Did satanic panic result in wrongful convictions?

Most interesting story on how fears of satanic abuse contributed to a possible miscarriage of justice.

So, with that said, we now take a closer look at the trials that lead to the
convictions of the West Memphis Three back in 1994.

"These kids were throw away kids. They came from very poor families. They didn't have a chance," said Stidham.

The lack of money for Jesse Misskelly, Jason Baldwin, and Damien
Echols could have been the very thing that convicted them of murder 14 years
ago.

"The reason they were convicted is because of the satanic panic that
occurred and existed here back in 1993. These were very horrible crimes. It was
a national kind of crime that everyone was watching," said Stidham.

And with worldwide attention on the case, the pressure was on for police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and most importantly the jurors.

"The result was verdicts based on fear and panic and not on anything reliable or scientific," said Stidham.

Now some 14 years later, DNA evidence could eventually overturn
convictions of the West Memphis Three, but that is something that would prove
mistakes were made and the killer or killers are still on the loose.

And in 1993 it was the desperation of finding the killers that led straight to the West
Memphis Three.

"Those three kids stuck out like a sore thumb in West Memphis
in 1993. They were the perfect patsies. All the stars and all of the moons lined
up, and what happened happened," said Stidham.

Read the rest here.