Who was honored for his work in the Willingham case?
"Thompson honored for Willingham work". Corsicana Daily Sun. Retrieved July 20, 2018. ^ Smith, Jordan (December 21, 2010). "Third Court Rules in Willingham Case: Matter must be referred to Judge Stubblefield". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2016. ^ Possley, Maurice (August 3, 2014). "Fresh doubts over a Texas execution".
What happened to Cameron Todd Willingham?
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.
Who is Warren Willingham and when was he charged with murder?
Willingham was charged with murder on January 8, 1992. During his trial in August 1992, he was offered a life term in exchange for a guilty plea, which he turned down, insisting he was innocent.
What did Perry say about William Willingham?
In response to allegations that he allowed the execution of an innocent man, Perry was quoted as stating, "Willingham was a monster. 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.
What happened to Cameron Todd Willingham?
Case Summary. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the Corsicana, Texas, home Cameron Todd Willingham shared with his wife and three daughters, killing the three girls. Willingham, who was asleep when the fire started, survived. His wife was at the Salvation Army buying Christmas presents for the girls. At Willingham’s 1992 trial, prosecutors ...
When did the Willingham case come to a hearing?
On October 14 , Texas Judge Charlie Baird held a hearing in the Willingham case to determine whether to hold a court of inquiry. And on October 15, the Texas Forensic Science Commission discussed the case in depth at its regular meeting. On April 15, 2011, the TFSC issued its final report in the Willingham / Willis cases.
Why was Ernest Willis exonerated?
In that case, Ernest Willis was exonerated and freed from prison because the forensic evidence was not valid. In 2008, the Texas Forensic Science Commission agreed ...
What evidence was used against Willingham?
The 16,000-word article by David Grann shows that all of the evidence used against Willingham was invalid, including the forensic analysis, the informant’s testimony, other witness testimony and additional circumstantial evidence.
Why was Cameron Willingham executed?
Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for allegedly setting a fire that killed his three young daughters 13 years earlier. He always claimed his innocence, and the arson investigation used to convict him was questioned by leading experts before Willingham was executed. Since 2004, further evidence in the case has led to ...
Who replaced the arson expert in the Willingham trial?
Days before the expert was set to testify, however, Gov. Rick Perry replaced key members of the panel, delayed the investigation for months.
Was Willingham convicted of the fire?
Willingham said he was asleep in the home when the fire started and always maintained his innocence. He was convicted based on the testimony of forensic experts who said they had determined that the fire was intentionally set and a jailhouse informant who said Willingham had confessed to him. On October 29, 1992, he was sentenced to death.
Why was Willingham executed?
Willingham was executed on Feb. 17, 2004 for setting the fire that killed his daughters on Dec. 23, 1991 in their Corsicana, Texas home.
Who was the jailhouse snitch in Willingham?
The state bar had accused Jackson of failing to disclose to Willingham’s defense lawyers that jailhouse snitch Johnny Webb had been promised favorable treatment on an aggravated robbery conviction in return for testimony at Willingham’s trial. Former Navarro County prosecutor, John H. Jackson, gets in his car on July 23, 2014 in Corsicana, Texas.
Why was Charles Sebesta disbarred?
In June 2015, former prosecutor Charles Sebesta was disbarred for concealing evidence of innocence while prosecuting Anthony Graves, who was convicted and sent to Texas death row for the 1992 murders of six people. A federal appeals court reversed Graves’ conviction in 2006 and he was released in 2010 after a special prosecutor conducted ...
What did the Texas bar charge Jackson with?
The bar had accused Jackson of violating several sections of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct that prohibit making false statements to a judge as well as obstructing justice. The state bar previously was successful in obtaining the disbarment of two other former prosecutors for making false statements and obstructing justice.
How many times did Webb say he didn't remember?
He also said he couldn’t recall or did not remember nearly 100 times .
Who was the prosecutor in the 1992 death penalty trial?
By Maurice Possley. After a trial of more than two weeks, a Texas jury on Wednesday found that former state prosecutor John Jackson had not committed misconduct in the 1992 death penalty trial of Cameron Todd Willingham.
Who presided over the Jackson trial?
The trial was attended by a group of supporters of Jackson, who was elected a Navarro County District judge after Willingham’s trial. Judge David Farr, who presided over Jackson’s trial, admonished the Jackson supporters for repeatedly expressing audible sounds of disgust and disbelief during Webb’s testimony. Johnny Webb in Corsicana, Texas.
Overview
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 w…
Fire
On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. 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. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire. She was out sh…
Investigation and trial
After the fire, the police investigation determined that the fire had been started using some form of a liquid accelerant. 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. The investigators also found charring under the aluminum front doorjamb, which the…
Appeals, incarceration, and execution
Willingham had the Texas Department of Criminal Justice number 999041. While on death row, Willingham was initially incarcerated in the Ellis Unit, and later in the Polunsky Unit.
Willingham's case gained attention in December 2004, when Maurice Possley and Steve Mills of the Chicago Tribune published on poor investigative tactics. I…
Question of guilt
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. 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. Hurst said in December 2004 that "There's nothing t…
Films
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.
David Grann's investigative article in The New Yorker titled "Trial by Fire" (collected in The Devil and Sherlock Holmes) was adapted into the 2018 film Trial by Fire directed by Edward Zwick starring Laura Dern and Jack O'Connell as Willingham.
In popular culture
• Episode 21, Season 11 of Law & Order: SVU, titled "Torch," is based on this case.
• Episode 9, Season 2 of The Good Wife, titled "Nine Hours," is based on this case.
• Episode 17, Season 7 of Cold Case, titled "Flashover," is based on this case.
See also
• Carlos DeLuna
• Clarence Elkins
• Michael Morton
• Capital punishment in Texas
• Capital punishment in the United States
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