Johnny Depp, currently in the thick of press and promotions for his new Tim Burton movie Alice in Wonderland , has taken a break from the movie release circuit to help three young men many believe are wrongly imprisoned for a brutal murder in Tennessee.
Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were teenagers at the time of the murders, and are thought by many to have been tried and convicted for what were admittedly dodgy tastes in music, dress and demeanor. Ever mounting evidence in the case suggests that the three boys were easy targets, and that the genuinely responsible party for the gruesome deaths of the three boys has walked free since the 1993 murders. A key figure in the boys’ arrests has recanted her story entirely and alleges that police forced her to provide false leads. Even the father of one of the dead boys has stated that he has “no doubt” the boys are innocent and wrongly imprisoned. Echols remains on death row for the crime.
Depp will appear on the CBS show 48 Hours Mystery to defend the men who have spent the better part of two decades in jail for the crime. In a preview segment, Depp stated:
“I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community,” Depp says. “Damien Echols is on death row to be killed by lethal injection.”
Depp is not the only celebrity supporter of Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin. Henry Rollins, Marilyn Manson, Winona Ryder, Eddie Vedder, the Dixie Chicks and Demi Lovato have all spoken out in an attempt to draw attention to the case. A site has been set up to support the West Memphis Three, and you can read more about the case here.
