Damien Echols
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| Damien Echols - Mug Shot |
It is popularly believed that Damien Echols was one of the three falsely convicted of murder because he dressed in black, listened to heavy metal music, and read Stephen King novels. It is widely accepted that "satanic panic" was the primary reason why Damien was found guilty. This belief is heavily enforced by the Paradise Lost series, Mara Leveritt's books, and a cast of famous people sympathetic to the WM3 cause. They believe that Damien was just a misunderstood bright kid in an ignorant southern Christian town.
However, if we dig deeper, we see that Damien wasn't just a misunderstood kid who had different eccentric tastes. In fact, we see a violent and disturbed kid with mental problems and homicidal tendencies.
Jerry Driver, Damien's juvenile probation officer, was the first to suggest a link between Damien and the murders.
Jerry first met Damien on May 29th of 1992, nearly a year before the murders. Damien was arrested for burglary and sexual misconduct after trying to run away with a girl named Deanna Holcomb, his girlfriend at the time. During the arrest, Damien threatened to kill the officer, who made the arrest and Deanna's father. Damien told caseworkers that he made a suicide pact with Deanna if they couldn't be together.
Jerry, along with Detective John Murray, questioned Damien. Damien denied being a Satanist, but did admit he was involved in the occult. He described himself as a grey witch, a witch that is in the middle of white and black witchcraft. Basically, he saw himself neutral between good and evil. Damien explained to Jerry that he did have a group that would meet and that his main participant was his best friend Jason Baldwin. He also boasted that Jason would never give him up, which was confirmed in Damien's autobiography entitled Life After Death. Jason knew of Damien and Deanna's plan to run away together and was with them part of that day. Jason was even Damien's errand boy. After they broke into a vacant trailer, Damien gave Jason money to buy drinks and snacks.
Damien claimed to be aware of occult activities in the area and stated that he may or may not have been a part of them. Damien alleged that one particular group was finished with the animal sacrifice stage of their rituals and that the next logical step would be to sacrifice a human.
After a lengthy discussion about the topic, Jerry made it his mission to keep a close eye on Damien Echols.
It is important to understand Damien's frame of mind before, during, and after the murders. In his own words, Damien described himself as a schizophrenic sociopath suffering from alcohol and drug abuse and with homicidal tendencies and suicidal thoughts.
Damien's blood lust
Damien had a taste for human blood that is extensively documented in a 500 page document called Exhibit 500. The extensive documents are a long list of Damien's mental health records that were presented by his lawyers to convince the jury not to give their client the death penalty by persuading them that he was mentally ill.
While at Charter Hospital of Little Rock back in June of 1992, Damien would suck blood off of peers who had scratched themselves. In September of the same year, Damien was in the Craighead County Juvenile Detention Center. While there, another juvenile cut his wrists. Damien grabbed the kid by one of his wrists and sucked the blood from the open wound. He then smeared the blood on his face and proclaimed he was a devil worshiping vampire. He was immediately placed in isolation and suicide watch.
Damien stated to one social worker that he believed in vampires and that he worshiped the devil. He told another counselor that drinking blood gave him power and made him feel like a god.
In addition to Jessie's many confessions, others have witnessed Damien's taste for blood. Tiffany Allen witnessed a fight between Jason Baldwin and another boy named John Perschka. After the fight, Jason bled and Damien dipped his finger in Jason's blood and stuck it in his mouth.
Damien made it clear during an interview that he doesn't drink blood, but licks it. An irrelevant statement because whether he's drinking, sucking, or licking -- he's consuming human blood.
Damien's violent behavior
Damien's violent threats have also been well documented. In addition to threatening Deanna's father and the arresting police officer, Damien threatened to kill former friend Shane Divilbiss, the person Deanna dated after her split with Damien. In school, Damien attacked Shane and tried to gouge out his eye. In Life After Death, Damien denied this act, claiming his finger accidentally grabbed on to Shane's eye, but his book contradicts his statements in his medical records.
Shane would have some interesting insight on Damien. He claimed that Damien was an imposing person and that his friends feared him. He stated that if you disagreed with Damien, his glance could quickly silence someone due to intimidation.
One certain aspect of Shane's interview with Detective Sargent Mike Allan revealed more about Damien and his link to the occult:
Allen: Deanna Holcomb has she ever told you anything about why she was
so afraid of him or anything, I know probably from the newspaper
articles and things of that nature that there was supposed so like, dog,
cats sacrifices different things of that nature rumor of thing of that
nature, do you know anything that Deanna ever mention anything about
some things that Damien would do that made her scared of him or
Shane: She didn't tell me any thing in detail she did tell me that he
scared her that she thought he was crazy she told me that several times
whenever the subject came up about him which I generally tried to avoid
there because, then one thing I wanted to do was get her away from him.
She didn't tell me anything about sacrifices or anything but she did
tell me that at one time they had sexual intercourse in a room full of
people watching them, she told me of you know that is the main thing she
told me about like a circle of people were watching them, and that is
with candles around and everything like that which you know kind of
reminded me of you know unusual practice.
Allen: Did she ever talk about being tied up or anything?
Shane: She never told me anything about that
Allen: Is there anything you could add that, at this point that might be
beneficial in this investigation as far as any information that
something that you may have heard from someone else something that
hadn't been brought up so far that might assist us in kind of way?
Shane: Nothing but the fact that I know Damien is exactly highly
intelligence he knows a lot about things he knows how to work with a
person's mind, he can manipulate person mind to where what he believes
in he finds someone that can't control that he can't influence he hate
them.
Shane's description of Damien's high intelligence and intimidation would be verified in his clinical assessment and personality inventory report.
Damien also threatened to kill his mother and father. After leaving Charter Hospital of Little Rock in 1992, his parents moved him to Oregon because Pam, Damien's mother, believed he was into strange activities and didn't like the quality of friends he had in Arkansas.
In September of 1992, Damien's parents called the police. They no longer felt safe around their unstable son. Damien made statements that he was going to kill himself and others. He threatened to commit suicide in various ways. Damien also threatened to cut his mother's throat and made verbal threats to kill his father.
Damien's threats continued to mount up after the murders. According to Jennifer Ball, she was in her kitchen on the phone when all of a sudden, Damien appeared outside her window, telling her she was doing to die. This happened in March of 1993 and an incident report was filed.
Soon after Damien threatened Jennifer's life, he went to Amanda Lancaster's house, eying her home menacingly. According to Amanda, she stated that Heather Cliett, Jason Baldwin's girlfriend, told her that Damien had been asking about her. He asked Heather about Amanda's phone number and address. At a local skating rink, Damien would follow Amanda and Jennifer around, intimidating them and claimed they were the next two to die.
The threat was credible. At a softball field, five different girls heard Damien, along with Jason, admitting he murdered Stevie, Christopher, and Michael. He went on to say that he planned on killing two more people before turning himself in. He claimed he already had one of them picked out. The five girls who testified were Jodi Medford, Jessica Medford, Jackee Medford, and Katie LaFoy. Donna Medford, the mother of Jodi, Jessica, and Jackee also made a statement regarding Damien's softball field confession.
In trial, Damien admitted being at the soft ball field, but denied making those remarks. Years later in a prison interview, he admitted that he probably did say it, but that it was a joke.
Heather Cliett made a statement that Damien told her that he stuck a stick in a dog's eye, jumped on it, and burned it. An interesting statement because Amanda would speak of Damien wearing dog intestines around his neck. Joe Bartoush, Jason's cousin, witnessed the torture and killing of the dog.
A dog skull was found in Damien's house on May 19th, 1992, after running away with Deanna. Damien claimed in trial that he and his step-father found it on the side of the road, but Damien always seems to have an explanation for everything. Admitting and denying things, going back and forth with all the claims about him.
Damien's take on the murders and false alibis
Detective Bryan Ridge and Shane Griffin visited Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Domini Teer at the front of Jason's house. They asked Damien his thoughts on the murders.
Damien believed whoever committed the crime was sick and did it as a thrill kill. He said that the penis was a symbol of power and that the number three was sacred in the Wiccan religion. He said the murdered boys probably died of mutilation and drowning. He assumed one was cut up worse then the others and that the purpose of the murder was to scare someone.
Damien claimed only one person committed the murders because if there were more, someone would eventually confess When asked how the person felt after committing the murders, Damien answered that the person probably felt good because they had the power to do what they did by taking life. When asked why he thought the boys were so young, Damien answered that the younger the victim, the more innocent they are and that it gave the murderer more power.
Damien believed that the killer knew that the kids went into the woods and that maybe the murderer asked them to come into the woods. He said the boys were not big or smart and would be easy to control. He said the killer would not be concerned with the screams due to it being in the woods and close to the expressway and that the killer wanted to hear the children scream.
Damien believed that the killer was local and didn't care if he or she was caught because he thought it was funny.
When asked what items the cops should be looking for at the crime scene, Damien answered candles, crystals, and a knife.
Damien's take on the murders was eerily similar to what happened at the crime scene. Especially the part of one child being mutilated worse than the others and the drownings. Damien would be questioned at his trial by Prosecutor Brent Davis. When Davis asked where Damien heard about the details, he claimed he read about them in the Commercial Appeal. Problem is, that information was never in the Commercial Appeal. Davis accused Damien of changing his explanations to conveniently fit the circumstances and Damien agreed. Damien was constantly changing his story.
Here's an example of Damien admitting this when cross-examined by Davis:
Q. Your mother testified that when you were down at the police station,
one of the things she told you was, we've got some alibis, correct?
A. Yes.
Q. She's testified that the same day the police talked to you, or maybe
it was your sister, that that is when you first started discussing among
the family about the details of those alibis, correct?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. When the police talk with you on the tenth, at that point in time you
tell them from 3:00 to 5:00 is when you think you were at the Sanders',
is that right?
A. I probably told him that then.
Q. That was about five days after the boys had turned up missing that you told him it was around 3:00 to 5:00?
A. I probably told him that if it's in the report.
Q. When your mom tells him something, it is about five to six or five to six-thirty, okay?
A. (NODS HEAD)
Q. As time moves on and the time period that is in question becomes
later that evening, the visit to the Sanders' becomes later that
evening, correct?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. So the story kind of changes to fit the facts we need to cover, right?
A. Yes, sir.
Damien claimed that he was on the phone with several girls that night. He claimed to be on the phone with Domini Teer, Heather Cliett, Holly George, and Jennifer Bearden. Although he did talk to these girls that night, the time frame doesn't create a compelling alibi.
Damien claimed he talked to Holly that evening. Not true, he talked to her in the after noon around 3:00pm or 4:00pm.
Damien claimed he talked to Heather, but it wasn't until 10:30pm. He told her that he was walking around with Jason.
Damien parted ways with Domini around 5:00 or 5:30pm. The next time she spoke with him was around 10:00pm.
Damien spoke with Jennifer at about 9:20pm. Before, Jennifer called Jason and Damien before 5:30pm and she stated that Damien told her that he and Jason were going somewhere. She called Damien's house at 8:00pm and was told that he wasn't home. Later, Damien changed his story and claimed he gave his mother instructions to tell her he wasn't home because Domini was over. Based on Domini's accounts of where she was that night, she wasn't with Damien during that time frame. So who's lying? Damien or Domini? Domini was firmly behind Damien throughout the investigation and trial, so there's nothing for her to gain by lying in her statement. Daine Teer, Domini's mother, would also confirm she arrived home at around 7:00pm.
So from 5:30pm to 9:20pm, Damien implicated himself, along with Jason, by telling others he walked around with his best friend that night. This contradicts his statement that he was on the phone with them during the time frame of the murders.
In addition to Damien's lies, Pam Hutchison, his mother, claimed he was with the family during the time frame of the murders. She claimed that they all had supper and then went to friend's house. After that, they returned home and Damien was there the entire night, talking on the phone from 7:30pm to 11:00pm. Pam claimed one of the people he spoke to that night was Jason. However, Damien also claimed he was with Domini and wouldn't take Jennifer's phone call because of it. Domini certainly doesn't remember that so what's the truth?
It is clear that Damien and Pam are not being truthful because all four girls Damien claimed to have talked to that night didn't occur around the times he claimed. Who's lying? The four girls or Damien and Pam? It isn't reasonable to believe the girls lied. Domini was Damien's girlfriend and the mother of his child. Heather was Jason's girlfriend so what would be her motive? Jennifer was very close with Damien. Holly was friends with Damien and Domini. Again, what's the truth? They can't all be true.
Child Sacrifice and Aleister Crowley
Jerry Driver reported that Damien had planned to have a baby with Deanna Holcomb and sacrifice it. Damien denied the accusation, but again, Damien would deny a lot of things that he would later admit to be true.
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| Damien's art of child sacrifice |
Damien denied being into black witchcraft and claimed to be a white witch but Deanna claimed her ex-boyfriend lied about being a white witch. She stated that he was very much into black witchcraft.
Deanna's most disturbing statement was this:
I ran away with Damien. I went to a hospital in Memphis and he went to
one in Little Rock. I found out that he planned to kill our first born
if it was a girl. Damien would not do it he is a coward and would
have tried to get me to do it. That’s when I knew he was nuts and I had
nothing else to do with him. I meet Damien at school. I read some of
his poems and felt sorry for him.
Deanna saw Damien as too much of a coward to commit murder, but apparently, his intent of having others do it was certainly there. Little did she know, he was fully capable of being a participant.
Chris Littrell, a Wiccan and a friend of Damien's, stated that Damien had planned to sacrifice the baby of another girlfriend, Domini Teer, but decided against it due to getting a bigger government check due to his social security disability.
With the murders of Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore and the talk of sacrifice, it is important we address one of Damien Echols' influences -- Aleister Crowley!
Aleister Crowley, an occultist, practiced magic of sex, drugs, and sacrifice. Crowley was drawn to the occult and was fascinated by blood, torture, and sexual degradation; he liked to fantasize being degraded by a “Scarlet Woman.” He combined these interests in a lifestyle that shocked others and reveled in the attention he drew.
Especially when it came to his statements on Child Sacrifice:
CHAPTER XII
OF THE BLOODY SACRIFICE: AND MATTERS COGNATE
It is necessary for us to consider carefully the problems connected
with the bloody sacrifice, for this question is indeed traditionally
important in Magick. Nigh all ancient Magick revolves around this
matter. In particular all the Osirian religions the rites of the Dying
God refer to this. The slaying of Osiris and Adonis; the mutilation
of Attis; the cults of Mexico and Peru; the story of Hercules or
Melcarth; the legends of Dionysus and of Mithra, are all connected with
this one idea. In the Hebrew religion we find the same thing inculcated.
The first ethical lesson in the Bible is that the only sacrifice
pleasing to the Lord is the sacrifice of blood;
Abel, who made this,
finding favour with the Lord, while Cain, who offered cabbages, was
rather naturally considered a cheap sport. The idea recurs again and
again. We have the sacrifice of the Passover, following on the story of
Abraham’s being commanded to sacrifice his firstborn son, with the idea
of the substitution of animal for human life. The annual ceremony of the
two goats carries out this in perpetuity. And we see again the
domination of this idea in the romance of Esther, where Haman and
Mordecai are the two goats or gods; and ultimately in the presentation
of the rite of Purim in Palestine, where Jesus and Barabbas happened to
be the Goats in that particular year of which we hear so much, without
agreement on the date.
This subject must be studied in the “Golden Bough”, where it is most learnedly set forth by Dr. J. G. Frazer.
Enough has now been said to show that the bloody sacrifice has from
time immemorial been the most considered part of Magick. {92} The ethics
of the thing appear to have concerned no one; nor, to tell the truth,
need they do so. As St. Paul says, “Without shedding of blood there is
no remission”; and who are we to argue with St. Paul? But, after all
that, it is open to any one to have any opinion that he likes upon the
subject, or any other subject, thank God!
At the same time, it is most
necessary to study the business, whatever we may be going to do about
it; for our ethics themselves will naturally depend upon our theory of
the universe. If we were quite certain, for example, that everybody went
to heaven when he died, there could be no serious objection to murder
or suicide, as it is generally conceded — by those who know neither —
that earth is not such a pleasant place as heaven. However, there is a
mystery concealed in this theory of the bloody sacrifice which is of
great importance to the student, and we therefore make no further
apology, We should not have made even this apology for an apology, had
it not been for the solicitude of a pious young friend of great
austerity of character who insisted that the part of this chapter which
now follows — the part which was originally written — might cause us to
be misunderstood. This must not be.
The blood is the life. This simple statement is explained by the
Hindus by saying that the blood is the principal vehicle of vital Prana.
There is some ground for the belief that there is a definite substance
, not isolated as yet, whose presence makes all {93} the difference
between live and dead matter. We pass by with deserved contempt the
pseudoscientific experiments of American charlatans who claim to have
established that weight is lost at the moment of death, and the
unsupported statements of alleged clairvoyants that they have seen the
soul issuing like a vapour from the mouth of persons “in articulo
mortis”; but his experiences as an explorer have convinced the Master
Therion that meat loses a notable portion of its nutritive value within a
very few minutes after the death of the animal, and that this loss
proceeds with everdiminishing rapidity as time goes on. It is further
generally conceded that live food, such as oysters, is the most rapidly
assimilable and most concentrated form of energy. Laboratory experiments
in food-values seem to be almost worthless, for reasons which we cannot
here enter into; the general testimony of mankind appears a safer
guide.
It would be unwise to condemn as irrational the practice of those
savages who tear the heart and liver from an adversary, and devour them
while yet warm. In any case it was the theory of {94} the ancient
Magicians, that any living being is a storehouse of energy varying in
quantity according to the size and health of the animal, and in quality
according to its mental and moral character. At the death of the animal
this energy is liberated suddenly.
The animal should therefore be killed within the Circle, or the
Triangle, as the case may be, so that its energy cannot escape. An
animal should be selected whose nature accords with that of the ceremony
— thus, by sacrificing a female lamb one would not obtain any
appreciate quantity of the fierce energy useful to a Magician who was
invoking Mars. In such a case a ram would be more suitable. And this ram
should be virgin — the whole potential of its original total energy
should not have been diminished in any way. For the
highest spiritual working one must accordingly choose that victim which
contains the greatest and purest force. A male child of perfect
innocence and high intelligence is the most satisfactory and suitable
victim. {95} For evocations it would be more convenient to place
the blood of the victim in the Triangle — the idea being that the spirit
might obtain from the blood this subtle but physical substance which
was the quintessence of its life in such a manner as to enable it to
take on a visible and tangible shape.
Those magicians who object to the use of blood have endeavored to
replace it with incense. For such a purpose the incense of Abramelin may
be burnt in large quantities. Dittany of Crete is also a valuable
medium. Both these incenses are very catholic in their nature, and
suitable for almost any materialization. But the bloody sacrifice, though more dangerous, is more efficacious; and for nearly all purposes human sacrifice is the best.
The truly great Magician will be able to use his own blood, or possibly
that of a disciple, and that without sacrificing the physical life
irrevocably. An example of this sacrifice is given in Chapter 44 of
Liber 333. This Mass may be recommended generally for daily practice.
One last word on this subject. There is a Magical operation of
maximum importance: the Initiation of a New Aeon. When it becomes
necessary to utter a Word, the whole Planet must be bathed in blood.
Before man is ready to accept the Law of Thelema, the Great War must be
fought. This Bloody Sacrifice is the critical point of the
World-{96}Ceremony of the Proclamation of Horus, the Crowned and
conquering Child, as Lord of the Aeon.
This whole matter is prophesied in the Book of the Law itself; let
the student take note, and enter the ranks of the Host of the Sun.
II There is another sacrifice with regard to which the Adepts have
always maintained the most profound secrecy. It is the supreme mystery
of practical Magick. Its name is the Formula of the Rosy Cross. In this
case the victim is always — in a certain sense — the Magician himself,
and the sacrifice must coincide with the utterance of the most sublime
and secret name of the God whom he wishes to invoke.
Properly performed, it never fails of its effect. But it is difficult
for the beginner to do it satisfactorily, because it is a great effort
for the mind to remain concentrated upon the purpose of the ceremony.
The overcoming of this difficulty lends most powerful aid to the
Magician.
It is unwise for him to attempt it until he has received regular
initiation in the true Order of the Rosy Cross, {97} and he must have
taken the vows with the fullest comprehension and experience of their
meaning. It is also extremely desirable that he should have attained an
absolute degree of moral emancipation, and that purity of spirit which
results from a perfect understanding both of the differences and
harmonies of the planes upon the Tree of Life.
For this reason FRATER PERDURABO has never dared to use this formula
in a fully ceremonial manner, save once only, on an occasion of
tremendous import, when, indeed, it was not He that made the offering,
but ONE in Him. For he perceived a grave defect in his moral character
which he has been able to overcome on the intellectual plane, but not
hitherto upon higher planes. Before the conclusion of writing this book
he will have done so.
The practical details of the Bloody Sacrifice may be studied in
various ethnological manuals, but the general conclusions are summed up
in Frazer’s “Golden Bough”, which is strongly recommended to the reader.
Actual ceremonial details likewise may be left to experiment. The
method of killing is practically uniform. The animal should be stabbed
to the heart, or its throat severed, in either case by the knife. All
other methods of killing are less efficacious; even in the case of
Crucifixion death is given by stabbing. One may remark that warm-blooded
animals only are used as victims: with two principal exceptions. The
first is the serpent, which is only used in a very special Ritual; the
second the magical beetles of Liber Legis. (See Part IV.) {98}
One word of warning is perhaps necessary for the beginner. The victim
must be in perfect health — or its energy may be as it were poisoned.
It must also not be too large: the amount of energy disengaged is almost
unimaginably great, and out of all anticipated proportion to the
strength of the animal. Consequently, the Magician may easily be
overwhelmed and obsessed by the force which he has let loose; it will
then probably manifest itself in its lowest and most objectionable form.
The most intense spirituality of purpose is absolutely essential to
safety. In evocations the danger is not so great, as the Circle forms a
protection; but the circle in such a case must be protected, not only by
the names of God and the Invocations used at the same time, but by a
long habit of successful defence. If you are easily disturbed or
alarmed, or if you have not yet overcome the tendency of the mind to
wander, it is not advisable for you to perform {99} the “Bloody
Sacrifice”. Yet it should not be forgotten that this, and that other art
at which we have dared darkly to hint, are the supreme formulae of
Practical Magick.
You are also likely to get into trouble over this chapter unless you truly comprehend its meaning.
Source: “Magick in Theory and Practice” by Aleister Crowley
Crowley apologists claim that Crowley wasn't literally speaking of sacrificing children, but masturbation. Crowley always wrote and spoke in riddles so it's hard to say. However, it was a claim that Damien wouldn't dispute in trial while questioned by prosecutor Brent Davis.
In trial, Davis asked Damien if he knew about Aleister Crowley. Damien answered that he knew of Crowley, but knew very little about him. Davis told Damien that Crowley believed in human sacrifice in which Damien responded that Crowley also believed he was god. An interesting response since Damien claimed to know very little about Crowley and in one of his own writings, he claimed to be a god himself. Davis asked Damien if he knew that Crowley found children to be the best type of sacrifice. Damien agreed. Brent Davis then presented him with a piece of paper with Damien's handwriting. On the paper was a translated coded alphabets. On it was his love for Domini, the name of his best friend, the name of his infant son, and Aleister Crowley.
Davis asked Damien when he translated the coded names. Damien claimed it was before his arrest. Brent asked him if he was sure it wasn't while he was in jail and Damien timidly responded that it might have been at that time. Davis asked Damien if he translated the alphabet codes while he was in jail and Damien meekly responded: "If you say so." Damien would eventually admit that he translated the codes while he was in jail. Damien knew he was caught in a lie after being so arrogant just minutes before.
The names Damien translated all had importance. Domini was his girlfriend, Jason was his best friend, and Seth was his son. To have their names listed along with Crowley's and to claim he had no influence does not add up. Years later, in Life After Death, Damien would admit how influential Crowley was and still is in his life.
Crowley
was heavily into black witchcraft and attempted to summon demons and other spirits. He
didn't believe in God or Satan, but that didn't make his beliefs and
actions any less disturbing or evil. Damien would go back and forth on
the devil worshiping aspect, but he confirmed he was involved in demonology and believed in the
power that blood had, especially when consumed. Again, Damien said
when he consumed blood, it made him feel like a god. He also claimed to be possessed by a spirit of a woman murdered by her husband.
On
March 19th, 1994, Damien was convicted on three counts of capital
murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection. After many years in
prison, Damien, along with Jason and Jessie, accepted the Alford plea. A
guilty conviction in where they can maintain innocence and go free.
Influencing the world, becoming another Ted Bundy or Charles Manson, and turning into the West Memphis Boogeyman
Damien would create a self fulfilled prophecy. In his progress report, Damien claimed being told that he could be another Ted Bundy or Charles Manson. In the same report, he stated that he wanted to influence the world.
At the end of Paradise Lost: The Childhood Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Damien said that at a young age, he knew people were going to know who he was. He enjoyed his new found fame because he said even after he's dead, people would talk about him forever. He basked at the idea of parents telling their children stories about him as the West Memphis Boogeyman. He relished the idea that children would fearfully look under their beds, thinking he might be under there.
Damien loved the attention of the trial. He blew kisses at the parents of the murdered children and smirked, sneered, and licked his lips seductively at onlookers and the media. Patrica Liggett, Damien's aunt, recalled a time when he told her that the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world was to become famous.
Damien got his wish. He was covered by the media and a documentary series that highlighted his trial and aftermath to the entire world. He became famous and not only did activists and a groupie wife fall at his feet, but so did celebrities, filmmakers, and musicians who invested their money to set him and his other two friends free. They spent millions of dollars to hire the same forensic experts who got OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony off of murder charges. Damien has a following that could rival the cult status of Charles Manson. The difference? Damien was freed while Manson, who still maintains his innocence, rots in prison.
In August of 2011, Val Price, Damien's original defense attorney, was asked if he thought his former client was innocent. Price squinted his eyes, shook his head, and said that it was hard to say. A very interesting statement coming from a man who defended him back in 1994.
Today, Damien is living the American dream. He's a New York Times bestselling author, he has art gallery shows, and he teaches Hermetic Reiki. Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore don't get to live a dream. Their innocent blood gave Damien the fame and power he always wanted.
Yep, just a misunderstood kid with eccentric tastes, right? What could be a more tragic story?
