Taking on a controversial murder case is not a typical move when an actor has a high-profile children’s film opening in a couple of weeks. But that’s exactly what Johnny Depp, whose "Alice in Wonderland" is opening on March 5, is doing.
Depp is appearing on Saturday’s "48 Hours Mystery" advocating a new trial for three teenagers convicted of murdering three young boys in a satanic ritual in 1994.
Known as the "West Memphis Three," the young men have already attracted a lot of celebrity attention from the likes of Winona Ryder, Henry Rollins and Eddie Vedder, who have raised money to try to have the case re-opened.
They maintain that the three were prosecuted on fabricated evidence and criticize the way that local police handled the crime scene.
"I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community," Depp says on Saturday’s show.
Damien Echols is on death row to be killed by lethal injection. Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life in prison.
Here’s a preview of Depp’s "48 Hours" appearance:
