Mad Hatter Johnny Depp Interrupts Promotion of Alice to Fight Against Execution and Free the West Memphis 3
Johnny Depp is getting lots of media play due to his upcoming debut as the beloved Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's version of "Alice in Wonderland" next month.
However, Johnny Depp won't be talking movies this Saturday when he appears on CBS-TV's "48 Hours. " Instead, he'll be adding the power of his fame to the fight to stop the execution of Damien Echols and to free the West Memphis 3.
Good for Johnny Depp.
There are those, like Depp, who believe the three boys (now men - it's been 17 years) are innocent of the crimes. There are others that argue it's not a matter of guilt, it's a matter of the system failing to follow proper protocols, and the need to correct improprieties that cannot be ignored.
The "West Memphis 3" are Damion Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin, who were convicted of murdering three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, back in 1993. Only Echols was sentenced to death; Baldwin got life imprisonment and Misskelley was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years.
Other celebrities lending their support to the West Memphis 3 campaign include Wynona Ryder and Demi Lovato.
Can celebrities really impact executions in this country? Of course they can.
We can all look to the case of Georgia's Troy Davis as an example. Famous names lending their clout to the Free Troy Davis campaign include The Pope, Desmond Tutu of South Africa, and former President Jimmy Carter.
Right now, a federal hearing is pending in the Troy Davis case, and there's a big fight between the attorneys on why all the witnesses have recanted. The state is implying witness tampering, and the defense lawyers have taken to the media, incensed at the implication. Meanwhile, Davis's execution by the State of Georgia remains stayed by federal order.
The West Memphis 3 case included a confession from one of those convicted, physical evidence including a knife and clothing fibers, Echols was seen in muddy clothes near the crime scene and Echols and Baldwin both told others that they had committed the crimes. http://bit.ly/cOT2ft
Jessie Lloyd MISSKELLEY, Jr. v. STATE of Arkansas CR 94-848 S.W.2d Supreme Court of Arkansas
Damien Echols was observed near the crime scene at 9:30 p.m. on May 5. He was wearing black pants and a black shirt and his clothes were muddy. A witness testified that she had attended a satanic cult meeting with Echols and the appellant. Steven Byers's mother testified that, approximately two months before the murders, her son told her that a man dressed all in black had taken his picture. There was evidence that Baldwin owned a shirt and boots of the type described by the appellant. Finally, a witness from the State Crime Lab testified that she found fibers on the victims' clothing which were microscopically similar to items in the Baldwin and Echols residences.
The West Memphis 3 were guilty. One of the 3 confessed. Echols and Baldwin both told others they committed the murders. Echols was seen near the crime scene with muddy clothes. Clothing fibers and a knife connected them to the crime. West Memphis 3 confession, witness corroboration and physical evidence