As reported by Relix, Johnny Depp, Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder and many others performed at a benefit in Arkansas over the weekend to bring attention to the West Memphis 3, a notorious trio of boys accused of brutally murdering three eight year old boys in 1994.
CBS news explains, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols, AKA the West Memphis 3, have all been in prison for 17 years. After Echols, only 18 at the time, confessed himself and linked his friends to the crime, he was sentenced to lethal injection. The other boys, both under 18, were sentenced to life in prison. All three maintain their innocence and continue to lobby for retrial. This benefit, among many other events organized by Free The West Memphis 3, is attempting to raise community and financial support for their defense efforts.
Little Rock's Robinson Center Music Hall hosted performances by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Fistful of Mercy (Ben Harper's new project), Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines and Johnny Depp. Vedder and Maines will be on Larry King tonight at 6pm EST to discuss why they performed this weekend and why the boys deserve a new trial.