The film documents the events following the arrests of Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin for the murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch, whose naked and
hogtied bodies were discovered in a ditch in West Memphis, Arkansas. Filmmakers
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky interviewed numerous people connected with the case, including the parents of the victims, the parents of the accused, members of the West Memphis Police Department (WMPD) and all the defendants involved in the trial. Berlinger and Sinofsky are not filmed themselves, and the dialogue is provided by the interviewee, rather than using a "Q & A" format. The film starts with an introduction to the case, before moving on to the arrests of the three teenagers. Much of the community, including the detectives and the victims' parents, believe the murders were committed by the teenagers as part of a
Satanic ritual. During the trial, Damien Echols is asked about his familiarity with
Aleister Crowley's belief system. Echols also states that he likes reading books by
Anton LaVey and
Stephen King. The community is shown to be
politically conservative and strongly
Evangelical Christian. Because Misskelley had provided police with a confession, his trial is separated from that of Damien and Jason, and is covered in the first half of the film.
Trials coverage The first trial to be covered in the film is that of Misskelley, a trial which was severed from those of Echols and Baldwin since it was Misskelley who confessed. Emphasis is placed on the fact that there is a strong possibility that the confession was
coerced. Interviews are conducted with Misskelley himself, his family and friends, and his attorney Dan Stidham. Misskelley is sentenced to life in prison. Part two of the film documents the trials of Echols and Baldwin. Like the coverage of Misskelley's trial, there are interviews with both defendants, their attorneys and their families. The families of the victims also share their views. During the course of filming,
John Mark Byers, the stepfather of one of the victims (Christopher Byers), gave the filmmakers a knife which had blood in the hinge. The filmmakers turned the knife over to police, who examined it; the
DNA was similar to that of John Mark Byers and Christopher Byers, but the evidence was nonetheless inconclusive since the DNA evidence produced was fragmented and could not provide concrete links. ==Production==