miscarriage of justice.

No DNA evidence from any of the defendants was found at the crime scene where three young boys had been savagely murdered. In subsequent years, new DNA evidence may implicate the stepfather of the murdered boys, a man whose appearance in two HBO documentaries about the case raised questions for many viewers about the true identity of the murderer or murderers.

Maines and Vedder were said to be in the courtroom on Aug. 19, 2011, when Echols, Balwin and Misskelley were freed. Echols had been sentenced to death, while the others were serving life sentences when the legal maneuver known as an Alford plea allowed them to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the court had adequate evidence to convict them. They were released for time served.

Doparty that Spurlock, along with other members of the Church of Scientology (COS), attempted to blackmail an individual working within the federal court system.  The FBI investigated these allegations for possible obstruction of justice charges, and presented its findings to the Department of Justice.  The Department of Justice ultimately declined to prosecute.


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The second pair of files (LA 62-8822 & FBIHQ 63-1970) were opened as a result of a request for FBI assistance in identifying the Church of Spiritual Technology ("CST") from the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") and a law enforcement agency, in connection with their investigation of a potential trespassing violation.  After conducting an investigation, the FBI advised the BLM and the law enforcement agency that the CST was affiliated with the Church of