Sony has bought the worldwide distribution rights to West of Memphis, a documentary produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Amy Borg .
This documentary documents the investigation of the "Memphis Three" (West Memphis Three) that year. The sensational case of the year occurred in 1993. Three boys were killed in Memphis, Arkansas, USA, two of them drowned, another was brutally genital mutilated, and their bodies were tied up and abandoned in a muddy creek side. Based on the wounds on the victim's body and the on-site investigation, the police determined that this was a crazy religious sacrifice. Three men who were teenagers at the time: Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin were arrested as criminals and all received life sentences with suspended death sentences. However, the three have always claimed their innocence and continued to make various efforts in prison. A 1996 documentary, Lost Paradise: Infanticide in Robin Hood Mountains, is based on this case.
On August 19, 2011, in light of the latest evidence, Judge David Lesser found "room for questioning" in the case and sentenced Eccles and two other defendants to 10 years of probation. He signed an agreement with the court called the "Alford Defence." The agreement stipulates that he can continue to look for evidence to prove his innocence during the probation period, but if the case is overturned, he must not seek "economic compensation" from the government. The trio served nearly 20 years in prison before being released last year.
This documentary "West of Memphis" shot by Amy Borg attempts to reconstruct everything in that year, and shows us a series of never-before-seen materials such as film investigations and lawsuits.
