In a detour from his round of promotional duties on Alice in Wonderland, Johnny Depp will appear tomorrow night on CBS’ investigative news show 48 Hours Mystery, speaking out in defense of the West Memphis Three, who as teenagers were found guilty of the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Since their case was chronicled in the acclaimed 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Damien Echols, who is on death row, and Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who received life sentences, have drawn support from a variety of pop culture figures, including Eddie Vedder, the Dixie Chicks, Henry Rollins, Tom Waits, and Winona Ryder, who argue that they were wrongly convicted of the brutal killings largely because, in their conservative community, their goth looks and taste for heavy-metal music stoked irrational fears of satan-worshipping teens and made them easy fall guys. In the preview clip below, Depp speaks about what he sees as a terrible miscarriage of justice: “There’s not a shred of evidence. I think the most courageous action that the state could now take would be to admit that they were wrong, admit they made mistakes, and correct these errors.”
What do you think? Have you followed the case of the West Memphis Three? Do you think Depp’s appearance on 48 Hours will help their cause, or will it be dismissed as just the latest of instance of a celebrity on a crusade?
For more on Johnny Depp, pick up the current issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands now.
I have followed this case since I saw the documentary years ago. It is such a grievous miscarriage of justice and i hope that one day they get released. They were scapegoats because of the way looked and a community’s paranoid fears. Back in the 80s and early 90s any boy who wore black, had long hair, wore eyeliner and listened to heavy metal was suspected of worshipping Satan especially in smalltowns where they stood out. I don’t Depp’s comments make a difference but they do bring the story back to forefront and maybe that will help.
I want to tell the EW community that people posting under the “Nshi” name are going way too far. I regret every having posted to these boards for what these imposters have been saying. I really am sorry that I started something so stupid.
Are you going to post that on every topic? You really need to get over yourself.
They’re innocent. They were blamed because they were different, and convicted because of a forced confession (filled with contradictions) of a borderline retarded teen, and a bad defense team. There was NO evidence connecting them to the crime at all. The real killer is probably one of the victims step-fathers, TERRY HOBBS.
I think that the entertainment world clearly has a huge amount of respect and adoration for Johnny but I think most people involved in this case probably see Johnny as a bit of a weirdo. He used to do drugs and drink and I doubt they take him seriously. I love him and respect him profusely but that doesn’t change the way the rest of the world see’s him. But that doesn’t mean these kids won’t be released. If they were innocent, which it seems like they are, I hope they are found to be innocent.
It’s a shame that people are judged on their looks and beliefs. Johnny relates to that because of what he went thru growing up. There are so many cruel and stupid people in this world and to judge these kids that way is just a disgrace to the United States. My kids wore black growing up and listened to the worst music, but they wouldn’t hurt a flee. We, as Amerians, have to stop the prejudice, the judgement and start looking a people with respect. Those kids are innocent, not one shread of evidence proves them guilty. They are being used as scape goats because our wonderful law enforcement couldn’t find the original killers. Now an innocent man will be killed. I hope they can sleep at night. Thanks to Johnny for coming to their defense..I admire and respect you!
For once, I don’t agree with Johnny. I feel deeply betrayed and sad. If those were his children who were killed, it would be a different story. When are you libs gonna realize that you’re all WRONG?!
I hope you saw the whole show, there are PARENTS who are asking questions now.
Sorry if I missed your explanation Jessie, but what does being a liberal have to do with ANYTHING at all here? There are plenty of conservatives who know that their trial was anything but fair. The town where this happened is largely Evangelical, and many of the citizens there, PARENTS of the victims included, feel the wrong people are in prison for this crime. When are you CONS going to realize that reducing anyone that disagrees with you to a one word description is WRONG?
Something I find interesting… there are several comments about the West Memphis boys being convicted killers; convicted they are, killers they are most likely are not. If you look at the evidence, then you’ll see that not only is he right–there is no physical evidence–but you’ll see that the evidence, up to and including DNA, points to one of the victims’ stepfather. Even the bite makes one the victims don’t match a single one of the young men currently in prison for the crimes. The worst thing the state could do would be to let things remain as they are–the true killer(s) of those little boys is out there somewhere, and that person/those people are watching innocent men take the blame.
I was wrong about the teeth marks–it’s actually speculated that they’re from animals postmortem. So ignore that bit. But the DNA (a hair) actually links to a victim’s stepfather and that stepfather’s friend, not any of the men currently in prison.
I live close to where this happened and it frightened everyone. At the time I was ready to see these 3 young men put to death. Now, years later, after reading online the so-called confessions, the court documents, etc. I have changed my mind. I also know the mother of one of the victims and even she has her doubts. It will be interesting to hear what Mr. Depp has to say, since he rarely does anything like this.
This was a botched miscarriage of justice. There was no physical evidence in this case and the verdicts were found purely on the coerced testimony of one teenager with mental limitations. The DAs muddied the waters with hearsay evidence of cults and witchcraft. It was a modern day Salem Witch Trial. Depp was right to champion this case, as have many other celebrities in the past.
Johnny was doing what is right. People should not be judged on how they look. The parents of the children that were killed, have seen the evidence and want to see justice and a new trial. The judge refuses to listen to the parents and public. Sometimes it takes a public figure to come forward for and speak before anyone will listen. Johnny Depp is a good man. He’s lived and still lives with people making judgment on the way he looks. He knows how it feels. The DNA doesn’t match any of the boys (now men in their 30′s) it matches the step-father of one of the boys that were killed. I do think this retrial should take place.
S O S
Regarding convicted killers
These young men are NOT the killers
of these boys.
The killer remains at large and has
been brutally murdering and disposing of young children mainly
boys. He is a sexual deviate and
psychopath.He is infected with the HIV virus. He himself had been sexually molested as a child and therefore his vengance becomes brutal slainings of young children. He uses them as a sexual release and then disposes them. He is a real deranged deviate. He has sex with his victims after they are dead. He has been doing this
for the past 23 years since 1987.
It is my estimation that he has
committed at least 77 murders of
young children and continues to do
so. He now has an accomplise who is
a bit younger than him. He is approximately 50-55 years of age.
These two individuals are possing
as professionals (doctors) the older one is possing as a professor
Please Help save those poor young
men in prison. Please forward this
message to Mr Depp he will be happy
to know that his efforts to save
them has been heard by many.
Ms Rita Keays
I always thought the Memphis Three were railroaded. The police just wanted to close the case. The Commercial Appeal wanted to sell a lot of newspapers. The shame to Arkansas and also to Memphis is that somebody has to come from Hollywood all these years later and try to help. The police and the press weren’t stupid, they knew there was no evidence but cockamamie confessions from unreliable witnesses.
I HOPE THEY ALL GET OUT AND SOON THEN THEY GO AFTER THE SYSTEM THAT PUT THEM IN THERE!!!
I would like to know where you people get your facts from. I have lived in this town for 42 years, and you people have heard just a bit of this case and that is nowhere near all of it. The news stations wants to be the top station and don’t tell everything. I’m sure since Johnny Depp has had his say about something he knows nothing about people think he knows all about it. Untill you people sit down and read the intire transcript, I would hold on before jumping on Johnny “D” head’s band wagon. Knowing people from both parties and on the law enforcement side, you people will never know and (myself included) all of the actual facts. The great thing about this country is freedom of speech, but do your research for yourself, Johnny Depps has not made an apperance in West Memphis nor will he ever. Further more Mr. Depp, why have you waited to make statement on the West Memphis 3 after all of these years? You just needed the publicity. Good job, keep supporting the cause you nothing about, other than what little bit of TV news you hear.
Maybe depp should keep his opinions to himself when regarding CONVICTED KILLERS since hes some role modle go take another snort depp
what I find so disturbing and upsetting is these three boys who were convicted have lost their youth stuck in jail cells enduring things most of us will never deal with. How can anyone possibly “pay” them back for what they have lost. And the real killer has been out there free all these years. if he he could do what he did to those 3 young boys, he could do it again!