1. I have known Damien Echols since he was around four years old. My parents and his parents were really good friends for many years when we were younger. Damien and I are just about the same age and when we were four years old our two families began living together. We lived in many different places during those few years. We moved to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Memphis, and to a lot of different homes in West Memphis, Arkansas. It was hard to move that much because I had a really hard time making friends. As soon as I got to know the people in whatever town we were in, it seemed like we were getting ready to move ot another place. I never seemed to know when our families were going to move. One day I would find out and the next day we were moving.
2. When Damien and I were little, we played different games together, we explored around the neighborhood, watched T.V., listened to the radio, and rode bikes together. I have three other sisters and Damien has a sister and they played with us also; but since Damien and I were the closest to each other in age, we did a lot of the same things together. When I was around eight years old, Pamela and Joe split up and then Pamela married a man named Jack Echols. After that happened, I did not see Damien near as much because Jack Echols kept a tight rope on them and did not like people to come over to their house
3. After Pam married Jack, I normally only saw Damien at school. At one time, we were in the same grade but after Damien failed a grade, I was one ahead of him. The times that I saw Damien were between classes or during P.E. and health class. One year, Damien had P.E. and I had health and they were both in the gym so I saw him during this class. I remember that the students used to pick on him a lot. They told Damien to do things and he did them even if they were really strange things to do. One time his classmates told Damien to try and smoke a rock from the ground outside. Damien thought he could and he got a rock and started trying to smoke it. Obviously, it did not work and everyone was laughing at him. Another thing that I remember Damien was doing was getting on top of the bleacher in the gym and howling. When people laughed at him, Damien started howling even louder. School must have been really hard for Damien because he was constantly being picked on. A lot of the students seemed to use him for their entertainment. One time somebody told Damien that he should protest students having to wear shoes in school and Damien started stomping up and down the halls with no shoes on talking about how he did not think we should have to wear shoes at school.
4. I remember that around the time that Damien was arrested, he was losing weight and did not look very good. My parents were with Damien’s parents on the day that Damien was taken to jail and I found out from them. I saw Damien the evening that the police said he was in Robin Hood Hills. I was at our trailer the evening of May 5, 1993 and I saw him and Domini going into the house across the street. Because I saw him that night, I testified at the trial. I have not seen Damien in a very long time but I do think about him often and hope that he is doing good.
Under the penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States and the State of Arkansas I swear that the foregoing is true and correct and executed this 4 day of September, 2000 in the County of Crittenden.
