@japdmedia26: FORT HOOD, Texas — Damien Echols, who spent nearly two decades on death row before being released, is warning that the Pentagon’s plan to broadcast the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will negatively impact American society. ​Echols, freed in 2011 following new DNA evidence in the "West Memphis Three" case, posted a viral warning urging the public not to watch, arguing that exposure to live k¡llings desensitizes people and encourages morbid public curiosity. He expressed concern that clips of the event could circulate on social media as memes and reach younger audiences. ​Reflecting on his experiences and the execution plan, Echols stated: "I've seen all ends of the spectrum," ​"I've seen people who completely turned their lives around, even while they were on death row." ​"I think executing those people is a waste of potential." ​"People who, if they were freed today, not only would they probably go on to hurt other people, but were still hurting and killing other people even in prison," ​"I can't even say I’m 100 percent that I'm against the death penalty in all cases," ​"I think it's an evil thing, but I think sometimes it would have to be employed in order to prevent an even greater evil from happening in the future." ​"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," ​"You cannot witness a human being being killed and simply walk away unchanged." ​"A lot of people, for example, came forward or started posting stuff and saying, ‘I don't think this is true at all because I've been watching videos like this ever since I was a kid back when ISIS were posting beheading videos. I saw those and stuff like this doesn't even affect me anymore.'" ​"My whole point was that that’s the effect in and of itself. You've been desensitized to this stuff." ​"We live in a day and age when people are going to start doing things like making memes out of it and posting little clips of it on X or other social media platforms," ​"People who don't want to see it, or shouldn't see it, like impressionable kids, are still going to be coming across it." ​"I was locked up for a very long time and I've only been out for 15 years now," ​"But, just in that 15 years, I have seen society, I've seen civilization in general, degrade and erode and disintegrate in every regard." ​"I think it's going to lead to the degradation of society and civilization even more," ​"I'm not talking about the execution itself and how people feel about it. I'm talking about things like reveling in the bloodlust of it to the point where you're livestreaming it." ​"Even if you believe that this guy is going to get what's coming to him by going through this process, I don't think it's wise to create another martyr for people who might take it on themselves to do that again in the future," ​"They didn't livestream it," ​"They had enough sense to know this is going to stir people up and enrage people." ​"I'm not talking about for the sake of the guy or anything else in that regard," ​"I'm just saying for the sake of people who might see this and it's going to have a detrimental effect on them, like the children of the United States…with all due respect, maybe please reconsider this." ​Addressing the decision, President Donald Trump stated: "Did I approve? Absolutely," ​"Well, they’re making a determination about that, but he will be killed." ​"He will be through firing squad…I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him." ​Regarding the execution format, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted: "It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad," ​"And we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things. ​#FortHood #Texas #USA #DamienEchols #NidalHasan

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Tuesday 13 October 2026 18:06:47 GMT