West Memphis Three

Johnny Depp Pleads For Justice

You may expect Johnny Depp to be busy promoting his foray into ‘Wonderland,’ but the A-list actor has a bigger cause to champion: justice. Depp will appear on CBS’s ’48 Hours Mystery’ on Saturday to advocate the release of the “West Memphis Three,” young men convicted in 1994 of murdering three boys during a satanic ritual.

Depp is not alone in his belief that the men were convicted on flimsy or fabricated evidence. He joins stars like Eddie Vedder, Winona Ryder, the Dixie Chicks and Disney teen star Demi Lovato in insisting the men were actually found guilty for their fascination with heavy-metal music, Stephen King and the occult.

“I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community. Damien Echols is on death row to be killed by lethal injection.”

The appearance of the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ star shocked CBS staffers, who told the NY Post: “Johnny Depp on ’48 Hours’ — are you joking?”

The segment will highlight DNA and forensic evidence that many hope will finally clear Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley of the crimes. The show also suggests that juror misconduct contributed to the guilty verdict, the NY Post reports.

The West Memphis Three were tried and convicted of the murders of three eight-year-old boys in the Robin Hood Hills area of West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. Claims that police bungled the gathering of evidence, compromised the crime scene, ignored possible suspects and misplaced DNA samples are behind the controversy that has spanned nearly two decades.

Damien Echols was sentenced to death. Jessie Misskelley, Jr., was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years and Jason Baldwin was sentenced to life imprisonment. All three were teenagers at the time of their arrests. Two documentaries aired on HBO, ‘Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills’ and ‘Paradise Lost 2: Revelations’, explored evidence suggesting that the three men were wrongly convicted.

Depp’s appearance is not the first star-powered effort to free the trio. In 2002, Henry Rollins produced the album ‘Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three,’ a collection of cover songs originally performed by Rollins’ band Black Flag. Rollins donated profits from the record and the supporting tour to the suspects’ defense funds.

In 2003, Winona Ryder hosted a benefit exhibition at a Los Angeles art gallery, featuring artwork by Raymond Pettibon, Shepard Fairey and Marilyn Manson. Though Ryder herself was convicted of grand theft and vandalism in a 2002 trial, she was unconcerned with the public’s reaction to her support.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of jokes,” Ryder told USA TODAY at the time. “To me, [my case] has nothing to do with the other. It is incomparable. I am not in prison. I am not on death row. I did not in any way experience what these guys have experienced. They are in my hearts every day, and I will never give up until they’re out.”

During the gallery opening ceremony, Ryder announced her belief that the verdicts of the West Memphis Three were based on “rumors, prejudices and superstitions,” and called for DNA testing and new trials.

Last month, ‘Sonny With a Chance’ star Lovato tweeted her support of the ongoing cause. She wrote, “Can everyone just take a second to read this please. www.wm3.org A truly worthwhile cause. Show your support!!!”

Minutes later, she added, “FREE THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE!!!”