The world premiere of Devil's Knot, the movie based on the book by Little Rock resident Mara Leveritt about a murder case against three teenagers, commonly called the West Memphis Three, took place May 3 at the Central Arkansas Library System's Ron Robinson Theater.
VIP receptions preceded and followed the movie, which was standing room only. Hollywood star Stephen Moyer (True Blood), who plays prosecuting attorney John Fogleman in Knot, attended, unaccompanied by his Academy Award-winning wife, Anna Paquin. Fellow Academy Award-winners and stars of the film Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Mud) and Colin Firth (The King's Speech) also skipped the premiere. Witherspoon plays the mother of one of the victims and Firth plays a private investigator.
Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin were convicted in 1994 of murdering three 8-year-old boys a year earlier. In 2011, partly on the strength of new DNA evidence, the state and defense accepted a rarely used Alford plea arrangement that freed the three.
Baldwin attended the premiere, as did Pam Echols and Michelle Echols, mother and sister of Damien Echols, and Pam Hicks (formerly Hobbs), mother of Stevie Branch. Many of the Arkansans closely connected to the murders of Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore left the theater in the middle of the movie to compose themselves.
The premiere, which was to start at 6:30 p.m., was delayed until 7 or so because of the crush of people in the River Market District. Former President Bill Clinton was down the street at the Little Rock Marriott hotel for a fundraiser and there were added visitors in town for a bicycle race the next day.
The movie ended with a standing ovation.
High Profile on 05/11/2014