From death row to Life After Death: Damien Echols profiled in NYT

In today's NYT, Dave Itzkoff profiles death-row inmate turned memoirist Damien Echols, who was one-third of the West Memphis Three. The feature includes some really striking photographs by Todd Heisler. The profile is pegged with the release of Echols' new book, "Life After Death." In a separate NYT review, Janet Maslin describes it as "a haunting book." (thumbnail: photo of Echols by Peter Ash Lee for NYT)

• [CSBD]

  I hope that the authorities (or some authorities) will eventually figure out who killed the kids and prove that it was not the WM3.  It seems like no matter what happens the establishment in Arkansas is not going to admit they made a mistake and or clear the WM3 of responsibility for this crime.

  • [Brainspore]

    The deal that Mr. Echols was forced to sign in order to get his freedom meant that he had to plead guilty to the crime and give up any hope of officially clearing his name. The prosecution wouldn’t have let him have that deal if they actually believed him to be guilty, but the state of Arkansas is much more concerned with covering their butts than convicting the right people.

    • [gt bear]

      I think it was an alford plea – a form of not contesting the charges, but not admitting guilt either.

      he did an ama on reddit, and the book is on the nyt bestsellers list.

• [tony1l]

  Not only did we get the wrong guys we convicted children.  They were children tried as adults due to the gravity of the crimes. Arkansas doesn’t want them to come back with civil suits. 

  • [Brainspore]

    And we convicted those children based on the erroneous and recanted testimony of a lone, mentally challenged child. It’s sick.

• [buddy66]

  Somebody stop poor Damien before he turns himself into a billboard — or an Aleister Crowley book cover.