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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of an appeal made by Damien Echols, one of the men accused of killing three boys in West Memphis nearly 30 years ago.

Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin were tried and convicted as teenagers after the bodies of three boys were found naked and hog-tied in West Memphis.

Defendants in the West Memphis 3 case: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jesse Misskelley

The group was released under an Alford plea decades later, allowing them to maintain their innocence. However, Echols is still fighting for DNA testing to clear his name.

Last year, a Crittenden County circuit court rejected his request to have the evidence tested. Echols’ attorneys filed the appeal in January, arguing it could help lead to the real killers.

Thursday’s ruling turns back efforts by the Arkansas Attorney General to delay the Court’s consideration of Echols’ appeal of a judge’s decision to refuse DNA testing using state-of-the-art M-vac technology.