At 12 p.m. on Friday, May 7, 1993, James Sudbury and Steve Jones arrived at Damien's residence. They spoke to his parents, Pamela and Eddie Hutcheson, and were granted permission to interview Damien. This interview was conducted in Damien's bedroom. Sudbury took a Polaroid of Damien and noted that he had a pentagram (five pointed star, such as those on the background of this page) tattooed on his chest. He also had another unidentified tattoo on his shoulder or arm.
An offical interview was conducted two days later. During the interview, Damien was asked whether or not he thought one of the boys was more savagely attacked than the other two. Damien responded that he believed one of the boys was more mutilated and his genitals were cut. The police took this comment as something that only the murderer(s) would know, but by that time, it was public knowledge throughout the community. No charges were filed and Damien was released.
Damen Echols was born Michael Wayne Hutcheson on December 11, 1974. Until his parents divorced, they were constantly on the move because of his father's job. Because of never staying in one place long enough to make friends, Damien learned to enjoy his own company. When his mother remarried, Damien was adopted by her new husband, Jack Echols. When he was 13, it had been five years since the last time he had seen his father, he changed his last name to Echols. In junior high, Damien's grade began to fall. At the age of 15, his close relationship with his mother grew bad, with arguements happening about every day.
Damien was seen as "different" by his classmates. THe black clothing he always wore had become his trademark, along with his long black overcoat that he wore no matter what the weather was like. His clothing reflected his isolation and depression, which proved to only get worse through the years. He was constantly searching for religion and spirituality. He attemped to find meaning in his step-father's Pentecostal church, with no success. He explored many different religions, including Buddhusm, Hinduism, and Islam, before he discovered Catholicism. He thought that he had found what he was looking for and was baptised into the Catholic religion and received Communion. During this time, he changed his name to Damien, after Father Damien, a 19th century Catholic priest, not after the series of "Omen" movies as is thought in the West Memphis community.