Former West Memphis Three inmate Damien Echols says he pays ‘very little attention’ to true crime fandom

Damien Echols, who awaited execution on death row for 18 years before being released in 2011, won’t be tuning in to any true crime documentaries captivating audiences across America anytime soon.

While he has been the subject of several films and books, he’s not keen on catching up on television.

“Honestly, I pay very little attention to it,” the now-44-year-old told Fox News about the true crime phenomenon impacting pop culture. "It’s not something I have paid very much attention at all. I was in prison for almost 20 years, so now I’m trying to make up for lost time."

The Arkansas native, along with Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, spent nearly two decades behind bars for the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys – Steve Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers – in West Memphis. The children were found in a ditch hogtied with shoelaces.

Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin, all teenagers at the time of the grisly killings, were convicted of the murders despite lack of concrete evidence that linked them to the slayings. Echols' interest in the occult, heavy metal and black clothing, in particular, prompted many in the Bible Belt state to label him the ringleader of a Satanic cult.