Episode 102 “Righteous Malice” Pt 1 -A Harvest of Innocence: The Untold Story of the West Memphis Three Murder Case by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy

Part 1:  West Memphis, AR May 5, 1993: After riding their bikes around the neighborhood, three 8-year-old Cub Scouts went missing, Found the next day submerged in a drainage ditch in the woods, this heartbreaking triple homicide would ultimately leave 6 families utterly devastated.  30-year-old attorney, Dan Stidham, would agree to take on 16-year-old accused murderer, Jessie Misskelley, as a client, pro bono, working on a plea deal that would spare Jessie the death penalty.  This choice that would propel him onto a professional path that would test his dedication to his client, his decision to become a lawyer, and his faith, while trampling his marriage and his mental health.  Meet Dan Stidham, victims, Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore, their parents, and the 3 teenagers sucked into the judicial abyss- Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, with Dan Stidham struggling against the worst possible confluence of players in the judicial system of West Arkansas, as the Satanic Panic raged.

 

Buy A Harvest of Innocence by Dan Stidham & Tom McCarthy on Amazon- (highly recommended!)

Sources, photographs, recipes and drink information can be found on Jill’s blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com – Oct 2024.

 

ANNOUNCEMENT- JAN 2025:  My new Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast MERCH SHOP has launched!  Please go explore! I appreciate you supporting my true crime book club podcast!

Share your thoughts with me at  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, on X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  OR, join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book and talk true crime developments, first Thursday of each month at 8:30 pm EST!

 

Music- The Pewter Elephant by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

See you in two weeks!