Johnny Depp: Free The West Memphis Three

(CBS News)  Damien Echols, 35, has spent his entire adult life on Arkansas' death row. Every day, he faces the possibility of execution. But there is a bright spot in his life.

"She's like a living, breathing miracle in human form," Damien says of Lorri Davis, his wife of 10 years.

Lorri met Damien after she became aware of his controversial case. She wrote to him, traveled from New York to see him and offered her help. "It was the right thing to do," she says, "because he is innocent."

"I can understand you believing that he's innocent and wanting to work on his case. But what made you actually decide to marry him?" asks "48 Hours Mystery "correspondent Erin Moriarty.

"Well, I mean, the simple answer is I loved him. He's an amazing person. And he's going to be worth this."

Lorri is now familiar with every facet of Damien's case and works day and night with the legal team, fighting not only for Damien on death row, but for Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, the other convicted men who are serving life sentences.

"We have gone through every aspect of this case and there was never been anything that pointed to their guilt," she explains.

They are known as the West Memphis Three, and they are now actively supported by people who could really make a difference, like Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and actor Johnny Depp.

"I'm here because I firmly, truly, 1000 percent believe that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent," Depp tells Moriarty.

Photos: Star Support for the West Memphis Three
Watch More of Depp's "48 Hours" Interview

Despite all that, the Arkansas courts have upheld all three convictions for more than 16 years. Prosecutors maintain that Damien, Jason and Jessie are responsible for the cold-blooded murder of three 8-year-old boys.

On May 5, 1993, Chris Byers, Michael Moore and Stevie Branch were out playing together.

"Stevie was very outgoing, a brilliant child. Anyone who knew him loved him," says his mom, Pam.

A waitress back then, Pam didn't worry very much when her son wasn't home before her 5 p.m. shift began. "I just figured that he might of lost track of time and was on his way home."

It was when her husband, Stevie's stepfather, picked her up at 9 p.m. that she heard for the first time that the boys had still not returned. "I just started cryin' and sayin', 'God, no, no. Why isn't he home?'"

Pam searched straight through the night along with other panicked parents, including Chris Byers' father, Mark.

Then, at 1 p.m. the next day, police made a grim discovery in a wooded strip by the interstate known to the kids as Robin Hood Hills. Stevie, Michael and Chris were found bludgeoned and drowned in a drainage ditch. Their bodies were naked and hogtied with their own shoelaces.

"I hit the ground screaming, 'God, no, no!" says Pam.

"Just a gut wrenching moment to put into words… the disaster, the devastation," Byers recalls.

Six days later, he buried his son, Chris.

"When these murders happened, it was something that was almost like an atomic bomb going off," Damien explains. "You have three children that are murdered. I mean, that in itself is a pretty horrific thing…And then slowly, details start comin' out about how they were found. Now, a lot of these details weren't true."

Byers says there were a lot of rumors. "I heard that one of 'em was skinned. I heard that one of 'em's face was cut off."

"Then you start hearin' all these, you know, people whispering about, maybe it was Satanists that did this," says Damien.

That theory did not seem so farfetched at the time. A media-fueled hysteria about satanic cults was sweeping the country.

An FBI investigation found no such satanic murders, but in 1993, West Memphis juvenile officer Jerry Driver was concerned about cult activity, saying, "It seems to be a trend right now."

Retired Agent Ken Lanning on the FBI Investigation
Damien Echols Speaks Out

Driver had Damien, an 18-year-old dropout, in his sights.

"I think I was the closest thing he could come to conceiving of what he thought a Satanist would look like… all black was the only thing I ever wore. Ridiculous hairstyles. I was a stupid teenager. I really was a smart ass," he says, admitting he didn't help his case at all.

Driver was convinced that the murders were the work of Damien Echols, and he told that to the police.

Damien was now a prime suspect and he says word of that leaked out. "I walked into a softball game. I went around the concession stand and I hear people sayin', 'There he is. That's him.'"

Still, police had no physical evidence or anything else to connect him to the crime; not until someone Damien knew spoke out.

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[haybale2011]

when i watched the hbo documentary i was positive the three teens did this cause i felt they did it by the way they act they never cried or acted scared at any time????? but when the step farther of on of the boys broke down and cried when the verdict was read i had this sinking feeling he did it but if these teens did not do it why was the knife found on property of one of the teens i was also wondering why no blood at the scene ?????i wonder if they did this all together step farther and the teens??? why did jessie say he held the one boy so he could not run away??? so what if a hair from one step farther was found on a shoe lace. they lived in the same house i find my own hair all over my apartment !!!!! that hair could have been picked up in his own home>>>> if the west memphis three are set free i hope the real killer or killers are found first... remember 3 babies where killed ...... we need to find the monster or monsters that did this before we set these other ones free

[IknowWhoKilledWM3Victims]

i know they didnt do it because i know who did and why. the w.m police dept wont even take a statement. they dont want to admit they r wrong....

[cheeseburger369]

I 100% no that these three people are innocent because satanist do not prefrom rituals on HUMANS only ANIMALS if they actually would read the Devils book it's self they would no this ....dumb ass's.

Satanist are good people not what you treat them to be like, you law enforcement and christans just treat them all as criminals because they are of a different religion like a bully in school thats all the law enforcement is ... putting good people in jail ruining there lives and when proven innocent givin a couple hundred bucks and your free with no appolagy.

[queencatlover]

The sitting judge is the one making the decision about overturning himself? That's like giving the fox the keys to the henhouse and having him chow down. If any juror used Misskelley's confession as part of the deliberations in the Echols/Baldwin trial is guilty of misconduct and willful disregard of the judges adminition to only consider the evidence actually presented in court. The confession was not introduced because Misskelley refused to testify. In this country we have the Constitional protection of being able to confront our accusers. This alone is grounds for overturning the verdict and grantyin a new trial. With regard to DNA, at the time of the crime a much larger sample was necessary for a reading. Now that that has come to light, has anyone considered filing for a writ of habeas corpus at the Federal level just to get something moving on this case? With regard to Joohnny Depp's involvement in the fight for a new trial. Guess what people, free speech applies to celebrities too!

[heavon01]

i have to agree with you on this case, there is no justice here ,none for the murder boys, and none for the ones that went to jail, prosecuter foglemen in this case,should be fired and charge ,there was no case ,and he railroad them boys to hell,the police work,was heinous in this case, the judge burnett, in this case should be fired,and foglemen are not above the law,the FBI should have investigation into this case,lost justice for all

[ZillaManila]

For those of you who may be new to this case, or may be confused by some of the posts here, you are not alone. Please join us at www.wm3blackboard.com for an intelligent, reasonable discussion of this case in support of the West Memphis Three.

[annapaulak]

I have a hard time believing ukrainelover is an actual psychotherapist...

[roseyrazorback]

I believe that there is serious doubt of thse three men being guilty. My question is why no one has ever considered Tommy Lynn Sells, who sits in a TX prison, as a possible suspect. I think he would come closer to being the real killer than the West Memphis 3. Tommy Lynn Sells, as everyone should know, gets his thrills out of killing, especially children.

[heavon01]

wow, this case was **** up from the start, its unreal, the justice system was the biggest break down, the cops the lawyers in this case was unreal, will they ever check the DNA and get it right this time, now its left up to a bunch of people that won,t let go of that bone,its unreal i hope they are set free soon, and the right guy gets his doooooo, this case has bother me right from the start, the way it was handle, take 3 scared boys and made them killers ,while the real one still out there unreal, someday soon they have to take a stand and set them boys free , and get the real killer , whats wrong with you people , are you really going to let them boys, which are men now rot in jail, for god sake get off your ass and help them , and make this right ,do the right thing set them FREEEEEEEE

[heavon01]

well what a case unreal, screwed up from the start, if DNA says you did it , your found guilty,right, and if DNA clears the 3 boys which it did why in gods name are they still lock up, when the real killer is still out there , the prosecutor in this case should be fired, the judge in this case allowed all this chit in, unreal, he should be fired too, not one person can help these 3 boys, the system sucks they been lock up for so long, it is time for some kind justice, how can they sleep at night knowning 3 boys are lock up for a crime they didn,t commit,the city should start a rally, in front of the courts till someone helps these 3 boys, which are men now, hell scream and yell, or we can do nothing and let them rot in jail, whats a another 20 years, what would you do if this happen to you,