[22] He was 36 years old. Hes just not. She also said the prosecution was motivated to find anyone to blame. Webb later sent Jackson a "Motion to Recant Testimony," which declared, "Mr. Willingham is innocent of all charges." Willingham's ex-wife tearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. In their final meeting, however, he did not confess, she told the Tribune. Prior to his death, he was expelled by the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians for unethical conduct. Willinghams statements about the fire were inconsistent. Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on Evil Lives Here. The front porch was the only place where an accelerant was verified by laboratory tests, and a photograph taken of the house before the fire showed that a charcoal grill was there. Emily Meade as Stacey in "Trial By Fire.". [1], Eyewitnesses described Willingham as having "singed hair on his chest, eyelids, and head and had a two-inch burn injury on his right shoulder, but the prosecution highlighted the absence of any evidence of smoke inhalation. Kuykendall voice began quavering early in her statement, as she noted her oldest daughter would be 21 and her twins would be 19. Our kids were spoiled rotten.. [41] On March 3, 2015, the Texas State Bar filed a disciplinary action, Commission for Lawyer Discipline v. Jackson, against Jackson for failing to disclose information on his deal with Webb. Cameron Todd Willingham (January 9, 1968 - February 17, 2004) was an American man who was convicted and executed for the murder of his three young children by arson at the family home in Corsicana, Texas, on December 23, 1991. What are now being described as Willinghams inconsistencies dont come from Willingham at all they are recollections from hearsay witnesses, virtually none of whom testified at trial or were cross-examined. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Craig Beyler's report criticized investigators who ruled the . Michelle Lyons worked as a newspaper reporter and a Texas state employee at the jail and said Willingham was swearing and yelling at his wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even as . Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. The case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in 2004 and whom Iwrote about forThe New Yorker last month, has taken another strange twist. . Cameron was executed by lethal injection on February 17, 2004. Yesterday, Possley, who is now an investigative researcher for the Northern California Innocence Project, at Santa Clara University School of Law, told me that he had no doubt that what he and Mills reported is accurate. SYNOPSIS. Vasquez asked her if he ever abused the children. Her statement directly contradicts numerous previous statements she has made: in interviews with police and fire investigators; in testimony during the trial; in letters to public officials and Willinghams lawyers; and in her comments to the press. He did not. Mills, who is still at theTribune, confirms Possleys account. The neighbors said he seemed more concerned about damage to his property, such as his car than the welfare of his children. Hurst individually discredited each piece of arson evidence, using publicly supported experiments backed by his re-creation of the elements in question, the most notable being the Lime Street fire, which created the unique 3-point burn patterns flashover. [44], Incendiary: The Willingham Case, a 2011 documentary film covering the case and its aftermath, won the Louis Black Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival. : Directed by Phoebe Kwong, Joel Pincosy. That is the closest to justice that my daughters will ever get. [15] The prosecutor claimed that the fire that killed the children was the third attempt by Willingham to kill them, and that he had attempted to abort each of his wife's two pregnancies by kicking her in order to cause miscarriages. During his trial, Willingham did not testify; the defense called only one witness, the Willinghams' babysitter, who stated that she believed that Willingham could not have killed his children. My girls would have been 23 and 21 years old today. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. Something doesnt, No , the murder happened in Ohio . Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, has . The National Fire Protection Association had issued guidelines several months before Willinghams trial that directly contradicted the analysis the experts used (and testified about at the trial). I recently finished The Lost City of Z, David Grann's account of the British explorer Percy Fawcett's final journey in the Amazon basin, where . Stacy Kuykendall said she believed for over a decade her husband, Cameron Todd Willingham, didn't deliberately start the house fire that killed their three daughters. A disputed arson finding made by a pair of fire investigators following the 1991 deaths of Willingham's daughters is at the heart of the case. The late Texas native was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed for the murders of his three toddler daughters by arson in their family home on December 23, 1991. Bradley subsequently canceled the meeting amid accusations that Perry was interfering with the inquiry. Church recalls, I point-blank asked Kuykendall, Did he confess his guilt? And she said, No.. Within 5 miles of your location. I did ask her if she stood by her statements to theTribune and to theDaily Sun. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire, as she was out shopping. He was a guy who murdered his three children, who tried to beat his wife into an abortion so that he wouldn't have those kids. Evidence of such a deal would have eliminated Webb's testimony. Cameron Todd Willingham, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 17 February 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of his three children. Willingham's case and the investigative techniques were criticized by a 2004 Chicago Tribune article. If the judge clears Willingham, it will mark the first time an official in the nation's most active death penalty state has formally declared that someone was wrongly executed. After the fire, the police investigation determined that the fire had been started using some form of a liquid accelerant. . [citation needed], In addition to the arson evidence presented at the trial, a jailhouse informant named Johnny Webb testified at that time. Mar 11, 2015 at 10:07 am. According to an August 2009 investigative report by an expert hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the original claims of arson were doubtful. Jackson stated that Willingham's comment was an indicator of guilt. Todd told me that it was stupid but it was like an obsession. Webb later asked, "The statute of limitations has run out on perjury, hasn't it? Navarro County District Attorney R. Lowell Thompson is seeking Baird's removal. January 9, 1968 - February 16, 2004 . It was just a fire. Tessa Thompson Talks Going To Couples Therapy With Michael B. Jordan, Everything I Know About Romantic Love, I Learned From Bollywood Movies, Christina Milian Loves Making Rom-Coms & We Cant Get Enough of Them, These Romantic Movies Are Guaranteed To Make You Cry, The Greatest Romantic Comedies That Youll Watch On Repeat. Two medical experts confirmed the theory. Myth: Willingham's attorneys were not notified. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. When the recusal motion was denied, Thompson appealed to the Third Court of Appeals and had the proceedings stayed. Evil Lives Here airs at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery. This was taken as evidence that the accelerant was poured by Willingham as he left the house. We asked her, Did he confess in that conversation? She said, No. Its hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didnt say., Your email address will not be published. She reversed herself shortly before his 2004 execution, declaring that she now considered him guilty for murdering their 2-year-old daughter and her 1-year . He wanted her help in his appeal for clemency and also to say goodbye. About Willinghams ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and steadfastly believes he was guilty) says: Shes given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his executionIts hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didnt say.. [23], In 2004, Gerald Hurst examined the arson evidence compiled by state deputy fire marshal Manuel Vasquez. Killed in the fire were Willingham's three daughters: two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. Neighbors later told the police how they had seen Willingham crouching on the lawn outside his house as the building went up in smoke. Willinghams ex-wife said that he hit her but never tried to hurt the children. Around two weeks before the execution, Kuykendall went to see Willingham. Unfortunately, by then, Kuykendall had been swayed by the other court documents and findings. Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. It seems unlikely that, moments after asking for this favor, he suddenly confessed to the murder of her children. [1], Willingham had the Texas Department of Criminal Justice number 999041. He suggested that, had this information been available at the time of trial, it would have provided grounds for Willingham's acquittal. It also found insufficient evidence to prove that state Deputy Fire Marshal Manuel Vasquez and Corsicana Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Fogg were negligent or guilty of misconduct in their arson work. He was executed in 2004, after Perry turned down his final appeal despite evidence from a renowned fire expert that there was not enough evidence to support the arson determination. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. "What they are interested in is finding the poster boy for the abolition of the death penalty," Bradley said. The case will resume Oct. 14. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. I told him yes I did say that. Willingham had escaped the fire with bare feet and no burn marks. Cameron Todd Willingham - Wikipedia. Myth: Throughout his time on death row, he always maintained his innocence. But a few days before that meeting, Perry removed three members of the commission and appointed Bradley, a conservative ally, as its chairman. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. Willingham was accused of arson . [1], Psychiatrist James Grigson, known by the moniker "Dr. Death" for his repeated testimony as an expert witness in which he recommended the death penalty, said that a man of Willingham's criminal history was an "extremely severe sociopath" and was incurable. In recreations with rooms involved in intense fires, experts can safely stand by a door seconds before flashover, and Willingham could have stood close to the childrens room without being harmed. [25], Hurst's report was sent to governor Rick Perry's office, as well as the Board of Pardons and Paroles along with Willingham's appeal for clemency. The undeniable facts of the Cameron Todd Willingham case are these: On Dec. 23, 1991, 2-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall, and 1-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham died in a mid-morning house fire at 1213 W. 11th Ave. in Corsicana. About Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and . But Stacy Kuykendall knew Todd better than anyone, and she's convinced that he was a monster who was guilty as charged and deserved to die. On one fact, Willingham changed his story. Cameron Todd Willingham, of Texas, was the husband of Stacy Willingham and the loving father of three young girls.There is a reason why I did not include the word 'loving' in front of the word 'husband'. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. [7] Webb later told David Grann, a reporter for The New Yorker that he might have been mistaken. The 2011 documentary Incendiary: The Willingham Case also explored the case. Movies. AUSTIN, Tex. Family's Effort to Clear Name Frames Debate on Executions. Jailhouse informants are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use. By Maurice Possley, The Marshall Project. Other witnesses at Willinghams trial provided contradictory statements about Willinghams behavior after the fire, but those statements were not evidence that a crime had taken place. But she never mentioned a confession. Bradley was appointed to the science commission post by Gov. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. He said that Willingham confessed to burning her twice with a piece of "wadded up" paper in an effort to make it appear as though the children were "playing with fire. All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson. After the fire, police and fire investigators interrogated Kuykendall. Killed in the fire were Willingham's three daughters: two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall, and one-year-old twins, Karmen Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. She said that she and Willingham had not had a disagreement for two weeks. In 1999, she spoke to Elizabeth Gilbert, a teacher and playwright from Houston who had begun to investigate Willinghams case. On 23 December 1991, the Corsicana home of Cameron Willingham burned. Stacy Kuykendall, his then-wife, played a . Myth: "[17], An August 2009 Chicago Tribune investigative article concluded, "Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation's top fire scientists first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the commission. Cameron Todd Willingham. (Thompson later received an award from the Texas District and County Attorneys Association for this motion and appeal. [3] Both were sharply critical of Beyler. The arson finding that led to his 1992 conviction has been disputed by numerous fire experts. His testimony has been criticized as contentious for several reasons. "[17] The testimony at trial of Johnny Webb, a jailhouse informant, suggested that Willingham had set the fire in order to cover up an injury or death of one of the children due to his wife's actions. Authorities had to restrain Willingham from going back into the house. KERA's Bill Zeeble reports the . (For example, she now claims the couple fought the night before the fire, but she clearly said the opposite in various official statements over the years.). Equal parts murder mystery, forensic investigation and political drama, the film meticulously reviews the arson evidence used to convict Willingham, and immerses audiences in contemporary struggles over the case. He added that Willingham's Led Zeppelin poster of a fallen angel was "many times" an indicator of "cultive-type" activities.