Death row inmate describes what its like to be sentenced to death

An innocent man who was sentenced to death has said hearing he was going to die was like being punched in the head repeatedly.

Damian Echols and his two friends were convicted of the murder of three eight-year-old boys in 1994 – a crime they didn't commit.

After being locked up on Arkansas' Death Row for 18 years and surviving numerous execution dates, the trio, who became known as the West Memphis three were finally released in 2011.

The brutal crime for which they were falsely jailed saw three eight-year boys murdered and hogtied in a creek, in what was presumed to be a satanic ritual.

Their killer has never been found.

After being released from prison, Damian answered some questions that people had for him about his experience in Satan's waiting room.

In his brutally honest account, Damian, who is now a magician, pulled no punches on his treatment and the harrowing things he had seen.

When asked by one user how he felt at the moment he was told he would die for a crime he was innocent of, he was emotional.

He said: "If you've ever been punched in the head, you know it doesn't register as pain immediately.

"A lot of times it's like a bright flash of light, or the sound of thunder, and you're incredibly disoriented.

"Listening to someone sentence you to death for something you know you didn't do is like being punched in the head repeatedly."

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Only 18 at the time, Damien was initially given an execution date of May 5, 1994, but he managed to continually delay his execution date until his exoneration in 2011.

While confined, Damian had little to no human contact but admitted there was some semblance of solidarity between the inmates.

He said: "Death row is different from the rest of the prison population.

"There's a sense of solidarity on death row that you don't have anywhere else in the prison just because you have a common enemy.

"You don't have time to fight amongst yourselves when you're fighting against the people who are trying to put you to death."

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