were eventually able to enter Alford Pleas in 2011, which allowed their release from prison, while they maintain their innocence.
12 years after the first book, Mara Leveritt has co-written Dark Spell with Jason Baldwin.
"I had met and interviewed all the men during the time that they were in prison and I had a particuarly close relationship with Jason," Leveritt said. "Over the years we corresponded, so I had letters back and forth with him and when they were released from prison I almost immediately asked Jason if I could write the story of his time in prison and he agreed, making me very happy."
You can hear the full interview above.
