She said, No. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. Questions persist surrounding Cameron Todd Willingham's conviction and death sentence, but according to Stacy Kuykendall, who knew him better than anyone, Cameron is a monster who was guilty as charged and deserved to die. 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. . It was an unusual hearing . While Willingham always insisted he was innocent, later evidence suggested he was wrongly convicted and executed. Myth: Nine nationally renowned, independent experts have reviewed the case in the last five years and found that the forensic analysis was wrong. They said somebody had poured a combustible accelerant on the floor throughout the house. They urged him to go inside and rescue his children, but he refused. On one fact, Willingham changed his story. [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. "[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. Willingham was executed in 2004. Cameron was executed by lethal injection on February 17, 2004. https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.investigationdiscovery.com%2Ftv-shows%2Fevil-lives-here%2Ffull-episodes%2Fwhat-if-he-was-innocent%3Ffbclid%3. A later study into the causes of the fire stated that it might not have been arson. "I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. "[27], But Hurst said, "The whole case was based on the purest form of junk science. But tragically, their three young children were killed in the blaze. The police then began to suspect that Willingham was a murderer. Kuykendall told prosecutors that he had never abused the children. Kuykendall has acknowledged that Willingham had asked to see her to help him in his bid for clemency. 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. 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. . 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. 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. He was executed on February 17, 2004, aged 36. Many of those hearsay witnesses statements evolved and hardened once they knew Willingham was a suspect in the case. The sole exception was when she spoke out about his ultimate fate in a 2012 interview with The Huffington Post, eight years after his execution, while his family members sought Willinghams pardon. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. The date is December 23, 1991, and 23-year-old Cameron Todd Willingham has fallen asleep while caring for his three young daughters, two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins . He did not. Mills, who is still at theTribune, confirms Possleys account. Incendiary: The Willingham Case is a 2011 documentary film by Steve Mims and Joe Bailey, Jr. that explores the conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham for arson murder. Cameron Todd Willingham's Real Last Words. By David Grann. 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. In August 2009, eighteen years after the fire and five years after Willingham's execution, a report conducted by Dr. Craig Beyler, hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission to review the case, found that "a finding of arson could not be sustained." Rick Perry in what many viewed as a political move to bury new evidence that cast doubt on Willingham's guilt. The commission was never asked to determine whether Willingham was innocent, and was never going to reach a conclusion on his innocence. The case was complicated by allegations that Texas Governor Rick Perry impeded the investigation by replacing three of the nine Forensic Commission members to change the Commission's findings; Perry denies the allegations.[4]. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. [6], The prosecutor also said that Willingham was a serial wife abuser, both physically and emotionally. 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. We are evil when it comes to justice. When Willingham was arrested, he vigorously professed his innocence. He said that a picture of a fist punching through a skull signified violence and death. Evidence of such a deal would have eliminated Webb's testimony. 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. Yesterday, Willingham's former wife, Stacy Kuykendall, released a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram saying that he secretly confessed to killing their three daughters, who . Corsicana Daily Sun His wrists and hands were blackened with smoke. 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. . Family's Effort to Clear Name Frames Debate on Executions. Our justice system has become who can twist a believable story, not the truth. [3] A 2011 documentary, Incendiary: The Willingham Case, also explored the case. [1], At Willingham's trial, Webb offered an explanation for the individual, distinguishable burns found on Amber's forehead and arm. Testimony from fire investigators was the primary evidence against Willingham. 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. 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 . 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. Their daughters killed in the 1991 fire were two and one (twins), and Willingham escaped. 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 . His report was sent to authorities asking to postpone the execution. [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. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from the Innocence Project: Cameron Todd Willinghams case raises strong opinions on many different levels, but some who defend his conviction and execution are distorting aspects of the case, and some of those distortions are being repeated or reported as fact. 2023 Innocence Project. Born Today Most Popular Celebs Most Popular Celebs Celebrity News. He suggested that, had this information been available at the time of trial, it would have provided grounds for Willingham's acquittal. [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. Cameron Todd Willingham, who went by Todd, with his wife, Stacy. She said he would not have hurt the children. When I recently spoke to Tina Church, a private investigator who worked on Willinghams behalf, she told me that she had spoken to Kuykendall right after their meeting in prison. Their daughters, 2-year-old Amber and her two younger identical twin sisters, 1-year-old Karmon and Kameron, all died from carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the Willingham family home in Corsicana, Texas. Kuykendall and Willingham had a tumultuous past and both had come from troubled backgrounds. Church recalls, I point-blank asked Kuykendall, Did he confess his guilt? And she said, No.. Yesterday, Willinghams former wife, Stacy Kuykendall,released a statement to the Fort WorthStar-Telegram saying that he secretly confessed to killing their three daughters, who died in a fire on December 23, 1991. But the investigators' conclusions have been strongly challenged by several fire experts. However, Cameron maintained his innocence to his dying breath, and later evidence also suggested that he could have been wrongly executed. He added that Willingham's Led Zeppelin poster of a fallen angel was "many times" an indicator of "cultive-type" activities. . [24], This left only the chemical testing for accelerant. Therefore, I believe that there is no way he could have possibly committed this crime. However, her letter didn't work and within a year shed filed for divorce. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. [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. Here is whatMills and Possley wrote: The response from local prosecutors included a two-paragraph affidavit from Ronnie Kuykendall, the brother of Willinghams former wife. Cameron Todd Willingham Just when it seemed Gov. When Willingham exited his bedroom, the hallway was not yet on fire; the fire was contained in the childrens bedroom. "[1], Webb and Jackson consistently denied that Webb was offered a sentence reduction in return for his testimony against Willingham. Two medical experts confirmed the theory. "[7], In June 2009, the State of Texas ordered a re-examination of the case. "[12], The prosecution claimed that Willingham may have been motivated by a desire to rid himself of unwanted 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. Prosecutors are fighting that effort, which is being led by the Innocence Project, a New York legal center. The science commission was set to hear testimony from Beyler last year. The neighbors said he seemed more concerned about damage to his property, such as his car than the welfare of his children. "[30], The Texas Forensic Science Commission was scheduled to discuss the report by Beyler at a meeting on October 2, 2009, but two days before the meeting, Texas Governor Rick Perry replaced the chair of the commission (Sam Bassett) and two other members (Alan Levy and Aliece Watts). 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. "[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. Myth: In that article, Kuykendall made it clear that she did not believe Willinghams version of events. of Criminal Justice . document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Chronicle sues Perry over clemency report, Freed death row inmate calls on Perry to halt executions | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com Houston Chronicle. Willingham was accused of arson . Cameron Todd Willingham, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 17 February 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of his three children. The Dallas Morning News reports that a twin brother of Stacy Kuykendall, who is Willingham's former wife, says Willingham reminded Stacy Kuykendall, not long before his execution, of an earlier .
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