Devil's Knot

"Just finished it, it was a harder read for me. My favorite part, was the last page of the book. I liked how the end kinda just unraveled wyicjly"

"Did they or didn’t they! I’m still not sure!"

"This book angered me so much, not because of the writing or anything like that, but because of how botched the investigation and trial was for this crime. It shows how corrupt the justice system is and how maddening it is to get a fair trial. <br/><br/>Based on the way the three defendants looked and Damien's religion different of everyone else in Arkansas, they were treated as Satanists and immediately were presumed guilty by the investigators and citizens of the town. The only evidence they had against Jason was the fact that he listened to heavy metal, was friends with Damien and owned 13 black shirts. If this was the basis to convict someone, I'm sure myself and more than half the worldly population would be on death row or in prison for life the way these three were. <br/><br/>Jessie's confession, as well, was a total joke. It was clearly coerced with how many inconsistencies there were in it. The detectives even mentioned things to him that he never mentioned to begin with to say Jessie had said it. <br/><br/>Also, the trial was disgusting to read about because of how biased Judge Burnett was towards the prosecution. Anything they did the judge agreed with. Anytime the defense objected or wanted to introduce a witness or piece of evidence, the judge denied. It was absolutely not a fair trial at all based on the way this judge presided over the court. Also, he wouldn't let the defense prove how botched the investigation was, saying the police weren't on trial. How can they defend Damien, Jessie and Jason fairly if they can't prove the investigation wasn't done correctly?<br/><br/>The Arkansas Supreme Court was also biased towards Judge Burnett. I would never want to become a criminal in Arkansas if this is the way they dole out justice there, especially if you are poor or generally different. What I don't understand is how they convicted them, yet let John Mark Byers get away with multiple crimes, including assaulting his first wife and threatening her. Judge Burnett even got this to go away. Absolutely despicable on how he came to be a judge.<br/><br/>With the three defendants out now, is no one wanting to know who actually committed the crimes? It feels like everyone has focused on the West Memphis Three that they have forgotten that there is still a murderer of three boys out there walking free.<br/><br/>Overall, the book was very informative, well written and well researched and if you are a fan of true crime, I recommend reading this book. I warn you, though, it will absolutely make you furious of how badly this investigation was botched from the beginning and how unfair the trial was for these three defendants."

"This book/story is truly heartbreaking"

"I haven’t read it yet, I liked the movie which is why I added the book :)"

"@chrisflores28 Yes! I read this about 10 years ago and was astonished by the poor handling and lack of evidence in this case. So much so that I’ve continued to watch documentaries as I find them. It’s a good read."