09 November 2010 :

The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered evidentiary hearings to consider whether newly analyzed DNA evidence should result in a new trial for Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, who were convicted of the 1993 murders of three West Memphis Cub Scouts. Echols was sentenced to death and the other defendants received life. The results of the DNA tests on evidence from the crime scene excluded Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley as the sources. The high court also ordered an examination of claims of misconduct by the jurors. The state Supreme Court had previously upheld Echols' conviction in 1996, when DNA testing was not available because of technical limitations. The case of the "West Memphis Three," a name used by their supporters, has attracted attention from the national media and celebrities. In August, a rally in Little Rock to support Echols featured actor Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. (see also Sept. 2, 2010)

06 September 2010 :

Johnny Depp appeals for release of death row prisoner. Johnny Depp has joined forces with Pearl Jam rocker Eddie Vedder to appeal for the release of 3 prisoners dubbed the West Memphis 3. The Pirates of the Caribbean star says Damien Echols, 33, who is on death row, Jason Baldwin, 33, and Jessie Misskelley, 35, all whites, who were all found guilty of murdering three boys in 1993, were wrongly convicted. Vedder appeared on US TV last night to argue their case. He told CNN's Larry King Live: "If you educate yourself on the case, you'll find they are completely innocent. We have evidence that we believe will exonerate these kids." Last weekend, Depp hosted a benefit concert to call attention to the trio's case. The actor and Vedder, and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, got 2500 people to go to the show at the Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. The men were convicted as teenagers in the May 5, 1993 murders of 8-year-olds Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. Their bodies were found bound and mutilated in a creek. Misskelley and Baldwin are serving life sentences. Each maintains their innocence and all want prosecutors to consider new DNA and forensic evidence they say will corroborate their story. On September 30, the Arkansas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Echols' appeal for a new trial.