Life After Death

In 1993, teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. - later known as the West Memphis Three - were arrested for murder. The ensuing trial was rife with inconsistencies, false testimony, and superstition. Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life in prison. Echols was sentenced to death. In a shocking reversal, all three were released in August 2011, and now Echols shares his story: from abuses by prison staff to descriptions of inmates and deplorable living conditions to the incredible reserves of patience and spirituality that kept him alive and sane for nearly two decades. A brilliant writer, Echols conveys tragedy and irony in equal measure, describing his anger and outrage toward the American justice system, and providing a window into life on death row in agonizing detail.