Peter Jackson, the creative mastermind behind the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the upcoming “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” speaks out about the West Memphis Three. Posting a lengthy note on Facebook, Jackson goes into great detail about his thoughts on the “West Memphis Three:” Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, who were convicted in 1994 in Arkansas of murdering three young victims. They were released from prison August 19, 2011.
“I’m sorry if you don’t know what I’m talking about – but those who do, will no doubt be celebrating along with Fran and myself,” Jackson wrote.
The circumstances of the West Memphis Three’s conviction are questionable. Evidence standards were not as high as they are today, and advanced forensics simply were too new to be available. The men were convicted in a high-profile court case, and justice was done. Or so it was thought.
“Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” was an investigative documentary which examined this conviction from several different angles and generated interest in a second examination of the circumstances surrounding the conviction of the three men. This interest went all around the world and eventually took hold of one Peter Jackson.
“Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are finally free to get on with their lives after spending 18 years in prison in Arkansas for a crime they did not commit, but I’m finding it very difficult to suppress a deep anger,” Jackson wrote.
It seems the filmmaker was helping to fund private investigators who were reexamining the circumstances around the case, according to Entertainment Weekly. These investigators were able to produce sufficient questions that helped force the Arkansas State Attorney’s Office to take another look at the case.
“The fight to free the West Memphis Three has been raging for nearly all of the 18 years since their farcical 1994 convictions for the triple murder of three young boys, fueled hugely by the excellent ‘Paradise Lost’ documentary released in 1996,” Jackson said on Facebook.
Unfortunately, there are no winners. Arkansas still has grieving families who have lost three children; three suspects, now free, have lost the majority of their lives. And a killer still walks free.
“There’s also a triple child killer who has walked free for the last 18 years … seemingly an unimportant detail in today’s white-washing job,” Jackson wrote.
The filmmaker did not have any pleasant words for the Arkansas state prosecutor, Scott Ellington. However, he did have very positive comments about Gov. Dustin McDaniel:
“But that certainly doesn’t apply to Dustin McDaniel because he’s done the right thing! Excellent job! For Dustin McDaniel is an honourable man; so are they all; all honourable men.
“Hell, I’d vote for Dustin McDaniel. Hang on … I live in New Zealand, so I can’t vote for him – should he ever run for Governor. Damn!”
“Sir Peter Jackson”
Now that Jackson has helped fund the investigation into the release of the three prime suspects, he is going to help fund the investigation into the real killer(s).