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Damien: Legal Defense Fund

Dear Friends & Supporters:

Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin have spent their entire adult lives in prison for a crime they did not commit. They were tragically convicted based on innuendo, fear, hysteria and a false confession.

In October 2007 a 500-page motion was filed in federal court on behalf of Damien Echols. The federal court agreed to hear the case but asked that the state of Arkansas review it first. This motion includes DNA testing on dozens of pieces of evidence, analysis from the nation's leading forensic science experts, other solid scientific evidence and compelling witness affidavits—all evidence indicating that all three, now men, are innocent of the murders for which they were wrongfully convicted in 1993. 

Now even more new evidence of their innocence has been brought to light, including a sworn affidavit by a prominent former Arkansas prosecutor that the jury foreman in Damien and Jason's original trial lied to get on the jury and illegally introduced Jessie's coerced false confession into deliberations. Three witnesses have stepped forward claiming they saw Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of Stevie Branch, with the children at 6:30pm on the night the children disappeared. His DNA and the DNA of a friend he was with that very evening have been identified by the recent DNA test results as being at the crime scene.   

With new crime scene DNA evidence that clears Damien, Jason and Jessie, and points to others, as well as the outrageous allegations of juror misconduct, Damien's case is now being considered on appeal by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Jason and Jessie's cases were reviewed, and rejected, recently by Judge David Burnett, they are now filing new motions with Arkansas' Appellate Division.

Thanks to so many of you for getting us to this point. Without your help, we would not be on the verge of finally securing justice for Damien, Jessie and Jason.

We urgently need more of you. We need your help to make sure this evidence is fully considered. With your help we can right a terrible, terrible wrong.

Please makes checks out to:

Damien Echols Defense Fund

PO Box 1216

Little Rock, AR 72203,

Or make your tax-deductible donation through Arkansas Take Action (our 501c3 sponsor) via Google.

Please spread the word of this injustice.

Thank you so very much, 

Lorri Davis and the defense teams for Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley