especially damien. >> damien was kind of a smart aass.was a big reader. >> mara leveret is a writer and author of "devil's knot". she's known damien and his story for years. >> he would say things to jerry driver, the juvenile officer, that played against driver's own concerns about the occult and the satanic activity in the area. and damien thought that he knew more because he was reading about these things. >> the community was terrified. everyone was talking about an occult killer. witchcraft and devil worship. >> people were staying inside because they were afraid. >> and they were keeping their children inside because they were afraid. the reputation of the police as protecters was on the line. >> they had to get somebody. >> they were under a lot of pressure to do that, yes. >> and all the authorities there. i mean, that's what we pay our authorities to do is protect us. >> three 8-year-old boys murdered, dumped in a gully, a community stricken with fear of the unknown and police under the gun. for misfits like damien and his two fr

not commit. >> reporter: arkansas death row inmate damien echols got his life back today. as part of an unusual plea agreement, echoles and two other convicted men-- jason baldwin and jessie misskelley-- were released from prison. >> this has been going on for over 18 years and it's been an absolute living hell. >> reporter: 17 years ago, damien echols was sentenced to death. the other two were given life. jason baldwin. >> and we didn't tell nothing but the truth, that we were innocent, and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives for it. >> reporter: known as the west memphis three, the men were teenagers in 1994 when they were convicted of killing three eight-year-old boys in the town of west memphis, arkansas-- stevie branch, christopher byers and michael moore. investigators in this rural community believed that the teenagers killed the children as part of a satanic ritual. in recent years, though, d.n.a. evidence has been recovered at the scene-- none of it linking the accused to the crime. their freedom comes at a high price. under the unusual agreement know

for damien echols, life or death could come down to a single hair. his, but a strand found in the shoe laces used to tie up one of the boys. dna testing that did not exist two decades ago suggests the hair could belong to the stepfather of another victim, stevie branch. the stepfather, terri hobbs, has denied involvement. police have closed the case, and did not consider him a suspect. also new, forensic evaluations for the defense that show cuts, gashes, and sexual mutilation which prosecutors said were signs of sigh tannic ritual were likely inflicted by animals after the boys were killed. >> is it just enough for you to be found innocent, or do you need for somebody to be found guilty? >> i guess i don't absolutely need it. i'll survive without them finally putting someone else on trial for this. but it would be a tremendous sense of closure for me. if they don't, then you're always going to have people looking at you, wondering. who knows what? it's hard to describe. >> it's a loose end. >> yeah, it is. >> reporter: debra fayrick, cnn, west memph

for damien echols, life or death could come down to a single hair.hoe laces used to tie up one of the boys. dna testing that did not exist two decades ago suggests the hair could belong to the stepfather of another victim, stevie branch. the stepfather, terri hobbs, has denied involvement. police have closed the case, and did not consider him a suspect. also new, forensic evaluations for the defense that show cuts, gashes, and sexual mutilation which prosecutors said were signs of sigh tannic ritual were likely inflicted by animals after the boys were killed. >> is it just enough for you to be found innocent, or do you need for somebody to be found guilty? >> i guess i don't absolutely need it. i'll survive without them finally putting someone else on trial for this. but it would be a tremendous sense of closure for me. if they don't, then you're always going to have people looking at you, wondering. who knows what? it's hard to describe. >> it's a loose end. >> yeah, it is. >> reporter: debra fayrick, cnn, west memphis, arkansas. >> cnn's david matt

damien echols, jessie misskelley and jason baldwin. teenagers then. in their mid 30s today. convicted in what many labeled a literal witch hunt. no physical evidence against them. imprisoned for nearly two decades. >> i'm just tired. you know, this has been going on for over 18 years. >> in the beginning, we told nothing but the truth, that we were innocent, and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. >> reporter: but today, a bizarre final chapter. with a stunning reversal. four years after abc news first broke word of dna evidence that could exonerate them, the west memphis three walked free. >> the legal tangle that has become known as the west memphis three case is now finished. >> does anyone believe that if the state had even the slightest continuing conviction that they were guilty that they would let these men free today? >> reporter: it was 1993, the three second graders are found drowned in a ditch in west memphis. it was before arkansas could handle dna testing. no physical evidence to link the teens to the crime. >> they were the unusual kids in town, d

damien echols, jessie misskelley, jr. and baldwin. >>> still in shock. overwhelmed. i spent almost the past decade in solitary confinement. so i'm not used to being around anyone, much less this many people. it's kind of overwhelming. it's not perfect. it's not perfect by any means. but at least it brings closure to some areas and some aspects. you know, we can still bring up new evidence. we can still continue an investigations we've been doing. we can still try to clear our names. the only difference is we can do it from the outside instead of sitting in prison and do it. >> even when you're in prison, you have to worry about your own safety. it doesn't matter what crime it is, you got to worry about your safety regardless. >> jason, how about you? >> i didn't worry about someone else would do. i worried about people who loved me and care about me and trust. we can't live our lives in fear. this was not justice. in the beginning, we told nothing but the truth that we were innocent and they sent us to prison for the rest

and yet they found no physical evidence linking damien echols and his two friends to the crime scene.o fingerprints. nothing even suggesting a satanic rictual which prosecutos say was the motive for the murders. what was your alibi? >> i didn't fit in the town where i lived. i only dressed in black. i had, you know, pretty outrageous hairstyles. at the time that the police say the murders took place, i was actually on the phone with three different people. the problem was the attorneys i had at the time, the public defenders never even called them to the witness stand. never even asked them about this kind of stuff. >> reporter: west memphis prosecutors and police stand by their case. as to the parents of the third victim, who all believe the right people are in prison. for damian echols, life or death could come down to a single hair. not his, but a strand found in the shoelaces used to tie up one of the boys. dna testing that did not exist two decades ago suggest the hair could belong to the stepfather of another victim, stevie branch. the stepfather, terry hobbs, has denied involve

damien echols. jessie miskelley. and jason baldwin. teenagers then, in their mid-30s today. convicted in what many labeled a literal witch hunt. no physical evidence against them. >> we were innocent and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. >> reporter: damien echols was sentenced to death, but then, a long road to redemption. three documentaries produced by hbo and dna tests from hair found on the v vtims that did not match the jailed men. the hair belonged to someone else. and since e e trial, witnesses had changed their testimony amid claims that an initial confession was coerced. a new trial likely, an odd deal was struck. the men could tell the judge they were innocent, but prosecutors would only let them go free if they agreed to enter a guilty plea. >> i am saying guilty. >> reporter: confusing some in the victims' families who now think the real murderer is at large. >> but i'm still standing and fighting for justice, because they're innocent. they did not kill my son. >> reporter: it was a deal the youngest of the west memphis three first resisted, want

damien, jesse and jason. teenagers then. in their mid 30s today. convicted in what many labeled a literal witch hunt, no physical evidence against them. >> we are innocent and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. >> damien echels was sentenced to death but then a long road to redemption. three documentaries produced by hbo and dna tests from hair found on the victims that did not match the jailed the hair belonged to someone else. and since the trial witnesses changed their testimony amid claims that an initial confession was coerced. a new trial likely an all deal was struck. the prosecutors would only let them go free if they agreed to enter a guilty plea. >> guilty plea today. >> confusing some in the victim's families who now think the real murderer is at large. >> i'm still standing and fighting for justice because they are innocent. they did not kill my son. >> reporter: it was a deal the youngest of the west memphis three first resisted, wanting to fight for total exoneration until reminded that damien had been in solitary confi

these are the shots of jason baldwin and damien echols and jessie misskelley.intain their innocence. our david mattingly looks at both sides of the case. >> reporter: after more than 18 years behind bars, the men known as the west memphis three find that freedom has a bitter taste. >> this was not justice. we told nothing but the truth. we were innocent. they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. we had to come here and knowing that the state would do is a we will let you go only if you admit guilt. that is not justice no matter how you look at it. >> reporter: in a complicated deal, jessie misskelley and damien echols and jason baldwin admit their guilt. the west memphis three go free, but not free of the word murderer. >> it is not perfect. it is not perfect by any means. at least it brings closure to some areas and some aspects. we can still bring up new evidence. we can continue the investigations we have been doing. we can try to clear our names. the difference is doing it from the outside instead of sitting in prison. >> reporter: after their entir

police arrested damien ekohls, baldwin and misskelley and charged them with murder. >> they are chargedrs believed the three were part of a cult and the kill was a satanic ritual. in 1993, echols was sentenced to death and baldwin and misskelley were slated to spend the rest of their lives in jail. misskelley did confess to the crime early on his attorneys claimed he has a low i.q., the three maintained their innocence ever since. actor johnny depp pled their case and hosted benefits to raise moneyor their defense and in 2007 new dna evidence emerged that defense attorney argue exonerates the three. thursday they were transferred to a county jail, a craig head county judge issued a gag order prohibiting anyone from talking about the case publicly. sources including one victim's father say the men will go tree. this is a bittersweet development for anyone covering the case for a while. >> they've been convicted of killing the kids, are they just going to walk out of jail? >> there is a gag order and no one has violated it but what we have heard, what could happen today they could enter s

. >> thank you very much for that, damien. >>> torrential rain in southern pakistan, with nearly 1 million people affected by the rising waters. more than 50,000 people have been evacuated to temporary camps. >> pakistan's rainy season has arrived, and this is the result. families carried to safety, their homes flooded. >> our entire village was hit by flood waters. we lost our livestock and all of our crops have been destroyed. >> across southeast pakistan, villages and fields lie under water. more than 1 million people have been affected. the army has begun rescue operations and moved to displace people in temporary camps. >> we also started off offering medical support and all three districts. >> for many people, these villages are now home. nobody knows when it will be able to go back to their normal lives. pakistan is still recovering from last year's disastrous floods, the worst and the country's history. at least 20,000 people died then and 1 million left homeless. many are still living in emergency camps. this year, the floods are not on the same scale, but they will still cause mi

. >> damien, thanks so much. the price of food at redwood city schools is about to go up. starting october 1st the price of breakfast will go from $.75 to $1.25. parents can expect 25 cent increases for the 2012 and 201 school years. >> headed back to the job, nearly two dozen san jose firefighters recently laid off were welcomed back to work today. the firefighters are rehired and retrained last month. they officially don't start with the department until tomorrow. staffing provided $15 million to provide the firefighters. they were among the 49 laid off because of the dreaded budget cuts. >>> military veterans bound out on a reconnaissance mission. their objective, jobs for veterans their spouses. it provided information on entrepreneurship. organizers want to give veterans a solid place to start as they return to civilian life. >> we're trying to connect them with the best opportunities. they want to take their skills elsewhere because they have their military move coming to them. that's why we're here. we're the conduit to bridge the gap, to point them in the right dir

damien echols, jesse misskelley and jason baldwin have spent the past 18 years behind bars for the murders of three arkansas cub scouts. the case has drawn national attention with supporters including numerous celebrities claiming the men were wrongly convicted. the men have always maintained their innocence. >>> a father and son from pennsylvania behind bars this morning accused of conducting a month-long campaign to threaten sarah palin and her family. craig and shawn christy have been indicted by an alaska grand jury. they allegedly ignored a restraining order and called palin's number 400 times leaving threats about deadly and sexual attacks on the former governor and her children. >>> if you're the president, there's probably never a good time to get away, just as president obama arrived on martha's vineyard for a ten-day family vacation the stock market took a dive. it's giving republicans a new opening to blast the president's handling of the economy and the timing of his r and r. deputy political director paul steinhauser live in washington. i can remember a lot of grubling about t

. >> damien echos has been on death row. joining me is criminal defense attorney karen desoto. >> this plea agreement did not come very quickly? >> no, it did not. the unusual part about this plea is that it is an altered plea. somebody pleads guilty but they maintain their innocence. it's a way for a person to enter a guilty plea but not really be guilty according to them. that is really strange and not done in all states but in many states and it's really not that rare. it's done about 20% out of the time. >> what tromted the the plea deal now? >> well, there were multiple appeals going on. and also the dna evidence that was tested and all three of these defendants, none of their dna was found at the scene. the only dna alleged to have been found at the scene was one of the stepfathers of the cub scouts that was murder. >> the families of the victims, what are they saying about this? >> some of them are split. some of them feel that, listen, they lost their children. there was a confession involved. they feel that they wer

. >> in a deal, jason misskelley, jason baldwin and damien echols get out of prison, but only after admittingt the prosecution has evidence that could convict them. the west memphis three go free, but not free of the word murderer. >> it is not perfect. it is not perfect by any means. but at least it brings closure to some areas and some aspects. we can still bring up new evidence and continue the investigations we have been doing. we can still try to clear our names. the only difference is now we can do it from the outside instead of having to sit in prison and do it. >> after their entire young adult lives spent in prison, what next? they have the support of celebrities like pearl jam's eddie vedder who was inside the courtroom when they were set free. they also have the relentless hatred of some of the families of the murdered children. in this outbifrurst yells out t the youth that he's opening a pandora's box. >> i don't think it will make the pain go away to the victims' families. he don't think it will make the pain go away to the defendant families. i don't think it will take away a m

. >>> jason baldwin and damien echols and jessie misskelley were known as the memphis three and they when they went to prison killing three little boys nearly 20 years ago. they always insisted they were innocent, and now they are out. due to a unusual plea deal where they had to admit guilt. it was an unusual ordeal. here is cnn's david mattingly. >> reporter: after more than 18 years behind bar, the men known as the memphis three find that freedom has a bitter taste. >> this was not justice. >> at the beginning we told nothing but the truth that we were innocent, and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives, and now we have to say that we will let you go only if you admit guilt, and that is not justice no matter how you look at it. >> reporter: in a complicated deal, the three get out of prison to proclaim their innocence, but only after admitting that the prosecution has evidence that could convict them. the west memphis three go free, but not free of the word murderer. >> it is not perfect. it is not perfect by any means, but at least it brings closure to some areas, and

damien, this seems interesting and surprising here. >> reporter: mainly, the violence, raj. tonight a band called dredge is played here at the music in the park here, the alternative rock band. several downtown businesses have told me they've had it with what they call the thuggery they say after these free concerts. some use dress codes to keep trouble makers out of bars and restaurants, even though one law professor says some of those dress codes might be unconstitutional. >> play nicely, whatever you do. play nicely. do not kill anybody. >> reporter: for 23 years they've been rocking on thursday summer nights in san jose, music in the park. while the concerts were big money makers in the beginning for downtown merchants, they've now become a headache for many. stabbings and other violence after the concerts have some business owners asking the city to pull the plug, and the city is considering it. >> it's kind of a sad thing. >> reporter: sonny walters manages britannia arms. he he likes the business, and says he has a dress code to keep troublemakers out. >> we shy away

. >> damien ekols was sentenced to die for the killings. really interesting case here.hese men walked free. they did so by entering alford pleas. what is it? >> it's a little unusual. it allows somebody to plea guilty but still maintain that they're innocent. >> how does that work? >> it's complicated. it's not used that often. it's used about 20% of the time. 5 fernt in federal cases. it allows the person to do and say i think the prosecutor has enough evidence and they could convince a jury and i am aware of that and i'm entering the plea even though i am maintaining i am innocent. it flies in the face of any prosecutor or defense attorney. you want to person to plead guilty because they're guilty not i'm guilty, but this seems like a good deal to me. so that's why it's unusual. usually the fifth amendment you don't want to be a witness against yourself. the judge has to get a factual basis. this is a way a lot of attorneys will tell you that it's just for liability reasons for the prosecutors. >> how do you get here? what happened in this case that led to this moment

. >> reporter: damien echols, jesse misskelley and jason baldwin were all accused of killing the 8-year-old boys left in a ditch to die. it was the case that shocked the nation. >> they had to find somebody innocent. >> reporter: the big break for police came when misskelley confessed to the killings during questioning and implicated echols and baldwin as accomplices. but soon after he recanted and refused to testify claiming his confession was coerced by police. prosecutors proceeded with no physical evidence, no weapon and no motive. >> we're innocent. and we had to prove it the rest of our lives. >> reporter: the notorious case inspired a 1996 hbo documentary "paradise lost, the child murders at robin hood hill." and then a sequel. the tv special caught the attention of several celebrities including johnny depp, eddie vedder and natalie maines of the dixie chicks. all would lobby for their release. >> i am also here to show my support for the west memphis 3. >> reporter: in 2007, new evidence cast even more doubt on their guilt. modern dna testing revealed that none of the dna at the cri

damien echols was on death row before a maneuver set him and his companions free. >> they came in withhost story, rumors. innuendo, things that had nothing to do with the case whatsoever. and they know now the whole world was watching, they would have to come with some sort of concrete physical evidence, and they didn't have any. >> david mattingly has long been covering this case. this hearing was a bit of a surprise. take us inside the courtroom when the west memphis free will be free. >> reporter: well, this was a small courtroom, absolutely packed. there was about 15 to 20 armed officers in that room to to maintain order. there were families abandmember both the west memphis three and for the young boys who were killed. when the judge started explaining all the twists and turns behind this complex legal agreement, everyone slowly was able to hear that the west memphis free was going free, but not until they entered guilty pleas to first degree murder charges and acknowledged that the state of arkansas does have thaefd they could use to convict them. in the end, the west memphis thr

circuit judge david burnett made that comment sunday, three days after damien echols, and the othersee. questions remain about who murdered the boys. but when asked during an exclusive interview with nbc's "today show," baldwin refused to speculate. >> honestly, i don't know. and i am so leery of pointing a finger at anyone, no matter how i may feel they be suspect, simply because i've had the finger pointed at me and i know what it feels like and i do not want to get it wrong. >>> in other news, casey anthony has returned to florida. her attorney, jose baez, confirmed the news in a tv interview. baez says anthony will report to a probation office in orlando to start probation if their appeal fails. a judge ordered anthony to serve a year of probation for check fraud. if the order is upheld, she has until noon on friday to report. what's up, smart? oh, just booked a summer vaycay. ooo. sounds pricey? nah, with the hotels.com summer sale, you can find awesome deals for places nearby. interesting... wow, i'm blown away. you look great. hotels.com summer sale, save up to 30%. and get a

host: go-ahead, damien. caller: have a comment for both guys. i do like representative. . i like his style and his charisma -- i like rick perry. i like his style and his charisma. if he is drawn toward the far right and impresses the tea party and what they want to do as far as cut, cut, cut, and not have a balanced approach, it will draw me away as an independent. i am in the center and believe that both parties should work together and find common ground together. it cannot be all one way and on the other way. as far as the democrat's strategists, i love president obama. i voted for him and i will vote against him if he does not stand up and leave and do the things that a president should do, like a couple weeks ago, we were talking about the 14th amendment. the tea party in the democrats and republicans, his party had his back on this 14th amendment thing but he did not uses. -- he did not use it. he is the power to exploit the republicans and say, let's put this on tv, care rid of a closed-door meetings. let's have this up on c-span. like the health-care debate at the

jason baldwin, damien echols and jesse misskelley jr. the murders of three second graders. they were freed after reaching a deal, they had to plead guilty but still maintain their innocence. >> in the beginning we told nothing but the truth that we were innocent. they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. we had to come here and the only thing the state would do for us, would say we'll let you go only if you admit guilt. and that's not justice, no matter how you look at it. >> i'm just tired. this has been going on for over 18 years, and it's been an absolute living hell. >> even when you're in prison it goes on every day, you to worry about your own safety. it doesn't matter what the crime it is. you still got to worry about your safety regardless. >> 911 operators in daytona beach, florida, flooded with calls after drivers saw this. a woman riding in the back of a pick-up truck holding on to a stroller. and there's a baby inside of the stroller. key yoen na davis is the woman, says she was hanging on to that stroller, didn't rea

prosecutors argued that jason baldwin, damien echols and jessie misskelley, jr. who you see here.os were driven by satanic ritual, that they hogtied these three boys with shoelaces and mutilated their bodies before tossing them in a ditch. but this case has gotten national attention. even like eddie vetter and the dixie chicks and johnny depp were rallying for their release. why? because of what investigators could not do. which is provide direct evidence that tied the three men to the boys' murders. dna evidence later failed to link the men to the crime. i want to go straight to jonesboro, arkansas, now where david mattingly is standing by outside the courthouse. david, this case has gotten so much attention, not the least of which because -- the conviction, rather, was not overturned and yet, they were set free. so explain to us exactly how this happened. >> reporter: that's right. this attention that's been focused on this case for so long is not going to go away because there's still plenty to argue about here. it was a very complicated deal that went down in that courtroom to

the west memphis three as they have become known sent to life in prison, damien nichols actually sentth row where i spoke to him earlier this year. he was saying he was anticipating that the state of arkansas would later this year grant them all a new trial because over the years so much of the evidence, or lack of it, has been called into question. and they were able to finally afford their own dna testing which could not place any of these three men at the scene. so late last night a source close to the case tells us that negotiations were going on on a deal in which the west memphis three would be able to walk free today and still maintain their innocence. they would, however, have to acknowledge that the state does have some evidence, that if they chose to go back to trial they could use that to try and convict them. so looking for a possible win-win scenario for both the state and the west memphis three. but the bottom line here, the intent was to get these three men out of prison as quickly as they possibly could. we're waiting right now to find out if that's going to happen. a

. >> damien with "the wall street journal."by spreading the $1.2 trillion over 2021, do you use something like a half tax increase, have to spin the california? where do you get that? in other words, how she would explain where the jolt from 2013 will come from? will it come from higher taxes or spending cuts, or from both? >> a good deal of the overall economic jolt comes from the changes in tax rates and other parts of the tax law, from the expiration of those provisions. and vendor some extra jolt from the caps on discretionary funding in the budget control act. but they additional jolt, the additional $1.2 trillion, we have not allocated to spending or revenues because we don't know. and have no basis for making that determination. but what the law does say is that if the deficit reduction committee does not lead to legislation, that causes any deficit reduction, there would then be reduction in spending that would be constant amount in each of the nine fiscal years to which it applies. so for lack of a better alternative w

host: go-ahead, damien. caller: have a comment for both guys. i do like representative. . like his style and his charisma -- i like rick perry. i like his style and his charisma. if he is drawn toward the far right and impresses the tea party and what they want to do as far as cut, cut, cut, and not have a balanced approach, it will draw me away as an independent. i am in the center and believe that both parties should work together and find common ground together. it cannot be all one way and on the other way. as far as the democrat's strategists, i love president obama. i voted for him and i will vote against him if he does not stand up and leave and do the things that a president should do, like a couple weeks ago, we were talking about the 14th amendment. the tea party in the democrats and republicans, his party had his back on this 14th amendment thing but he did not uses. -- he did not use it. he is the power to exploit the republicans and say, let's put this on tv, care rid of a closed-door meetings. let's have this up on c-span. like the health-care debate at the b

. >> let me start by endorsing damien's endorsement of future chancellors. [laughter] >> because i think german politics is spot off and while the economic situation is indeed serious, i don't think it's the root cause of the problem we face. and, you know, we've always gone through the decade of europe, you know, we've all been there. but i think this is a particularly serious time and i think it's a particularly serious time because i think there are some governments that are willing to openly break with the alliance and which are willing to pursue almost 19th century beggar thy neighbor politics to advance narrow internal domestic political goals at the expense of alliance solidarity. but the decision of the cdu and fdp to seek to evict nuclear weapons from germany and to bring the dutch and belgium along with them has nothing to do with economics. it had nothing to do with the security fears of the new members. it had nothing to do with the -- with really the moral obligation to allow the rest of the alliance and the 21st century to have the same kind of

to damien miscalculating? do they mean paperwork?hen i hear overpayments -- if you remember the general public, that you say somebody is putting in for too much money relative to the service provided. what is your view of that any of you? >> congresswoman norton, i would like to clarify that overpayments can mean all of the things mentioned. it could be for the wrong amount. it could be a duplicate payment. it could be a payment made to somebody who wasn't eligible to receive it. it could be somewhat eligible to receive it. again, they receive the wrong amount. it could be any number of us under contractual, statutory or regular restrictions for that payment. so it has a broad swath sayer of what you can cut. >> i understand the limitations of statistics, but i must say that reporting these numbers in this way does that to what i think mr. conley was referring to. when people hear a word like overpayments, they reach for of course they are used to that meeting. they don't even think about in terms of their own overpayments of their c