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JONESBORO, Ark.—Three men convicted in the nightmarish slayings of three Cub Scouts went free Friday, nearly two decades after they were sent to prison in a case so gruesome it raised suspicions the children had been sacrificed in a Satanic ritual.
Doubts about the evidence against the trio had persisted for years and threatened to force prosecutors to put on a second trial in 2012.
Instead, the so-called West Memphis Three <span style="font-weight: bold">were permitted to plead guilty to murder in exchange for time served,</span> ending a long-running legal battle that had raised questions about DNA and key witnesses—and attracted support from celebrities such as Eddie Vedder.
The men entered the pleas under a legal provision that allowed them to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them.
Doubts about the evidence against the trio had persisted for years and threatened to force prosecutors to put on a second trial in 2012.
Instead, the so-called West Memphis Three <span style="font-weight: bold">were permitted to plead guilty to murder in exchange for time served,</span> ending a long-running legal battle that had raised questions about DNA and key witnesses—and attracted support from celebrities such as Eddie Vedder.
The men entered the pleas under a legal provision that allowed them to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them.