ALSO BY DAMIEN ECHOLS
Life After Death
Almost Home
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Echols, Damien.
Yours for eternity : a love story on death row / Damien Echols, Lorri Davis.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-101-63483-7
1. Love. 2. Death row 3. Capital punishment. 4. Man-woman relationships. 5. Echols, Damien. 6. Davis, Lorri. I. Davis, Lorri. II. Title.
BF575.L8E365 2014 2014009058
364.66092—dc23
[B]
Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the authors’ alone.
Version_1
For Cally, Nicole, Jacob, Fran, and Capi
Our unsung heroes
contents
also by damien echols
title page
copyright
dedication
July 11, 1996
authors’ note
April 1996
April 1996
postscript, 2014
postscript, 2014
April 10, 1996
April 13, 1996
April 1996
April 23, 1996
April 26, 1996
May 1, 1996
May 2, 1996
May 6, 1996
May 5, 1996
May 3, 1996
May 1996
May 14, 1996
May 1996
May 21, 1996
June 14, 1996
June 17, 1996
June 17, 1996
June 18, 1996
June 25, 1996
June 1996
June 27, 1996
June 1996
July 1, 1996
July 1, 1996
July 1996
July 8, 1996
July 9, 1996
July 11, 1996
July 15, 1996
July 15, 1996
July 18, 1996
July 22, 1996
July 23, 1996
July 24, 1996
July 24, 1996
July 29, 1996
July 29, 1996
July 31, 1996
August 1, 1996
August 3, 1996
August 5, 1996
August 7, 1996
August 8, 1996
August 12, 1996
August 13, 1996
August 14, 1996
August 14, 1996
August 15, 1996
August 16, 1996
August 19, 1996
August 20, 1996
August 24, 1996
August 29, 1996
September 3, 1996
September 4, 1996
September 4, 1996
September 6, 1996
September 6, 1996
September 10, 1996
September 12, 1996
September 12, 1996
September 17, 1996
October 1, 1996
October 2, 1996
October 3, 1996
October 3, 1996
October 4, 1996
October 7, 1996
October 11, 1996
October 18, 1996
October 21, 1996
October 30, 1996
November 1, 1996
November 5, 1996
November 6, 1996
November 7, 1996
November 7, 1996
November 14, 1996
November 21, 1996
November 29, 1996
December 6, 1996
December 23, 1996
December 26, 1996
January 9, 1997
January 9, 1997
January 13, 1997
January 22, 1997
January 29, 1997
February 3, 1997
February 10, 1997
February 12, 1997
February 28, 1997
February 28, 1997
March 3, 1997
March 27, 1997
April 1, 1997
April 1, 1997
April 7, 1997
May 2, 1997
May 13, 1997
June 30, 1997
July 10, 1997
July 24, 1997
August 5, 1997
August 14, 1997
August 19, 1997
September 11, 1997
September 19, 1997
October 6, 1997
October 6, 1997
October 7, 1997
October 16, 1997
October 29, 1997
November 10, 1997
November 24, 1997
December 23, 1997
December 29, 1997
February 5, 1998
February 6, 1998
February 1998
February 1998
March 9, 1998
March 11, 1998
April 11, 1998
April 17, 1998
April 29, 1998
May 6, 1998
May 9, 1998
June 2, 1998
August 3, 1998
August 3, 1998
August 4, 1998
August 6, 1998
September 1, 1998
October 9, 1998
October 13, 1998
October 26, 1998
October 27, 1998
November 2, 1998
November 12, 1998
November 24, 1998
November 30, 1998
March 22, 1999
March 29, 1999
April 1999
April 27, 1999
April 28, 1999
May 19, 1999
May 25, 1999
May 26, 1999
June 2, 1999
June 18, 1999
June 1999
July 27, 1999
August 6, 1999
August 19, 1999
October 18, 1999
November 12, 1999
December 6, 1999
December 7, 1999
December 9, 1999
December 22, 1999
December 23, 1999
December 29, 199
9
January 11, 2000
January 12, 2000
January 13, 2000
January 18, 2000
January 27, 2000
March 2000
March 15, 2000
March 22, 2000
May 3, 2000
May 10, 2000
August 2, 2000
September 7, 2000
September 19, 2000
September 19, 2000
October 17, 2000
November 2000
November 17, 2000
December 1, 2000
December 18, 2000
January 2, 2001
January 25, 2001
February 6, 2001
February 21, 2001
February 2001
April 4, 2001
April 10, 2001
April 26, 2001
May 7, 2001
May 14, 2001
May 30, 2001
June 8, 2001
June 14, 2001
September 25, 2001
October 9, 2001
October 31, 2001
November 13, 2001
December 14, 2001
December 18, 2001
December 21, 2001
January 3, 2002
January 15, 2002
January 23, 2002
January 24, 2002
June 6, 2002
June 28, 2002
July 5, 2002
July 9, 2002
September 12, 2002
September 18, 2002
October 1, 2002
October 2, 2002
October 3, 2002
October 5, 2002
December 5, 2002
January 13, 2003
January 15, 2003
February 4, 2003
March 5, 2003
March 19, 2003
March 25, 2003
April 1, 2003
May 7, 2003
May 15, 2003
May 22, 2003
October 14, 2003
November 18, 2003
December 4, 2003
December 10, 2003
January 21, 2004
February 3, 2004
February 17, 2004
March 6, 2004
March 16, 2004
March 24, 2004
April 6, 2004
April 13, 2004
April 21, 2004
April 29, 2004
June 17, 2004
June 28, 2004
August 2, 2004
August 5, 2004
September 14, 2004
September 16, 2004
October 19, 2004
December 2, 2004
January 19, 2005
January 20, 2005
February 26, 2005
May 11, 2005
June 21, 2005
August 4, 2005
November 2, 2005
December 29, 2005
[Undated]
january 2014
acknowledgments
about the authors
July 11, 1996
Dearest Lorri,
I was thinking about what you said about hating to have to go to work, and not being able to concentrate on it while you’re there, and I’ve come to a conclusion. As soon as I am out, you have to quit your job, so we can leave and go to who knows where. Trust me, it’ll be fun, and we’ll have tons of strange, wonderful adventures. It’ll be great, and you won’t have to worry about going to a job you don’t like. I will hear no argument on it. I’m dead serious, so I want you to agree to it. We’ll meet all kinds of people, go anywhere we want, and not do anything that we don’t want to (I’m not eating any vegetables). So what do you think? You have to say yes, because I’ll just keep bugging you until you do. The first place we have to see is that town where you grew up, you have to show me everything. Then I’ll show you West Memphis. After that, we can decide where to go by flipping a coin, or throwing darts at a map, or any other way we can think of. It’ll be strange, and beautiful, and magick. What do you think?
Sending love forever to my dear one,
D.
One morning, about four o’clock, I was driving my car just about as fast as I could. I thought, “Why am I out on the highway this time of night?” I was miserable, and it all came to me: “I’m falling in love with somebody I have no right to fall in love with. I can’t fall in love with this man, but it’s just like a ring of fire.”
JUNE CARTER CASH
authors’ note
When we began our journey together, now nearly twenty years ago, we hadn’t a clue what was in store for us. A young man on death row in Arkansas caught up in a terrible sequence of events and wrongful convictions. A woman in New York City who loved to go to the movies. Fate drew us inexplicably together—and we’ve spent the rest of our lives trying to explain the hows and whys of falling in love and building a life. There’s no easy answer for why we wrote those first letters—why a young, successful woman writes a letter to a man in prison—and most especially why we kept on writing those letters. Except that the more we helped each other deal with pain and fear, the greater our hope for freedom and joy grew. There were terribly dark days, months, and years, and yet we survived—as many married people do, regardless of their circumstances. The moments of ecstasy, romance, humor, and companionship burned brighter for the obstacles we faced. Again, like any married couple has faced.
We wrote thousands and thousands of letters to each other between 1996 and 2011, when Damien was released. Sometimes five or six a day. It was a daunting task to reread and select the ones that best told our story, not to mention the occasional letter that we came across unopened—either one of us must have saved it to read later, and received a second or third letter that day and forgotten about it. We spoke too often to keep track. We didn’t always date the letters, so we’ve gone by postmarks here rather than the day they were written, and some span the course of several days before they were mailed. We have hundreds of mailmen to thank for keeping our love alive, and for bringing us both the words we needed to live by every day.
Lorri Davis and Damien Echols
April 1996
Dear Damien,
I really wanted to wait until you had a chance to reply to my letter (if you wanted to) before I bombarded you with another, but I have so many thoughts running through my head—I have decided to write them all down.
By the way—if I am encroaching on your privacy in any way—and you don’t want me to write—please don’t hesitate to let me know. Like I have mentioned already a few times—I don’t know why I feel compelled to have contact with you—I just do—so I will write until you tell me to stop. I found an article in the New Yorker that you might find interesting—I don’t know what your legal situation is—the film doesn’t go into much detail about your appeal—what is happening? I have a friend whose father knows Kevin Doyle—I would like to make your case apparent to him—but only with your permission. I don’t even know what would happen—but I figure the more people who know—the more will be done. I know the movie will help when it comes out—but in the meantime I will tell everyone I know about you.
How far away from West Memphis is Tucker? Do you get many visitors?
In the movie, your family and girlfriend (wife?)—that wasn’t clear—she says you asked her to marry you—but that’s all—they came across as very caring, compassionate people. I hope you have a lot of support from them. I hope you get to see your son. How long have you been incarcerated? What are your days like—do you share a cell with someone? Please excuse my ignorance, I just want a semblance of what your life is presently.
I hope it doesn’t freak you out to have someone t
hat you don’t even know mooning over you so much. It kind of freaks me out that this is happening to me. I cry about it a lot. I am fortunate enough to have a job that allows me to listen to music and draw all day—but since I have become “acquainted” with you it’s difficult—because I think about your situation all the time. I’m trying to figure out a positive way to deal with it. If I don’t—well, I already have, right? I honestly believe that undying hope can do wonders in this world. Damien, I can’t say that I believe in “God”; but something has brought you into my life, and as daunting as it is to me sometimes, I know it’s a good thing.
I hope with all my heart you are O.K.
I am sending you a photograph of the place Father Damien had his colony on the island of Molokai. Isn’t it beautiful? Such a beautiful place for such misery at one time.
The original King Kong was filmed on that rock in the center of the photograph.
That dark figure to the right is me. I was a little reluctant to send you a photograph of me—but I suppose it is only fair.
The graveyard has an empty grave where Father Damien was buried, but his body was eventually shipped back to Belgium.
O.K. I’ll stop for now.
As I said before and will continue to say—let me know if I can send anything in particular to you. If you don’t tell me I’m going to start sending you Danielle Steel novels and really nasty-smelling aftershave and sardines in mustard sauce, and pieces of red string that I find on the street, and last but certainly not least—a large pod of some sort.
I will, too.
Bye,
Lorri
April 1996
Dear Lorri,
Believe me, I in no way think that my privacy is being invaded and I do not mind being “bombarded with letters.” I just sent off another letter to you a couple days ago, which you should have gotten right before this one. I can’t remember if I enclosed those articles I was telling you about or not, so if I forgot, just remind me, and I’ll get them out to you.
Thank you for the article from the New Yorker. I had read it a couple days before; I have a subscription to the New Yorker. I love the little cartoons they print.
I certainly don’t mind you making my case known to Kevin Doyle. I would not object to anything that could possibly help.
Yes, I’m sure the film will convince a lot of people in other states of my innocence, but what worries me is whether or not the people of Arkansas will pay attention. They refuse to look at the evidence and they refuse to listen to reason. All they want is to see somebody die for those crimes and a “freak” like me is just as good as anyone. The whole attitude scares the hell out of me.
Yours for Eternity: A Love Story on Death Row Page 1