Three are free: Mixed reactions, mostly joy

August 19, 2011 at 2:16 p.m.

by Arkansas Online

Damien Echols, right, and his wife Lorri attend a news conference at the Craighead County Court House in Jonesboro, Ark., Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, after Echols and two other men entered guilty pleas to to crimes they say they did not commit in order to be set free. The defendants, known by their supporters as the West Memphis 3, agreed to a legal maneuver that lets them maintain their innocence while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence against them.
Damien Echols, right, and his wife Lorri attend a news conference at the Craighead County Court House in Jonesboro, Ark., Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, after Echols and two other men entered guilty pleas to to crimes they say they did not commit in order to be set free. The defendants, known by their supporters as the West Memphis 3, agreed to a legal maneuver that lets them maintain their innocence while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence against them.

LITTLE ROCK — The West Memphis murders in 1993 riveted a state, if not a nation, from the onset.

Over the years, proving the innocence of who supporters called the West Memphis 3 became a cause celebre.

And 18 years later, here is what the world is saying about the latest development — that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley will go free.

Memorable Tweets:

1NatalieMaines: Beautiful things went down in Arkansas today. Beautiful beautiful things.

wm3.org: Everyone's screaming in joy! It's done. 18 years too long.

autumntdub: I'm glad the 3 are free, but I am genuinely upset they had to plead guilty to do so.

LarryDWhite: I feel for the families of these WM3Boy Scouts Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, & Christopher Byers. Still no answers & no peace 4 them.

Will_Sherry: We will make you plead guilty for a crime we know you did not commit, release you, and oh by the way you can't sue us! #wm3 #legalfail

gwenmoritz: I'm not morally opposed to death penalty, but should be reserved for cases in which there is no doubt at all. #WM3 Echols wasn't that case.

spiderborland: Hey, I'm just happy they're out of jail. I don't care if it's right or if "justice has been served."

kerusdotorg: I kind of feel bad for the families of the victims in the #WM3 case, the police will never search for the real killers now.

jdfwoods: Today the 90's "Goth" teen inside me is lighting a smoke and raising my Zippo high in a happy salute to the release of the #wm3!

MrVDiCostanzo: ARKANSAS JOB AP(P)LICATION FORM: Have you ever been convicted of a crime? [] YES []NO []OTHER #WM3

StealthBlue: "I did not want to take this deal, but they were trying to kill Damien." -- Jason Baldwin. <--- Now THAT is Friendship.

RevNickie: We were so much more hardcore than kids today. No one will ever go to jail for listening to Ke$ha or Coldplay, or WHATEVER.

FRANKPUBLICITY: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JOE BERLINGER AND BRUCE SINOFSKY IN COURT TODAY TO WITNESS THE CONCLUSION OF THEIR HBO DOCUMENTARY PARADISE LOST

Arkansas Online staff will update this story throughout the day. What are some memorable comments you saw or heard about the case today?

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