The Sandspur

Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: MCT Campus N DEPP TROUBLE: Johnny Depp is the most recent celebrity to back the West Memphis Three cause, demanding a retrial.

On May 5, 1993, three boys from West Memphis, Arkansas were reported missing after being last seen together in the Robin Hood Hills area. They were eventually found dead in a ditch in the same area. Three teenagers, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, have been convicted for the murder of the three children. Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin was given life imprisonment, and Misskelley was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years.

This case has been the subject of much controversy, media attention and accusations of miscarriage of justice in which the three teens (who are now in their 30s) were wrongly convicted and were done so due to reinforcement of a Satanic or heavy metal-related panic. In recent years, new DNA evidence has further raised skepticism of the guilt of the three, but a retrial was never able to be arranged due to the fact that the DNA results were dismissed as inconclusive.

In recent news, widely acclaimed actor Johnny Depp, famous for his roles in "Edward Scissorhands," the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, and recently, Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," has decided to speak out in defense of the West Memphis Three, as they have been dubbed since the case. Depp is by no means the first celebrity to promote the innocence of the three convicts. Celebrities and artists such as Winona Ryder, members of the Dixie Chicks and Eddie Vedder-among others-have campaigned and advocated for their release.

Depp took the time to contribute to the "48 Hours Mystery" program on Feb. 27 and publicly advocated for the release of the West Memphis Three, stating that he believes they could not possibly have committed the murders, and that he sympathizes with both them and the families of the murdered children.

In the "48 Hours" exclusive footage, Johnny Depp stated that people should do their own research and come to their own conclusions based on the facts of the case, and laments that the state has a narrow perspective on the matter and is unwilling to admit that they may have made a mistake.

Depp has also commented on Echols' character, as someone who is impossible to have committed such atrocious acts based on his halcyon behavior, as opposed to being very angry at the fact that every day is a step closer to his execution. He has also remarked that Echols' wife, Lorri, who married him during his time in prison and has advocated tirelessly for the release of the detainees, was "like a Panzer Division" and that she "really is a force to be reckoned with."

As for the Satanic ritual sacrifice implications that had haunted the three all through the course of the investigation and in the media coverage, Depp has stated that it is "totally baseless," and expressed how appalled he was at how the authorities came up with it. "They were easy targets," says Depp. He also offered, "When you bring the Oogy-Boogy Man into it, boy, people really get spun out."

Depp has said that he is willing to take criticism for those who think that he is only speaking out for the publicity. He says the criticism would be nothing compared to what the convicts and the victims' families have to endure and that he thinks the cause really needs extra support.

For more information you can visit www.cbs.com and view the 48 Hours interview with Johnny Depp, which occurred this past Saturday.

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