Paradise Lost: an Essay Upon viewing the documentary, “Paradise Lost”, one of my first impressions was a feeling of shock at the hysteria surrounding the case, and how heavily it impacted the trial. Another area of concern was the tenuous (or nonexistent) evidence tying these youths to these horrible murders. The entire essence of the prosecution’s case was a confession of questionable authenticity by Jessie Misskelley, Jr, coupled with a community-based fear of a …showed first 75 words of 780 total…

…showed last 75 words of 780 total…free. In fact, the evidence tends to point to at least Chris Byers’ stepfather, and even possibly his mother, as the real assailants. Ironically (or maybe not), Melissa Byers died under “mysterious circumstances” only short time ago. Her death has been categorized as being of a suspicious nature, but as of this time, no one has been accused or charged. Meanwhile, Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Charles Baldwin are in prison, their cases on appeal.