The investigation was sloppy, the only confession coerced and the trial filled with inconsistencies (Freedonian has a nice summary if you can ignore the anti-Christian ranting, the complete story can be found in Court TV’s Crime Library). The entire affair has been the subject of 2 films (with another on the way) and 3 books, and numerous celebrities support retrial.

The retrial may be on its way: DNA from one of the murdered boy’s step-father, Terry Hobbs, has been discovered on the rope used to tie one of the boys. Terry Hobbs confirms that an investigator for the defense told him that one of his hairs had been found in the knots of the shoelace used to tie victim Michael Moore.

On the other hand, is a single hair enough for a retrial? No way, especially as police chief Mike Allen thinks the hairs presence is due to “normal transference”.

Still, the mother of one of the boys expresses her doubts:

Pam Hobbs said she “chose to believe all those years” that Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were guilty, despite her realization during the trials that the prosecutors “didn’t have anything” and persistent doubts afterwards that the defendants “were smart enough or hateful enough to have done it by themselves and clean it up.”

Whether you believe the death penalty is a deterrent or not, I can’t get past those cases in which the system simply makes a mistake. Which is why I still don’t support the death penalty.

In this case, the only one of the West Memphis 3 that sits on death row was a budding sociopath that has an IQ that makes Paris Hilton look brilliant and a history of mental illness. But there is evidence enough to show that a terrible miscarriage of justice took place in West Memphis 14 years ago, ruining the lives of three young men. As Court TV’s writer puts it:

The fight to have the guilty verdict reversed would require that the judicial system, intrinsically bureaucratic in nature, look within itself and acknowledge its own weaknesses and shortcomings. Any admission of its own failure will only occur under extreme public pressure and outrage at the injustice which has occurred. It takes time for such a process to occur, statistically at least ten years. Jessie and Jason have a lifetime, but whether Damien’s time will run out before this slow process is complete is yet to be seen.

Crime in Memphis dropped dramatically in January compared to a year ago, and a police spokeswoman credits “aggressive policing and tracking the hot spots.”

All reported crime was down more than 12 percent from January 2006, and violent crime was down more than 20 percent.

Yes, while rape is marginally down (3.4%), real progress was made in robberies of individuals (28%), residential burglaries (10.6%) and larceny (13.2%). [I don't think they included Shelby County politicians in that last one.]

Whew, good news! Right?

The devil is in the details:

• Robbery of business up 3 percent.
• Car theft up over 7 percent over January 2006.
• Homicide up 27.3 percent.

So while the Auto Cargo Theft Task Force has been effectively busting chop shops, citizens are being gunned down in the streets in increasing numbers.

Not exactly something to crow about, is it?

On the other hand, car burgluraries jumped up 24 percent.

So at least they are leaving your car — it just has a smashed window, torn up dash where they ripped out the radio, and so on. But you can still drive home.

A sure way to stop car burglaries, [Memphis Police Lt. Joseph Scott] said, is to stop leaving valuables in cars where they can be seen. “A car is not secure,” Scott said. Leaving guns, cameras, laptops “entices them to break in to get their fix.”

Why would you leave your gun in the car? It should stay with you! How else are you going to stop the bad guys?

• Jan. 6: 2 black males armed with a silver handgun robbed the Tan-N-Go on Bartlett Blvd, reaping less than $100.
• Jan. 11, 1 black male robbed the Friendly Quick Stop on Stage Road at gunpoint. The owner gave the criminal about $3,000 but refused to hand over a laptop (?!). The lowlife then attempted to murder the store owner, attempting to fire the gun twice. The gun failed (criminals are idiots), the pair struggled, and the scum fled.
• Jan. 15, 1 black male who was holding something that may have been a weapon robbed the Geno’s Stop and Save on Stage Road. The amount gained was not reported.

The west end of Bartlett butts up against Memphis and the neighborhoods in that area are declining. In fact, I moved from that area just under a year ago just because of that very fact.

What is our elected leaders doing? Anyone? Ah yes, seven new officers. No reported change in tactics or policies.

I’m beginning to regret not moving out of the county. At $1.91 a gallon, who cares that the drive is a little longer?