{"podcast":{"title":"Ask Dr. Drew","slug":"ask-dr-drew-259999","podcast_index_feed_id":259999,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/DRPI5481918824","website_url":"https://drdrew.com/ask","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/e1fe081a-e5ba-11ec-8880-c771b045d6de/image/ce7b412d1fab6731e3af0ba9cbcde0f0.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Dr. Drew","episode_count":642,"summary":"Tired of tribalism and outrage? It's time for a second opinion. From the front lines of the culture war to the front lines of medicine, iconic broadcaster Dr. Drew Pinsky (of \"Loveline\" with Adam Carolla) brings his unfiltered perspective to today’s most urgent political, cultural, and medical issues. The show features a diverse roster of guests including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trisha Paytas, Charlie Sheen, Megyn Kelly, Russell Brand, Dr. Kelly Victory, Salty Cracker, and many more. To millions, Dr. Drew is a beacon of integrity and common sense. You know his voice from the radio phenomenon Loveline, hit reality franchises like Teen Mom (MTV) and Celebrity Rehab (VH1), and massive primetime television events like FOX's The Masked Singer and Special Forces. But behind the celebrity, Dr. Drew has spent the last 40 years actively treating patients. Now, he is bringing that same rigorous, truth-first approach to the Ask Dr. Drew podcast. In every episode, Dr. Drew relies on primary sources and hard data – along with his extensive experience – as he sits down with world-renowned experts, political figures, comedians, and institutional whistleblowers. He explores the intersection of geo…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-09T22:17:31.294190+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-dr-drew-259999"},"episode":{"title":"Damien Echols: I Was Sentenced To Death At 18 With Zero Evidence. How The Justice System Failed The West Memphis 3 – Ask Dr. Drew – Ep 638","slug":"damien-echols-i-was-sentenced-to-death-at-18-with-zero-evidence-how-the-justice-system-failed-the-west-memphis-3-ask-dr-drew-ep-638","published_at":"2026-07-01T11:05:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-dr-drew-259999/damien-echols-i-was-sentenced-to-death-at-18-with-zero-evidence-how-the-justice-system-failed-the-west-memphis-3-ask-dr-drew-ep-638","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-dr-drew-259999","url":"https://drdrew.com/2026/i-was-sentenced-to-death-at-18-with-zero-evidence-damien-echols-the-west-memphis-3-and-how-the-system-failed-at-justice-ask-dr-drew/","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/DRPI1687441007.mp3","summary":"Damien Echols was sentenced to death at 18 for the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. After nearly 18 years on death row, Damien was released – because the entire time, no physical or DNA evidence ever linked him to the crime. In 1993, the media called Damien and his friends “The West Memphis Three.” Prosecutors built the case on his interest in occult magick – a major topic during the Satanic Panic – and a confession from co-defendant Jessie Misskelley Jr. that was later recanted. In 2011, after DNA testing matched none of the defendants, all were released on Alford pleas: allowing them to maintain innocence while acknowledging the state had enough to convict. They are still seeking full exoneration. Damien Echols joins Dr. Drew to talk about how the systems people trust can fail completely, what nearly two decades in prison taught him about discipline and survival, and his forthcoming book “Alchemy of the Broken Blade.” Author and urban-futures scholar Joel Kotkin discusses the rise of socialist politics in America and what it means for the middle class, drawing on his book “The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class.” Joel Kotkin is a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University and a senior research fellow at the University of Texas Austin. He is the author of “The Coming of Neo Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class,” as well as ten other books, including “The New Class Conflict” (Telos Press), “The Human City: Urbanism for the Rest of Us,” and the co-edited collection “Infinite Suburbia.” Follow at https://x.com/joelkotkin Damien Echols is the author of the forthcoming book “Alchemy of the Broken Blade” available September 7, 2026. He was one of the three men known as the “West Memphis Three.” He spent ne…","meta_description":"Damien Echols was sentenced to death at 18 for the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. After nearly 18 years on death row, Da…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4215,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-dr-drew-259999/episodes/damien-echols-i-was-sentenced-to-death-at-18-with-zero-evidence-how-the-justice-system-failed-the-west-memphis-3-ask-dr-drew-ep-638/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-dr-drew-259999/damien-echols-i-was-sentenced-to-death-at-18-with-zero-evidence-how-the-justice-system-failed-the-west-memphis-3-ask-dr-drew-ep-638.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}