JONESBORO — A judge in Craighead County has refused to grant a new trial for Jason Baldwin — one of the three men convicted in the 1993 killings of three young West Memphis boys.
Circuit Court Judge David Burnett issued an order Wednesday rejecting Baldwin’s claims that he wasn’t adequately represented at trial. Baldwin was convicted along with Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley in the deaths of 8-year-olds Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore.
The judge also rejected Baldwin’s claims that animals — likely turtles — caused multiple injuries to the boys’ bodies. Burnett noted that the medical examiner who performed the autopsies was a turtle expert who said the injuries were caused by a knife.
Baldwin was sentenced to life in prison for the killings.
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