Sundance: Peter Jackson’s “West of Memphis” sheds new light on dark case

By Sean O’Connell Hollywoodnews.com: The Peter Jackson-produced “West of Memphis,” which extends the research done by the “Paradise Lost” series of documentaries, played the Sundance Film Festival this morning, revealing a surprise few expected. New witnesses who claim they know the real murderer. Attorneys for the West Memphis Three, who recently were released after pleading guilty to crimes they continue to say they didn’t commit, say that three new witnesses, all friends of Michael Hobbs, Jr., have come forward to claim that Hobbs told them that “my uncle Terry [Hobbs] murdered those three little boys.” As THR notes, Terry Hobbs’ DNA was “found in a shoelace used to restrain one of the victims … [and] has been a subject of much speculation despite never having been charged with a crime. Indeed, he figures prominently in the last third of the most recent ‘Paradise Lost’ film, ‘Purgatory,’ because he was seen near the victims and cannot totally account for his whereabouts during the time the murders occurred.” Jackson’s “Memphis” will have its premiere in Sundance Friday afternoon, but this news came out of press screenings held at the film festival on Friday morning. Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information. Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News