I believe one of the kids’ stepfathers may be involved but I don’t think the other three that are incarcerated are completely innocent. I think they were involved but I don’t know that they had the ability to carry it out without someone leading them. Especially Misskelly and the other younger one. Echols seemed pretty cocky about the charges until he started getting raped in prison.
If you can pick up a copy from the library I highly recommend the book “Devil’s Knot”. I don’t think it is in paperback so that is why I suggest a library copy.
I do believe in their innocence. Which is weird cause I am the sort who one would expect to say they were guilty. A conservative Catholic who believes that ritual crimes have been and are committed by Satanists and other occult groups.
But the evidence never supported the prosecution’s theory. And calling as an expert someone who got their degree from a bogus non accredited “university” does not lend credence to that theory.
And I think it is a major injustice that the same judge from the original trials is the same judge who has refused new trials based on the DNA evidence. His reasoning being that the jury would still find the defendents guilty because of other evidence so the DNA would make no difference. Sound logic that.