"48 HOURS MYSTERY" PLAYS A PART IN GETTING THREE MEN FREED AFTER BEING WRONGFULLY CONVICTED OF MURDER NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO

"WEST MEMPHIS 3: FREE" CAPS A DOUBLE FEATURE NIGHT

SATURDAY, JULY 21 (10:00 PM, ET/PT)

Some 17 years after they were wrongfully convicted of murder, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, best known as the West Memphis 3, walked out of jail free men after agreeing to a rarely used plea deal. They did so after correspondent Erin Moriarty told their story on 48 HOURS MYSTERY and with the support of entertainment heavyweights Johnny Depp, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks.

In this updated edition of 48 HOURS MYSTERY, the second of back-to-back episodes on the night, Erin Moriarty talks with Echols and Baldwin about their experience, as well as Depp, who said, "it's mind-blowing how it actually happened."

As teenagers, the three were convicted of the brutal murder of three young boys from West Memphis, Ark. At the time, there was speculation the murders were part of a satanic ritual, and Echols, with a penchant for long hair and black clothes, became prime suspect for police.

But there was no evidence linking Echols to the crime. That is, until Misskelley spoke to police. He barely knew Echols, and his own attorney said he had the mental capabilities of a 5-year-old. Still, after hours of interrogation, he confessed to helping Echols and Baldwin kill the boys. The confession sent Echols to death row, while Baldwin and Misskelley were handed life sentences.

It was attention from 48 HOURS MYSTERY as well as another documentary that helped draw attention to the case of the three men. Depp and others who felt what occurred was a grave injustice. "There was no evidence� they were easy targets," Depp tells Moriarty.

This updated report features the first TV interviews with Echols and Baldwin following their release.

"West Memphis 3: Free" is the second part of a double feature on wrongful conviction. The first, "The Girl Who Knew Too Much," (9:00 PM, ET/PT) features Moriarty's updated look at the story of Joshua Kezer, who was convicted of murdering Angela Mischelle Lawless, a 19-year-old woman. In 2005, after he was sent to jail with a 60-year sentence, the case was reopened. Witnesses admitted to lying and evidence that was used to convict Kezer was questioned. A new trial was ordered, leading to a stunning outcome that would generate new theories about what happened to Lawless.