LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- There is a possible a big break in the West Memphis 3 case. A surprise hearing scheduled for Friday.
There is a gag order in this case so no one is talking. But people close to the three defendants say this development is big.
You may recall the three men were convicted in the 1993 deaths of three West Memphis second-graders. Damien Echols was sentenced to death while Misskelley and Baldwin received life sentences.
The three have each asked for a new trial on the grounds that DNA evidence exonerates them.
Friday morning the three defendants will face a judge. But what will happen remains unanswered.
Two years ago we talked with Damien Echols and he said, "Everything in prison is made out of concrete. The floors, even the bed you sleep on is a concrete slab."
It's been his life for the past 18 years; for his entire adult life: Arkansas' Death Row. "These people are trying to kill you, sentence you to death for something you didn't do," he says.
But Thursday there is a possible break. A West Memphis 3 spokesperson tells THV it's a major development.
All three men will meet with a judge Friday followed by a public court session. Echols has said about Misskelley and Baldwin, "It's been so long since I've talked to either one of them, practically a lifetime."
Now, Echols will get that chance, his first since 1993.
To date, none of the DNA gathered in the case has matched any of the defendants. That is in addition to potential jury misconduct prompted the Arkansas Supreme Court to order a new evidentiary hearing for December to decide if the three men will get new trials.
Until now, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's office has stood by the convictions and fought against new proceedings. Because of the gag order, the AG's office cannot comment on this latest development.
Meanwhile, a WM3 spokesperson tells THV Echols is very optimistic about Friday's hearing. Echols said two years ago, "I believe with all my heart and with all my soul that the day is coming whenever will see justice and we will walk out of this place.
Prosecutors say the three men killed the boys as part of a satanic ritual.
We're told the victims and defendants families will be there. Today's THV Ashley Blackstone will be there as well and have the latest on Today's THV and todaysthv.com and on Twitter @todaysthv and @ashblackstone.