Prosecutors alleged the trio killed the children in Robin Hood Hills on the morning of May 6, 1993, as part of a satanic ritual. According to police, the boys' bodies were mutilated and left in a ditch. Each had been hogtied with his own shoelaces.

At the time of their arrests, Baldwin was 16. Misskelley was 17, and Echols was 18.

Echols was sentenced to death, Misskelley was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 40 years, and Baldwin was sentenced to life.

Though no physical evidence was ever found linking the three to the crime, they were convicted nonetheless on circumstantial evidence.

The three have always maintained their innocence, a cause taken up by a number of celebrities.  DNA evidence from the crime scene not available for testing at the time of the crime, recently revealed that it did not match any of the three.

Based on that, the men were awarded a new trial.  However, in a stunning turn of events, the men agreed to a complicated plea deal worked out between their attorneys and the Arkansas Attorney General, which resulted in their sentences being suspended in return for their signed statements that if they were retried, they would probably be found guilty again.  However, they did not have to admit to guilt.

Some thought they should have taken their chances in new trials; but one of them stated he signed the agreement to be sure he saved Damien Edwards from another possible death sentence.

They are still free to try to find new evidence that would completely exonerate them.