Damien Wayne Echols is an American author, artist, and death row inmate who is best known for being wrongfully convicted in the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The case was the subject of the documentary Paradise Lost and the subsequent book Life After Death.
Echols was born in 1974 in Lake City, Florida. He moved to West Memphis, Arkansas when he was a teenager and developed an interest in the occult and heavy metal music. In 1993, he and two other teenagers, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, were arrested and charged with the murders of three 8-year-old boys. The case became known as the West Memphis Three. The prosecution's case relied heavily on Misskelley's confession, which was later found to be false, and was based on threats and promises by police.
At his trial, Echols was found guilty and sentenced to death. He spent 18 years on death row before being released in 2011. His sentence was changed to life imprisonment and he was released after the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the state had withheld evidence from the defense.
Echols has become an advocate for criminal justice reform. He has written several books, including Life After Death, which chronicles his time on death row. He has also become an accomplished artist, producing paintings and sculptures that have been displayed in galleries.
Echols is a vocal proponent of the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals. He has also become a prominent figure in the fight against the death penalty. He is a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform and has been featured in the media, speaking out about his experience.
Echols continues to work for criminal justice reform and to raise awareness of the need for greater fairness in the justice system. He is a powerful example of what can happen when justice is not served, and continues to be a voice for the wrongly convicted.
Birthday
Dec. 11, 1974
