InfoAnda - Damien Echols discusses life West of Memphis |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

China punishes officials after babies taken | 4 July 2009
Haitians can start applying Thurs. to stay in US | 20 January 2010
'Mister Ed' actress Connie Hines dies at age 79 | 23 December 2009

Pair of "fighters": Trainer Ann Wolfe brings boxer James Kirkland home | 8 November 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Damien Echols discusses life West of Memphis |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Davos 2012 Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Geraldine Fabrikant Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Slideshow Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization's collapse 21 Jan 2012 U.S. aircraft carrier enters Gulf without incident 22 Jan 2012 Tornadoes strike Arkansas as storms menace south 12:17am EST U.S. aircraft carrier enters Gulf without incident 22 Jan 2012 Romney to right tax "mistake" after primary loss | 2:48am EST Discussed 256 Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization’s collapse 117 Supreme Court rejects judge-drawn Texas election maps 114 Obama set to reject Keystone oil pipeline: sources Watched A dangerous walk to school Fri, Jan 20 2012 Angelina Jolie fascinated by "bizarre" Republican presidential race Sun, Jan 22 2012 New footage shows dangers faced by Italian police rescue divers Sat, Jan 21 2012 Damien Echols discusses life "West of Memphis" Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Bullied as a kid, Peter Jackson fights back on film Sat, Jan 21 2012 Analysis & Opinion The Kodak tragedy Why doesn’t unemployment create more crime? Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Film » People » 1 of 3. Damien Echols, producer and subject of the documentary film ''West of Memphis,'' poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January 21, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson By Zorianna Kit PARK CITY, Utah | Sun Jan 22, 2012 5:28pm EST PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Damien Echols was just a teenager when he and his two friends were tried and convicted of the murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993, a case that became known as the West Memphis Three. Echols, along with fellow teens Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, are thought by some to be innocent of the crime and over the years, several documentaries have been made about them. Support from "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and other celebrities has helped raise awareness of their case. Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison last August in a legal maneuver known as an "Alford Plea," whereby the men plead guilty in their own best interest while asserting innocence. Now their case is the subject of a documentary, "West of Memphis," produced by Jackson, his wife Fran Walsh, along with Echols and his wife, Lorri Davis. The movie looks at their case, interviews them in jail and tracks them after leaving prison. Over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of the film, Echols, now 37-years-old, sat down with Reuters to talk about the documentary, his old life on death row and what his newfound freedom has been like. Q: When Peter Jackson began officially funding your defense in 2006, did you secretly wish this big-time filmmaker would make a documentary to bring more attention to the case? A: "I didn't really think of that. One, I was too busy just trying to survive day to day in the environment that I was in. Also we had a lot of high-profile supporters and friends that have helped us over the years who chose to publicly stay behind the scenes. I thought perhaps that would have been the same in this case, but Peter and Fran both were extremely hands on. It's not like they just threw money at it and walked off. They were involved in every single step of the process from forensic testing to hiring investigators to come in and talk to the witnesses. So that's really all I was thinking about at the time. The first priority for us, and for them, was always the case. The film is the icing on the cake." Q: In the documentary, you say your case is nothing out of the ordinary. It happens all the time. Why do you think the media spotlight shined on you three? A: "I think it was because of the outrageousness of the claims the prosecution made in the beginning. They brought a lot of attention on the case with all the claims of satanic cults and orgies and all this sort of thing. That made people want to see what was going on in the case. In that way, their own strategy sort of backfired on them in the end." Q: You were on death row and in solitary confinement, with only one hour out per day. How did that impact the filming? A: "Whenever (director) Amy (Berg) came in, they told her she had one hour to do her interview. And they stood there and timed her. And as soon as an hour was up, they ran her out." Q: And only one hour out a day out of solitary confinement? A: "Well they say you get one hour out, but basically I was in a super maximum security prison. So what that means is for the hour out, they take you out of your cell and put you in another cell. So I wasn't outside at all in somewhere between 8 to 10 years." Q: Any health issues as a result of that ? A: "I'm slowly recovering due to better nutrition now, being able to get proper exercise and fresh air and things like that. But one of the things that was really damaged was my eyesight due to the fact of not having any natural light and not being able to see anything at a distance. It caused tremendous damage to my eyes." Q: Are you getting any care now? A: "Since I've been out we've been seeing doctors and dentists and trying to get me back to semi-normal. I had a lot of nerve damage in my teeth just from being beaten by prison guards. There's almost no dental care in prison. They don't do crowns or root canals or anything like that. If you're in pain, either you live in pain or you let 'em pull your teeth out." Q: How do you move on? Is it even possible? A: "I would like to do things, accomplish things that stand on their own merits. I don't mind having to talk about this stuff now. But at the same time I don't always want to be known for the rest of my life, as when my name comes up it being synonymous with, 'oh yeah, that's that guy who used to be on death row.' I want to do things in the art world and in the literary world that stand on their own merits, that aren't there just because of the freak show appeal." Q: You've been out of jail for four months, and you've already taken a trip to Australia to visit Peter and Fran. Now you're at a film festival surrounded by snow! A: "I haven't had it in almost 20 years now. It's one of the things that I absolutely missed the most. When I was sitting in that prison cell, I would think about how great it would be to see snow again. And now it finally happened." Q: What are your plans for the future as husband and wife? A: "Just to keep living, moving forward. Try to continue to grow as people and as a couple. And try to do whatever we can to bring more magic into our lives." (Reporting By Zorianna Kit; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte) Entertainment Fashion Film People Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints Entertainment News From the Wrap The New Normal at Sundance -– Strong Films, Cautious But Steady Buying 2:33am EST Sellers' huckster veneer is missing, replaced by an awareness of a challenged economy and the need to find the right match when it comes to marketing Sundance Deals: CBS Buys 'The Words,' 'Tupelo 77' Gets a Director 22 Jan 2012 Dash directed "Daughters of the Dust," which won the Sundance Excellence in Cinematography Award in 1991 Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Reynolds to Star in Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes' 22 Jan 2012 The movie is about artist Margaret Keane, whose work was immensely popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but whose home life was unhappy -- especially since her husband took credit for her work Cinedigm and New Video Team Up to Buy Indie Films 22 Jan 2012 The joint venture will make the two companies a one-stop shop for filmmakers, handling everything from theatrical to digital distribution We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Monday, 23 January 2012
Analysis: Iran's softer Gulf words don't mean nuclear shift |
Cuba's Ladies in White call dissident death murder |
Croatia votes to join EU in 2013 |
Pro-euro candidate wins first round of Finnish vote |
Epic clash: Silicon Valley blindsides Hollywood on piracy |
Europe to issue tough new data-protection rules soon |
Apple 2012: Smooth sailing, for the most part |
Twitter is much more than social: co-founder Dorsey |
U.S. lawyer for Megaupload.com withdraws |
Bryce Dallas Howard gives birth to daughter |
Fourth 'Underworld' film leads domestic box office |
Melissa Rivers to mom Joan: Time for 'skintervention' |
Jackson, Wood liken Hobbit filming to family reunion |
Chicago celebrates music history in revived zone |
Syria rejects Arab call for Assad to quit |
U.S. aircraft carrier enters Gulf without incident |
Rousseff's mission for Brazil in 2012: 4 percent growth |
Egypt's Islamist-led parliament to hold first session |
Some Chinese aggrieved find inspiration in rebel village |
ICC to decide whether to try six Kenyan suspects |
BlackBerry maker's CEOs hand reins to insider |
Megaupload kingpin tells New Zealand court he is innocent |
Nokia Siemens secures 1.2 billion euro loan deal |
Firm stops file sharing after Megaupload case |
Two more arrested in Europe over Megaupload case |
Sony top contender for Olympus equity tie: report |
Olympus jumps 7 percent after Tokyo bourse keeps it listed |
Korean research, a first step toward Dr. Smartphone? |
Heidi Klum and Seal call it quits |
Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt trade views on filmmaking |
Epic clash: Silicon Valley blindsides Hollywood on piracy |
Another side of Ai Weiwei shown in Sundance film |
Damien Echols discusses life West of Memphis |
Fourth Underworld film leads domestic box office |
EU bans Iranian oil, Tehran responds with threats |
Putin foe could be barred from Russian election |
Pakistan rejects U.S. report on NATO attack |
Chinese fire on Tibetan protesters, 1 dead: advocacy group |
No decision yet on Gaddafi son's trial: ICC |
Shipwreck probe may widen to cruise company: lawyer |
Kenya's Kenyatta says rejects war crimes charges |
Nigerian police say four Boko Haram members killed |
Exclusive: YouTube hits 4 billion daily video views |
Tablet, e-reader ownership almost double over holidays: survey |
Music sales fall again in 2011, but optimism grows |
Music player app lets users sing along with lyrics |
Toyota finds way to avoid using rare earth: report |
Intel to buy QLogic's InfiniBand assets for $125 million |
Music sales fall again in 2011, but optimism grows |
Jackson, Wood liken Hobbit filming to family reunion |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01