Myths and Facts about the Willingham Case. The arson finding that led to his 1992 conviction has been disputed by numerous fire experts. In the statement, Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, was quoted as telling family members that Willingham said "that he had set the fire because he knew she was going to leave him." The account came from Kuykendall's brother, Ronnie Kuykendall, in a statement to an investigator for the district attorney's office in 2004. The investigators concluded that the fire had been started deliberately. [20] While on death row, Willingham was initially incarcerated in the Ellis Unit,[1] and later in the Polunsky Unit.[21]. "[12] At trial, Willingham's conduct at the scene was described as oscillating between collected and hysterical at times screaming for assistance and at other times calmly pushing his car back from the flames that were engulfing his house. A dad was executed for deaths of his 3 girls. Now a letter casts more In 1999, she spoke to Elizabeth Gilbert, a teacher and playwright from Houston who had begun to investigate Willinghams case. The opinions of a state fire official in the case were "nothing more than a collection of personal beliefs that have nothing to do with science-based fire investigation," Beyler wrote. On Sunday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported, "Stacy Kuykendall's statement about the 1991 fire." Stacy Kuykendall, the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham, offers her first detailed account of the 1991 fire that claimed the lives of her three daughters and led to Willingham's execution in 2004. Then, after he had been sentenced to death and executed, other people began to say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted and that the court put an innocent man to death. The Fire That Started & Ended It All. When Willingham exited his bedroom, the hallway was not yet on fire; the fire was contained in the childrens bedroom. Website by MADEO. Before the trial, he even refused to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. I dont blame Todds stepmom for fighting for her son, she continued to The Huffington Post in 2012. She said, firmly, that Willingham had never done so. Rick Perry defends 2004 execution despite questions about evidence, calls convict 'a monster', "Perry's denial of stay could become campaign issue", "CNN's Anderson Cooper to Air Report on Cameron Willingham Tonight", "Is Texas Governor Rick Perry Trying to Cover Up Execution of Innocent Man on His Watch", "Stacy Kuykendall's statement about the 1991 fire", "Death penalty case: Ex-wife says convicted killer confessed", "Texas execution: Statements by Gov. Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three children. [citation needed], In addition to the arson evidence presented at the trial, a jailhouse informant named Johnny Webb testified at that time. In a rebuttal, Grann wrote, "If the arson investigators had concluded that there was no scientific evidence that a crime had occurred as the top fire investigators in the country have now determined Willingham's words at the funeral would surely be viewed as a sign that he was tormented by the fact that he had survived without saving his children. We asked her, Did he confess in that conversation? She said, No. I think they were after somebody, she said. According to Brandice Barbee, "All I could see was smoke. Trial By Fire | Cherry Avenue True Crime According to the affidavit, he said that Stacy Kuykendall had told him and other family members that Willingham had confessed to her during her prison visit. . Write by: . Ken Light. [citation needed] Willingham was executed by lethal injection on February 17, 2004, at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. "[28], Since Willingham's execution, persistent questions have been raised as to the accuracy of the forensic evidence used in the conviction: specifically, whether it can be proven that an accelerant (such as the lighter fluid mentioned above) was used to start the fatal fire. In Loving Memory of 3 Murdered Children (Murdered by Cameron Todd Willingham'sex-wifetearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. The police then began to suspect that Willingham was a murderer. "And they want to make Willingham that poster boy. Church recalls, I point-blank asked Kuykendall, Did he confess his guilt? And she said, No.. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. an affidavit from Willinghams former brother-in-law, Trailer for Trial by Fire film about Todd Willingham, World Premiere of Trial by Fire about Todd Willingham at Telluride Film Festival August 31, 2018, Trial Starts to Determine if Todd Willinghams Prosecutor Hid Evidence. Pic credit: Texas Dept. Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted and Executed in Texas - Innocence Project. His wife Stacey was out Christmas shopping at the time. [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. 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. [29] Fire investigator Gerald L. Hurst reviewed the case documents, including the trial transcriptions and an hour-long videotape of the aftermath of the fire scene. Navarro County District Attorney R. Lowell Thompson is seeking Baird's removal. Testimony from fire investigators was the primary evidence against Willingham. In her most recent statement explaining why she had once defended Willingham, she said. "[7], In June 2009, the State of Texas ordered a re-examination of the case. Evidence of such a deal would have eliminated Webb's testimony. The investigators also found charring under the aluminum front doorjamb, which they believed was a further indication of a liquid accelerant and tested positive for such an accelerant in the area of the front door. Hurst said in December 2004 that "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. On 23 December 1991, the Corsicana home of Cameron Willingham burned. Willingham, 36, gave his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, the middle finger with his right hand as it was strapped to the gurney that evening in February 2004. Myth: SYNOPSIS. Even without evidence that the fire was arson, Willingham would have been convicted because there was substantial other evidence. [34] "It's hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didn't say," Willingham's prosecutor said. Video image from KVUE-TV Stacy Kuykendall, at right, tells reporters in Austin Wednesday that ex-husband Cameron Willingham confessed to setting the 1991 fire that killed the couple's three children. [3] A 2011 documentary, Incendiary: The Willingham Case, also explored the case. The case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in 2004 and whom I wrote about for The New Yorker last month, has taken another strange twist . He said that a picture of a fist punching through a skull signified violence and death. 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. [42] According to the complaint, "During a pretrial hearing on July 24, 1992, [Jackson] told the trial court that he had no evidence favorable to Willingham. That is the closest to justice that my daughters will ever get. Willingham was accused of arson . Myth: "My ex-husband murdered my daughters, and just before he was executed, he told me he did it," Kuykendall said. Its hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didnt say., Your email address will not be published. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He suggested that, had this information been available at the time of trial, it would have provided grounds for Willingham's acquittal. American justice (in many cases) is flawed. Sad when people cant just tell the truth. "[11], The prosecution sought to establish that Willingham's conduct at the time of the fire and in the days afterward was suspicious. 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. According to The New Yorker article, Willingham had been unfaithful, drank heavily, and would physically assaulted his partner, even while she was pregnant. But she said in an interview that was untrue. About Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and . Willingham was not charged with spousal abuse; he was charged with murder. A judge has postponed a hearing in Austin until next week in the case of a Texas man executed for setting fire to his home and killing his three daughters. )[39][40], In 2014, the Washington Post reported that new evidence emerged indicating that Webb had said in taped interviews that he lied on the witness stand in exchange for a prosecutor's help obtaining a reduced prison term and financial support from a rich rancher. "[12] According to Brandice, he refused, and moved his car away from the fire before returning to sit on a nearby lawn, "not once attempting to go inside to rescue his children." : Directed by Phoebe Kwong, Joel Pincosy. Willinghams former probation officer and a judge both directly refute any notion that he was a sociopath. Cameron Todd Willingham | Found a Grave Former in-law: Man executed for fire confessed to ex - Chron Facebook The Texas Forensic Science Commission is going to determine whether Willingham was innocent. Throughout the process, Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's former wife and the mother of the three victims, has maintained that he was guilty of the murders. October 27, 2009, 12:00 AM, CDT. [37], In 2010, the Innocence Project filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas, seeking a judgment of "official oppression. Willingham ex-wife featured on streaming series | News He insisted he would not admit to something he had not done, even if it meant sparing his life. [3] Both were sharply critical of Beyler. She had this exchange with a police detective and the deputy state fire marshal, Manuel Vasquez: VASQUEZ: Did you and your husband have any disagreements on the night after Kmart? Self - Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Getting Started . In 1992, Willingham was convicted of arson-related triple homicide and was executed 12 years later by the death penalty after his three daughters were killed in a 1991 house fire. Perry on Willingham: He was a 'bad man' - News - The Austin Chronicle Kuykendall played a major role in Willinghams life and fate, but in the movie version she is quite prominent. Kuykendall claims in the . Willinghams statements about the fire were inconsistent. [16], Consistent with typical Navarro County death penalty practice, Willingham was offered the opportunity to eliminate himself as a suspect by polygraph examination, which Willingham rejected, according to Jackson. John Bradley, the top prosecutor in Williamson County who also chairs the Texas Forensic Science Commission, said he believes the effort to have Willingham declared innocent is not about justice -- or even the guilt or innocence of Willingham. According to a tape recording of the conversation, Kuykendall made it clear that she still believed that Willingham was innocent and that he had no motive to hurt their children. [32][33], Journalists familiar with the case noted that Stacy Kuykendall's statement explicitly contradicted previous comments, legal testimony, and numerous published interviews before and after the execution. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered One of the most fascinating yet heartbreaking events in Americas legal system history is brought to the big screen with Trial By Fire. Gary Green stabbed his wife, Lovetta Armstead, and then drowned her daughter Jazzmen Montgomery before her two sons managed to persuade him to spare their lives in this particularly horrible case of anger and jealously. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire. His wife Stacey was out Christmas shopping at the time. That statement was false. 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. . On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. Oct. 14, 2010. Willingham's Family Seeks "Posthumous Pardon" | The Texas Tribune In 2009, an investigative report by Grann[1] drew upon analysis by arson investigation experts and advances in fire science since the 1992 investigation; he suggested that the evidence for arson was unconvincing. Stacy Kuykendall, his then-wife, played a . Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. He wanted her help in his appeal for clemency and also to say goodbye. a husband returns home to find his wife dead on the living room floor; he tells first responders she committed suicide . Willingham's case and the investigative techniques were criticized by a 2004 Chicago Tribune article. Cameron Todd Willingham Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 We are evil when it comes to justice. [1][19], At trial, the fire investigator Vasquez testified there were three points of origin for the fire, which indicated that the fire was "intentionally set by human hands. stacy willingham married On October 25, Stacy Kuykendall told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that during a final prison meeting just weeks before he was put to death, Willingham admitted setting the fire in response to Stacy's alleged threats of divorce the night before. 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.. 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. March 9, 2015. In the fall of 2004, just months after Willinghams execution, the ChicagoTribune reporters Steve Mills and Maurice Possley visited Kuykendall at her house and asked her if Willingham had, in fact, confessed to her. He was executed on February 17, 2004, aged 36. [6], The prosecutor also said that Willingham was a serial wife abuser, both physically and emotionally. There was no item of evidence that indicated arson." This is because Willingham was anything but that; he regularly verbally abused and beat his wife, and in some of these instances, the police was called. Please see the three Memorials: Amber Kuykendall-Willingham Memorial# 41759101 Karmen Willingham Memorial# 41759144 Kameron Willingham Memorial# 41759163. His report was sent to authorities asking to postpone the execution. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. What Stacy Kuykendall Said - The StandDown Texas Project February 27, 2023 The couple's three children died in a fire Dec. 23, 1991, at the family's Corsicana, Texas, home. Where Is Stacey Willingham From Trial By Fire In 2019? If he had pleaded guilty, he would most likely have been sentenced to life in prison. He wrote, "Willingham's wife insisted during the trial and under interrogation that Willingham had not physically abused the children. "I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. [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. Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Stacy Kuykendall Says Texas Shouldn't Pardon Him [EXCLUSIVE] | HuffPost. "He admitted he did it and told me why," she said. 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. Here are five crucial facts about the case. This week on Reasonable Doubt, the team takes on the Raul and Cathy Sarinana were sentenced to death for abusing Would love your thoughts, please comment. By John Schwartz. In his letter, Willingham insisted that he was innocent: I hope that after I am gone that some day, some how the truth will be known and my name cleared.. "[43] A jury later heard and rejected the claim that Jackson had hid evidence, finding in favor of Jackson. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Willingham a writ of habeas corpus a month before his execution. 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. I miss them so much., While Kuykendall was in Willinghams corner and also persistent about his innocence for years, she changed her stance shortly before his execution.I read that Todds stepmom and cousin are asking the governor for a pardon. Execution Report: Cameron Willingham - Page 1 [5] However, there was no evidence of child abuse. Jackson said Willingham had abused animals and was a sociopath. The faulty forensic analysis and lack of other evidence doesnt matter because Willingham was a bad man and a sociopath, so he was guilty. As the fire took hold, Willingham was driven out through the front door of his house, where he crouched down near the entrance. Within 5 kilometers of your location. Willingham explained that he moved his car because he was afraid fuel in the car would cause the fire to get much worse. [14] On returning to the scene of the fire with firefighter Ron Franks, in an effort to recover personal property (which was described as a very usual request at trial), Willingham was visibly dismayed at being unable to find a dart set. State District Judge Charles Baird delayed the hearing Wednesday in the case of Cameron Todd Willingham after prosecutors moved for Baird's recusal. My girls would have been 23 and 21 years old today. I remember when he was executed. Perhaps most notably, Hurst was able to explain the presence of lighter fluid at the scene: a charcoal grill which had been used . The couple's three children died in a fire Dec. 23, 1991, at the family's Corsicana, Texas, home. (Thompson later received an award from the Texas District and County Attorneys Association for this motion and appeal. She told reporters that Cameron Todd Willingham set the fire that killed the girls "and watched while . [8], During the penalty phase of the trial, a prosecutor said that Willingham's tattoo of a skull and serpent fit the profile of a sociopath. Rick Perry, others don't align with facts", "Convict in disputed execution was guilty, ex-wife says", "Third Court Rules in Willingham Case: Matter must be referred to Judge Stubblefield", "Bar Files Disciplinary Case Against Ex-Prosecutor", "Prosecutor accused of misconduct in disputed Texas execution case", https://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/update-jury-rules-in-jacksons-favor-in-civil-judicial-misconduct-trial/article_cdcf8856-35e7-11e7-81dd-2ba5db18fbeb.html, "Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern Star For Ed Zwick In 'Trial By Fire', "Tune in Tonight: Scheck on "The Good Wife", Faulty Testimony Sent 2 to Death Row, Panel Finds, "Texas Execution Information: Cameron Willingham", City of Corsicana Response to Beyler Report, 29 September 2009, "Media Advisory: Cameron Todd Willingham Scheduled For Execution", Analysis of the Fire Investigation Methods and Procedures Used in the Criminal Arson Case Against Ernest Ray Willis and Cameran Todd Willingham Craig L. Beyler, Willingham Files A collection of all stories published by the Corsicana Daily Sun, Media Advisory: Cameron Todd Willingham Scheduled For Execution, PBS portal on the Cameron Todd Willingham case including original documents, a shorter summary of the Cameron Todd Willingham case a slide show presentation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cameron_Todd_Willingham&oldid=1137586879, 21st-century executions of American people, People executed by Texas by lethal injection, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox criminal with known for parameter, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 12:27. Shes given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his execution, Jackson said. "[1] Bebe Bridges, a former judge who was often on the "opposite side" of Willingham in the legal system, and who had sent him to jail for stealing, said that she could not imagine him killing his children. The spokeswoman added he was aware of a "claim of a reinterpretation of (the) arson testimony. LEFT: A photo after the 1991 fire at the Corsicana, Tex., home of Willingham and his wife, Stacy, killed . Several witnesses testified for the prosecution. She said he would not have hurt the children. Based on a 2009 investigative report by David Grann in The New Yorker, Trial by Fire concerns Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texan man who was convicted for the murder of his three children by arson . Cameron Todd Willingham - Interesting stories about famous people Authorities had to restrain Willingham from going back into the house. [31], In October 2009, the city of Corsicana released two affidavits that included statements from Ronnie Kuykendall, the former brother-in-law of Willingham, originally made in 2004. At the time of the trial, she said she had believed in her husbands innocence, but over the years, after studying the evidence and the trial testimony, she became convinced he was guilty. Wilinghams last words reinstated his innocence, but given Kuykendalls last public words about him, it seems that wherever she is, she still doesnt believe him. The State Fire Marshal's Office continues to stand behind the arson finding. [1], Willingham had the Texas Department of Criminal Justice number 999041. Webb claimed that Willingham confessed that he set the fire to hide an injury or death of one of the girls, which was caused by his wife. 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. On Sunday, Stacy Kuykendall the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham gave her first public statement in years. Craig Beyler, the chairman of the International Association of Fire Safety Science, wrote in a report last year that investigators didn't follow standards in place at the time and did not have enough evidence to make an arson finding. A Life Cut Short: Todd Willingham Photos - ABC News Jimmie Hensley, a police detective, and Douglas Fogg, the assistant fire chief who both investigated the fire told Grann that they had never believed that the refrigerator was part of the arson plot. "[38] Judge Charlie Baird held an inquiry in September 2010 in Austin, but Lowell Thompson, the Navarro County DA, appeared at the hearing with a motion for Baird to recuse himself due to conflict of interest Baird had once affirmed Willingham's conviction while sitting as a Criminal Appeals judge yet had also been recognized by an anti-death penalty group. This evidence included a finding of char patterns in the floor in the shape of "puddles," a finding of multiple starting points of the fire, and a finding that the fire had burned "fast and hot," all considered to indicate a fire that had been ignited with the help of a liquid accelerant. Days before Willingham's execution, fire scientist Gerald Hurst concluded there was no foul play and the fire was caused by a space heater, however the governor declined Willinghams reprieve. After Todd was arrested and told his family that he didnt do this, I had to believe that he was telling us the truth. . I told him yes I did say that. Two prosecution experts who testified that Willingham was a sociopath had never met him; one was expelled from his professional association three years later for unethical behavior. On one fact, Willingham changed his story. Rick Perry in what many viewed as a political move to bury new evidence that cast doubt on Willingham's guilt. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Todd Willingham: The Implications of Capital Punishment 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.Since Willingham's 2004 execution, significant controversy has arisen over the legitimacy of the guilty verdict and the interpretation of the evidence that was used to . Ordala de fuego: Qu le sucede hoy a Stacy Kuykendall? Willingham's ex-wife tearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. At a local bar, where a fundraiser was held for the Willingham family, he placed an order for a replacement set, stating that "money was not a problem now. Witness To 300 Executions Describes 'Worst' Last Words She - LADbible