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app or on Apple Podcasts. American Scandal uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some

elements, including dialogue, might be invented, but everything is

based on historical research. This episode contains descriptions of murder and violence against children.

Listener discretion is advised. It's the evening of February 17, 1994, on a highway in rural Arkansas.

30-year-old attorney Dan Stidham races through the darkness.

His eyes occasionally flick from the road to the clock on the dashboard.

He doesn't have much time.

Earlier this evening, he had a call from a deputy prosecutor in the small town of Rector

in northeast Arkansas.

He told Stidham that his client, 17-year-old Jesse Miss Kelly, was going to make another statement about the murders of the three boys in West Memphis.

But this was news to Stidham.

Miss Kelly has recently been sentenced to life behind bars for the killings, but now that the trial of the other alleged murderers, Damian Eccles and Jason Baldwin is approaching,

the authorities have taken Miss Kelly out of prison and brought him to a law office in Rector to talk with prosecutors.

And Stidham fears that unless he stops him, Miss Kelly is about to do something he'll regret.

So after a frantic 45-minute drive, Stidham speeds into Rector.

He storms into the conference room at the law office, his face red with rage. After a frantic 45-minute drive, Stidham speeds in director.

He storms into the conference room at the law office, his face red with rage.

Stidham finds Miss Kelly in handcuffs, chatting casually with prosecutors.

Jesse, don't say another word to them.

Gentlemen, I demand to speak to my client in private. The others file out of the room without a word. Miss Kelly gives Stidham a confused smile. Hi, Mr. Stidham. Are you everything all right? No, Jesse, it's not. I told you not to meet with the police or anyone else unless I was there. Well, they said if I talked to them, my girlfriend could come see me. When did they tell you that? They'd been coming by myself. What? For how long? Miss Kelly shrunk. A while. Jesse. God, you should have told me about things like that. We were just talking. Are they trying to convince you to testify against Damien and Jason next week? Yeah, but I thought you didn't want to testify.

...