The execution of Fort Hood shooter Nadal Malik Hassan is set to be livestreamed. Former death row inmate Damien Echols thinks you should skip it.
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Echols, along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were convicted of the murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. In 1993, Echols was sentenced to death. However, after nearly two decades on death row, Echols (and Baldwin and Misskelley Jr.) were allowed to make an Alford Plea after DNA testing.
He finally walked out of prison a free man in 2011.
In the years since, folks have looked to Echols with issues concerning capital punishment. He took to Instagram yesterday to weigh in on Hassan's upcoming execution by firing squad and what it means to be a spectator to the moment via livestream.
Echols began his message by offering up the eclectic mix of fellow inmates he met on death row. He implied some felt nearly minute-by-minute regret for what they did, while others seemed not to sweat their past too much.
"I've also watched a man being stabbed to death in prison. I cried for days afterward, and something inside me was changed forever," he wrote alongside a snapshot of himself in his prison uniform.
"There are no simple answers here," the 51-year-old admitted. "No slogans or political arguments that can adequately address the complexity of human beings, guilt, punishment, and suffering."
"Killing Another Human Being Should Never Become So Ordinary"
Echols stressed that he wasn't the be-all and end-all when it comes to justice. However, he felt his time on death row gave him a window into the situation. What it may do to someone who watches a live execution in their home.
"There is one thing I want to say about the upcoming execution by firing squad," he wrote. "Don't watch it."
"Whatever you believe about the death penalty, even if you think the person being executed deserves to die. Don't watch it," Echols continued. "You cannot witness a human being being killed and simply walk away unchanged. What you see becomes part of you. It follows you into places you never expected it to reach."
Echols concluded, seemingly imagining a dystopian society that routinely watches executions alongside sitcoms and the evening news.
"I don't have all the answers about justice, punishment, or forgiveness. But I do know that killing another human being should never become so ordinary that we turn it into something to watch from the comfort of our living rooms."
Hassan was the key player behind the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting at the Fort Hood military post near Killeen, Texas. The shooting left 13 people dead. More than 30 others were wounded.
Hassan is set to be executed on Dec. 3.
