by Lily Suicide

On May 5, 1993, three young boys, Chris Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch, were brutally murdered in the town of West Memphis, Arkansas. Grieving and looking for answers, the town allegedly bypassed evidence pointing at probable suspects. Instead, they prosecuted three teenage boys who were unconventional for the town of West Memphis. The boys, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Miskelly, wore black and listened to heavy metal music. They would later come to be known as the West Memphis Three.

There was what many critics call a coerced confession from Jessie Misskelly, who had a below average IQ. Jessie Miskelly recanted his statement the next day, stating that he had been put under extreme pressure and psychological warfare by the West Memphis police, but by then it was too late and the fate of three young men rested uneasily in the hands of the judicial system. They were convicted of murder in early ’’94. Jessie Miskelly got life plus 40, Jason Baldwin received life without parole and Damien Echols – at only 18 years of age – was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Luckily, there were cameras in the courtroom, and they were used for the making of the HBO documentary Paradise Lost. Burk Sauls first saw Paradise Lost in August of ’96. He watched it and watched it again. At the end he was always left with the same feeling that many other people were left with: “with a lot of empty spaces, unanswered questions and doubts.” Many people became angry after watching Paradise Lost. Burk Sauls, Kathy Bakken, and Grove Pashley decided to do something about it. They launched the WM3.org website and the West Memphis Three support group, as well as eventually appearing in the sequel to the first HBO documentary, Paradise Lost 2.

I caught up with Burk to talk about the case, as well as Damien Echols’ memoir Almost Home, written on death row.

Read our exclusive interview with Burk Sauls Of The West Memphis Three Support Group on SuicideGirls.com.

by Flux

This week on the SG Twitter feed, we asked our followers one of the most essential, most crucial, most contentious questions on Earth: kittens versus puppies…who wins? Many would say that the answer to this question defines a person: kitten lovers would say that their choice implies independence, quirkiness, and a certain level of internet savviness (think Nyan and LOLcats), while puppy fans would point to their nobility, loyalty, and high snuggle-factor. It was quite a battle, with points moving fast in either direction over the first 30 minutes we were monitoring the stand-off. Puppies started out in the lead, then kittens inched ahead. In the end, it was close: 33 to 31 in favor of puppies.

In honor of the victors, we put together a small, free, safe-for-work gallery of some of our favorite photos of SuicideGirls with puppies. Check out SG Puppy Love here.

As for the kitten lovers, better luck next time. Maybe if you had stepped up, we would have posted some really nice pussies.

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see parts ONE and TWO – then continue reading after the jump…)

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by Flux

Every week we ask the ladies and gentlemen of the social web to show us their finest ink in celebration of Tattoo Tuesday; our favorite submission from Twitter and Tumblr each wins a free 3 month membership to SuicideGirls.com.

Check this week’s winners below.

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by Daniel Robert Epstein

There are thousands of hip-hop fans out there who want to know how Ice-T is going to bring himself back to the kind of success and popularity he enjoyed in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. Well, all your memories of Law & Order and Leprechaun in the Hood will fade away once you hear the new Body Count album, Murder 4 Hire. Though most of the original members of Body Count have passed away, Ice-T and Ernie C have brought together a new Count to show you what gangsta rap is all about.

Read our exclusive interview with Ice-T on SuicideGirls.com.

Gallows Suicide in Nice Marmot

• INTO: Choonimals Clothing, Drop Dead clothing, Victoria’s Secret and VS PINK clothing, animals and animal rights, stars and galaxies, makeup, music, tattoos and what not, candles, pro-choice, and, of course, my amazing boyfriend.
• NOT INTO: Any form of animal cruelty, BSL, Sarah Palin and pretty much all Republicans, drugs, smoking, bad or slow and show offish drivers, drama.
• MAKES ME HAPPY: Hanging out with my boyfriend, family and friends, stepping outside and smelling honeysuckle and air, mustaches, reading, pen pals, candles, animals, animals, animals.
• MAKES ME SAD: Death, people crying and being sad, animals being hurt, not getting any mail, BSL, seeing people fall down, animals on the side of the road, dead turtles on the road, how much I miss my dog and other family members.
• HOBBIES: Pen pals, reading.
• 5 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Animals, family, boyfriend, friends, books.
• VICES: Biting my fingernails.
• I SPEND MOST OF MY FREE TIME: Reading and hanging with my boy and friends. I wish I had more time with my family.

Get to know Gallows better over at SuicideGirls.com!