Jason Baldwin(I)

Charles Jason Baldwin was born April 11, 1977. Jason Baldwin, along with Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. are known as The West Memphis Three, who are three men convicted in 1994 of the murders of three 8 year old boys, in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. Many people, including some famous celebrities and musicians, believe that the West Memphis Three are innocent, and have raised funds to support their trials, and have filmed several documentaries on this case. On March 19,1994 Baldwin and Echols, who were tried together, were found guilty on three counts of murder. Echols was sentenced to death and Baldwin to life in prison (Misskelley has been sentenced to life plus 40 years, in a separate trial,earlier in the year) In 2007, DNA collected from the crime scene was tested. None was found to match DNA from Echols, Baldwin, nor Misskelley. On August 19, 2011, after over 18 years in prison, the men filed an Alford plea deal. Baldwin pled guilty to three counts of first degree murder while still asserting his actual innocence. At first Baldwin was resistant to this deal, insisting that he would not plead guilty to something he didn't do. But, he worried that if he refused the deal Damien Echols would have stayed on death row. After accepting the deal, all three men were sentenced to time served, and they were given a 10 year Suspended Imposition of Sentence, meaning if they re-offend they can be sent back to prison for 21 years. After being released from prison Jason moved to Seattle and was in a relationship with a woman he met while in prison. Although he is working for a construction company, Jason hopes to go to college to become a lawyer and help the wrongfully convicted.