Ryan Malone knows from experience that pro bono death penalty cases are grinds. They are demanding, resource-intensive, slow-moving and carry the added pressure of knowing that a life hangs in the balance.
But there are upsides — namely, the thrill of watching an innocent man walk free after nearly two decades in prison — as Damien Echols did in August alongside his two co-defendants, known as the “West Memphis Three.” The men were convicted as teenagers of murdering three boys in Arkansas in 1993, but new DNA evidence and lingering problems with the investigation raised serious questions about their guilt.
