The many victims and suspects in Paradise Lost 3

Third and final part of Paradise Lost (Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory), the HBO documentary that becan in 1994 and concludes in 2011, brings the mystery of the killing of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, to as much of a conclusion as we could expect or hope for, though still leaves many elements shrouded in mystery. (Spoilers coming) First of all, we never learn definitively who committed the murders; it seems totally clear that the three teenage boys convicted of the killing were the victims of a horrible trial, a prejudiced jury (there's a lot about that aspect in this installment), a stubborn judge unwilling to even consider his mistakes, an over-zealous police force, and a strangely designed judicial system in which all the appeals go before the initial judge. Yet it's never 100 percent clear that they're innocent, either. At the end, they take advantage of an unusual plea process in which they insist on their innocence but plead guilty and in return are released with time served - 17 years in prison, and the boys are now in their 30s. Obviously the state of Arkansas likes this agreement, as it prevent the guys from suing for damages and makes any further criminal investigation moot, as three have "pleaded guilty" to the murders - justice is served in a most perverse way. The movie directs our suspicion on the stepfathers in the families of two of the victims - both of whom have violent encounters with others and with the law; they're certainly odd and scary characters, but there's no solid evidence on them, either, nor is there a motive - nor has the awful crime been replicated in any way. There's a hint that a transient passing through the town may have committed the crime - but why? The three convicted guys claim quite rightly that they were the victims of a hysteria against satanic cults - a big topic in the '90s - and were victimized because of their hair, clothing, taste in music. The whole case began when one of the three, Jessie Misskelly, "confessed" after hours of police interrogation. It seems as if he was coerced - and it's clear that he has very little mental capacity, unlike the other two, especially Damion Eccles, who is highly intelligent and charismatic. You can imagine him leading his two weaker mates into some serious mischief, but not into a triple homicide. You can tell, when the guys are interviewed after their release, that there's no love between them and Misskelly, nor should there be. The police investigator hints on camera that there's a lot more evidence that for some reason they couldn't bring to trial - would be interesting to know what's still out there. Whatever the case may be, these guys, the West Memphis 3, were victims every bit as much as the three murdered children. Tragic and shameful.