Damien Echols diaries, circa 2006-2007.

0.42 linear feet (1 box)

English

In English.

Purchased from Brian Cassidy, Bookseller on the Arthur Corbitt Hoskins Memorial Fund, 2018.

Arranged chronologically.

This material is open for research.

Damien Echols (1974- ) was convicted of the 1993 murder of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1994. Echols was imprisoned on death row in Varner, Arkansas from 1994 to 2011, when, after new DNA testing and allegations of jury misconduct, he was released after entering an Alford plea.

Three autograph diaries describing Damien Echols's life in prison in Varner, Arkansas, circa 2006-2007. Echols describes conditions in prison, his mental health, interactions with other prisoners on death row, and his creative projects, including painting, poetry, songwriting, and collage. He also details developments in his legal case, including the discovery of new evidence, attempts to get DNA evidence from the crime scene tested, and his wife Lorri Davis's interactions with lawyers and forensic investigators. Additionally, Echols describes his occult beliefs and practices, which included elements of Thelema, magic, neopaganism, and Catholicism. Includes tipped-in stickers, stamps, and cards.

February 08, 2019

Damien Echols Diaries. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Damien Echols Diaries. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Diaries - Arkansas - 20th century.