Exclusive: Johnny Depp Says Release "West Memphis Three" from Triple Murder Conviction
"There's nothing from the crime scene that links Damien or Jason or Jessie to these crimes. There's not a shred of evidence, nothing there, there's no physical evidence," Depp told CBS News in an exclusive interview for 48 Hours | Mystery which is highlighting the case Saturday, Feb. 27.
Since their conviction as teenagers for the 1993 murders, the "West Memphis Three" have garnered no small amount of media attention.
Two documentaries have been made about the case, benefit albums have been recorded, and numerous celebrities have supported efforts to get them released from prison.
Now Johnny Depp says he is fighting for justice.
"The most courageous action that the state could now take is to admit that they made mistakes and correct these errors. Release these innocent young men," he told the broadcast.
Supporters of the "West Memphis Three" say that the then-teenagers were wrongly convicted. One website devoted to their release describes them as having been convicted "with no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims," and that the prosecution presented "black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the [victims] were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual."
The "West Memphis Three" are Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin. Echols is on death row; the others are serving life sentences.
WATCH 48 HOURS | MYSTERY
"A Cry for Innocence": Johnny Depp and the full story of the "West Memphis Three"