Johnny Depp looks to have a new best friend in the shape of former Arkansas' death row inmate Damien Echols, a member of the infamous West Memphis Three. Since Depp aided in having Echols and his tow co-defendants released from jail, it seems as though the two have conjured up quite a bond, with them even getting matching tattoos.
Speaking to reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the Depp-directed documentary of the case titled West of Memphis was being screened, he said, "There was an instant connection. There was a brotherly love too." Upon his release from jail after serving over 18 years, Echols was taken in by Depp, who according to the actor, got right back into normal life as the star said, "We had Tater Tots and tacos, and a natural course of events took place, and we went to the tattoo parlour."
Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin make up the West Memphis Three who were charged in 1993 for the murders of three 8-year old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1994. The case garnered much attention from the press and from a number of celebrities who felt that the three had been unjustly sentenced. Last year the three were released after agreeing to an Alford plea allowing them to maintain their innocence whilst pleading guilty, finally ending their stints in prison.
AMY J BERG and Peter Jackson also worked on the project alongside Depp, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.