Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence?
The same police officers coerced an error-filled "confession" from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late-- Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994.
Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40.
For over 15 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. They were all condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, satanic panic and a rush to judgment.
But there's still hope for them, and you can help.
Please visit wm3.org
Music
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Movies
Hi Folks, NOTE:
This website is NOT run by Damien Echols. I am a friend of Damien's and I do send him all emails/comments from this page. However, the messages WILL NOT reach him quicker than you sending your own letter/message via snail mail. Thanks!
Television
Books
ALMOST HOME: MY LIFE STORY VOL. 1 has been published. The book is available amazon.com. Buy via skeletonkeyart.com and a portion of the proceeds go back to the WM3.
Heroes
Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin
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FOR: Damien Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison. ~Henry David Thoreau Posted at 1:55 PM Aug 7 view more
Almost Home is a message to you from a faraway place. It is a message from a 12-foot by 9-foot cell in a cinderblock building surrounded by coils of razor wire in the middle of a dirt field in Arkansas. It was written by a young man named Damien Echols and it chronicles his life and his experiences in a way that clearly illuminates him, not as a monster, but as a human being. For over 10 years Damien has been an inmate on death row for a crime he did not commit. He, along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley have become known as The West Memphis Three, and though the story of their arrest and conviction is widely known, most people don€™t know the real people behind the sound bites and the TV news segment clips. Damien has spent much of his time behind bars diligently maintaining his integrity and his sanity by writing.
Almost Home is the product of that self-discipline, and in it you will meet someone who has survived an ordeal many of us would find impossible to live through. There are a few who still believe that Damien is a devil-worshipping child killer, but as time passes and more facts rise to the surface, it becomes even more clear that he is the victim of a peculiar species of hysteria. Read this book and know the truth about him. It is an urgent message from death row; the whole story of who Damien Echols really is.
Who I'd like to meet: Any mindful correspondence will be sent to Damien from here. Any messages on his book or to him. It will passed along to him.
Educate your friends.
It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us escape, not from our own time -- for we are bound by that -- but from the intellectual and emotional limitations of our time.
T.S. Eliot
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free,
in a state of civilization,
it expects what never was and will never be.
Thomas Jefferson
Education should consist of a series of enchantments, each raising the individual to a higher level of awareness, understanding, and kinship with all living things.
Author Unknown
Upon the education of the people of this country,
the fate of this country depends.
Benjamin Disraeli
Write to Damien at:
Damien Echols ..SK931
Varner Unit
PO Box 400
Grady Arkansas 71644
Please remember his prisoner ID number (number SK931) must be included in the address. The prison mail rules are here, and we strongly suggest everyone take the time to read them.
http://www.wm3.org/live/faq/faq_category.php?id=4..faq5
Damien! Your story really interests me! :) not in a bad way! Promise. I follow up on what's going on daily, and hope to see you allll released one day. Good luck! Free The West Memphis Three!
AdvoCare's Family and Youth Defense Fund is established as a legal defense fund using AdvoCare's current tax exempt status and charitable purpose under their Family Bound program. The purpose of the fund would be to provide assistance in general actions, individual cases, or for filing amicus briefs where the outcome of such cases may effect our members and the general public in areas related to our organizations charitable purpose, goals, and description of activities. The fund, and all donations to the fund, would be governed and administered under the direction of AdvoCare's Board of Directors.
Your contributions are certainly needed and appreciated.
www.familybound.org/defense_fund.htm
Please add banner and link to your myspaces, web sites, networks, etc..
You can make a difference. Please do help, please repost, share with your network, etc.
AdvoCare's Family and Youth Defense Fund is established as a legal defense fund using AdvoCare's current tax exempt status and charitable purpose under their Family Bound program. The purpose of the fund would be to provide assistance in general actions, individual cases, or for filing amicus briefs where the outcome of such cases may effect our members and the general public in areas related to our organizations charitable purpose, goals, and description of activities. The fund, and all donations to the fund, would be governed and administered under the direction of AdvoCare's Board of Directors.
Your contributions are certainly needed and appreciated.
www.familybound.org/defense_fund.htm
Please add banner and link to your myspaces, web sites, networks, etc..
You can make a difference. Please do help, please repost, share with your network, etc.
Damien, I hope you are doing ok - or in the least, I hope your feeling the best you possibly can. Happy Halloween.. I know it is one of your favorite holiday's & it drives me insaine knowing your not out yet to celebrate with the rest of us. I pray that next Halloween, you will be a free man. You'll get out - you have to. Don't give up! We believe in you. Stay strong.
Damien, My boyfriend and I sat and watched your story untill 4 something in the morning. I believe with all my heart that you are innocent. Don't give up even though I am sure it is hard at times. Stay strong! You, Jason and Jesse are in my thoughts and prayers. -Brittany
Just stopping by to say hello, Damien. I've kept up with you closely and still do. I doubt a day goes by that I don't think about you and Jason and Jessie too. Closer every day. Never forget that and know you have so much love and so many friends out here supporting you.
I am a huge supporter of the WM3... and I am Doing my part telling anyone and everyone who will listen or watch the 2 movies... now just between myself and my best friend all of our friends are supporters also... All the best to West Memphis 3 and waiting for your release!!! and to Damien I pray you are taken off DEATH ROW!!! NOW
For some reason half of the blog entries of late come up with a this is possible spam message and i cant read them. not sure if its just me but thought I would let you know. Cheers for keeping us in the loop with the case details
Bubba the Love Sponge is talking about the West Memphis 3 on his Friday Sirius show. It's best to continually point out the faults of the criminal justice system until the WM3 is free.
Does that stupid judge have a twitter or something so we can constantly remind him what an idiot he is for being so hard headed when it comes to the West Memphis 3? I would have been there with signs during the trial too but I'm on the West Coast. The WM3 needs to be freed, NOW!
Hi. Have just seen the sequel to 'Paradise Lost' and I can't tell you how angry I am! Had a few friends here watching it, and we want to know how we can help! We know we can't say it here on this post - BUT, JOHN MARK BYERS is the killer of those boys, and to think, Damien, Jason and Jessie are behind bars, and for Damien to be on death row, makes us wild! And so sad! And so hopeless! Please tell us what we can do....We need to FREE them! NOW!
good morning =D i was just reading the updates on the website - sounds like good news!! it sounds like you finally have some intelligent people to back you. your families must be so grateful. cant wait to hear more.. wishing you the best!! xo
Hey would you happen to know when the next court date for any of the WM3 are? I live just 15 minutes from Jonesboro and I really want to go and show my support.
Register today for the Skeleton Key Auctions website. We will be posting a lot of great items for you to bid on very soon. All proceeds will go to the West Memphis Three legal defense fund!
Online Now!
![Destinee [Free the WM3] [EOTP]](http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/21/s_9434ab3c31db4e79902a0a8c9b5d9d3c.jpg)
