e prosecution’s case was built entirely on Jessie’s retracted confession, which he said was “coerced” from him. An expert for the defense testified that “Jessie was a prime candidate for false confession considering his low IQ.” (PL 1). The inconsistencies in the confession were pointed out in the trial, but it was obvious no one was listening. The jury felt this was a boy who was involved in some type of occult activity and needed to be sent away. Jessie was even offered a reduced sentence if he testified against Damien and Jason, but he refused. He said he “did not want to get up there and lie”(PL1). Jessie was found guilty of one count of first degree murder, and two counts of second degree murder. He was sentenced to life plus 40 years without the possibility of parole. McNeal 6One month after Jessie’s conviction, Damien, and Jason went to trial. This time the prosecution treated the case as Satanic Ritual Murder. Much of the case centered around Damien’s interest in black clothing, heavy metal music, his long black hair, and his belief in the Wicca religion. The prosecution relied heavily on Jessie’s retracted confession. The only physical evidence presented was: a red robe that was Jason’s mothers, fifteen black T-shirts from Jason’s wardrobe, a red T-shirt of Damien’s, a Metallica T-shirt of Damien’s, and a book of Damien’s on the history of white witchcraft, otherwise known as Wicca. There was also a knife found in a lake behind Jason’s trailer; however, this knife was later ruled out as the murder weapon after a forensic specialist profiled the case. The prosecution also found two girls who said they heard Damien “bragging” about killing the three boys at a baseball field. When the girls testified, they could not recall the rest of the conversation Damien was having. They stated they were “too...
