In fact, on the same day that her brother claimed she had told him Willingham confessed in that meeting, a local media outlet ran an interview with Stacy Kuykendall where she said Willingham maintained his innocence during the meeting (even though she thought he was guilty). 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. While Willingham always insisted he was innocent, later evidence suggested he was wrongly convicted and executed. All rights reserved, Man Shot by Fort Worth Officer After Reaching for Gun in Waistband: Police, Fort Worth Music Festival Happening at Fort Worth Stockyards, Novak Djokovic Denied' US Entry Ahead Of Indian Wells, Joe Biden Asked To Intervene, Barbara Corcoran Says Meeting Mark Cuban Was Her Most Embarrassing Moment' on Shark Tank' Here's Why, 3 Children Killed, 2 Wounded in Ellis County Home; 1 in Custody: Sheriff. Willingham's case and the investigative techniques were criticized by a 2004 Chicago Tribune article. 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. October 27, 2009, 12:00 AM, CDT. Death' says license won't be affected by allegations", "Execution Report: Cameron Willingham Page 1", "Jackson: Guest Commentary Willingham guilt never in doubt", "David Grann" The Prosecution Defends Itself", "A timeline of the Cameron Todd Willingham case", "Document USA (Texas): Further Information on Death penalty, Cameron Todd Willingham", "Inmate maintains innocence as execution approaches", "Man executed for fire that killed children", "Texas man executed for setting fire that killed his 3 young children", "Gerald Hurst | Death By Fire | FRONTLINE | PBS", "Dare Devils: Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Death Panel", "Texas Gov. By Maurice Possley, The Marshall Project. Self - Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Getting Started . 2023 Innocence Project. "[6], Prosecutor John Jackson noted that Webb was considered unreliable, but he later supported an early release from prison for Webb. She provided a statement to the Fort Worth . His report was sent to authorities asking to postpone the execution. 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 . Authorities had to restrain Willingham from going back into the house. LEFT: A photo after the 1991 fire at the Corsicana, Tex., home of Willingham and his wife, Stacy, killed . There was no item of evidence that indicated arson." As far back as 1969, scientific experts published findings that some of the very indicators of arson used in the Willingham case were unreliable and could be misinterpreted. When the recusal motion was denied, Thompson appealed to the Third Court of Appeals and had the proceedings stayed. Cameron Todd Willingham lying in his cell in 1994. 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. Menu. Willingham was subsequently executed for the crime; however, some individuals have expressed serious doubt about his conviction and wonder if the state killed an innocent man. Myths and Facts about the Willingham Case. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. Cameron Todd Willingham - Wikipedia. David Grann: Stacy Speaks: News Desk : The New Yorker. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. He said that a picture of a fist punching through a skull signified violence and death. Cameron Todd Willingham, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 17 February 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of his three children. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. She told reporters that Cameron Todd Willingham set the fire that killed the girls "and watched while . 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. "[27], But Hurst said, "The whole case was based on the purest form of junk science. "My ex-husband murdered my daughters . [citation needed], In addition to the arson evidence presented at the trial, a jailhouse informant named Johnny Webb testified at that time. [6], The prosecutor also said that Willingham was a serial wife abuser, both physically and emotionally. Dal momento che Willingham's Nell'esecuzione del 2004 , sono sorte importanti polemiche sulla legittimit del verdetto di colpevolezza e sull'interpretazione . Willingham's attorneys were not notified. Willingham later said that he removed the car out of concern that it could explode and worsen the house fire. 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 convict him of arson and murder. Kuykendall claims in the . Beyler said key testimony from a fire marshal at Willingham's trial was "hardly consistent with a scientific mind-set and is more characteristic of mystics or psychics."[1][2]. No clear motive was found, and Willingham's wife denied that the couple had been fighting prior to the night of the fire. [7] Webb later told David Grann, a reporter for The New Yorker that he might have been mistaken. Willingham was executed in 2004. [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. "It didn't have [anything] to do with the fire," Fogg said. "My ex-husband murdered my daughters, and just before he was executed, he told me he did it," Kuykendall said. He did not. Mills, who is still at theTribune, confirms Possleys account. 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. : Directed by Phoebe Kwong, Joel Pincosy. She never mentioned that she intended to divorce Willingham, whom she had married three months earlier. He said the night before the fire we got in to an argument and you had said it again that you were going to divorce me. Willingham'sex-wifetearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. Hurst speculated that it was likely that water sprayed by firefighters had spread the lighter fluid from the melted container. The Huntsville Unit where the executions take place . 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. Prueba de fuego est disponible en Netflix! He admitted he burnt them to me, and he was convicted for his crime. Also, the prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of convict Johnny Webb, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. He added that Willingham's Led Zeppelin poster of a fallen angel was "many times" an indicator of "cultive-type" activities. He told me he was sorry and that he hoped that I could forgive him one day. According to Brandice Barbee, "All I could see was smoke. Oct. 14, 2010. 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. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. 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. Willingham maintained his innocence up until his death and spent years trying to appeal his conviction. The commission was never asked to determine whether Willingham was innocent, and was never going to reach a conclusion on his innocence. That statement was false. Once the fire had reached flashover and the fire department arrived, Willingham became far more agitated, to the point of being restrained by emergency services. All Rights Reserved. "[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. Aftermath of the fire [Texas State Fire Marshal's Office] On December 23, 1991, fire gutted the home where Cameron Todd Willingham, then 23, lived with his wife, Stacy Kuykendall, and the couple's three daughters: two-year-old Amber Kuykendall and one . Mar 11, 2015 at 10:07 am. Cameron Todd Willingham, who went by Todd, with his wife, Stacy. Neighbors described this group as having an odd levity, which was seen to turn somber on the arrival of authorities. . 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. Hes never hurt those kids, she said. The spokeswoman added he was aware of a "claim of a reinterpretation of (the) arson testimony. In 1999, she spoke to Elizabeth Gilbert, a teacher and playwright from Houston who had begun to investigate Willinghams case. TV-14. Attorneys for Willingham's family are seeking his exoneration. 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. 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. . https://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/10/cameron-todd-willingham-media-meltdown.html?m=1You can visit my Facebook page @stacy Willingham byGoggle #willinghamgi. CBS News Texas: Free 24/7 News In 2004, Stacy Kuykendall told the Chicago Tribune that he never confessed, and she said the same to The New Yorker in 2009. Your email address will not be published. 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. Cameron Todd Willingham, shown with his then-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, and their daughters, was executed in 2004. While I was reporting myNew Yorker article, I tried to talk to Stacy Kuykendall, but she said that she no longer wanted to discuss the case. Prosecutors charged that Willingham set the fire and killed the children in an attempt to cover up the abuse of the children and wife. Stacy Kuykendall, Self: Evil Lives Here. 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." Also, Stacy Kuykendall now claims that he confessed in the same conversation that he asked her to help with his clemency bid. Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three children. 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 . Kuykendall told prosecutors that he had never abused the children. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. [1], Willingham was charged with murder on January 8, 1992. Cameron Todd Willingham, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 17 February 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of his three children. [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. 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. I dont blame Todds stepmom for fighting for her son, she continued to The Huffington Post in 2012. Shes given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his execution, Jackson said. "[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. Throughout his time on death row, he always maintained his innocence. Join Facebook to connect with Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered and others you may know. 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. It was a heartbreaking, heartless death sentence. [1] Grigson had served as an expert witness for the prosecution in murder trials across the state of Texas. Emily Meade as Stacey in "Trial By Fire.". The State Fire Marshal's Office continues to stand behind the arson finding. 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. February 27, 2023 endeavor air pilot contract No Comments . He said that Kuykendall, who had divorced Willingham while he was on Death Row, had recently visited him, then gathered the family to say that he had confessed. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. According to an August 2009 investigative report by an expert hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the original claims of arson were doubtful. On one fact, Willingham changed his story. Myth: Its hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didnt say., Your email address will not be published. Myth: Facebook gives people the power to. [9][10] The APA said that Grigson had violated the organization's ethics code by, "arriving at a psychiatric diagnosis without first having examined the individuals in question, and for indicating, while testifying in court as an expert witness, that he could predict with 100 per cent certainty that the individuals would engage in future violent acts. 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.. For years, Stacy Kuykendall advocated for Cameron Todd Willingham, stating repeatedly that she believed he didn't deliberately start the house fire that killed their three daughters in 1991. Stacy Kuykendall read a prepared statement to reporters outside the Travis County courthouse. The science commission is still looking into whether investigators were negligent in ruling the fire was caused by arson. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Willingham a writ of habeas corpus a month before his execution. Their daughters killed in the 1991 fire were two and one (twins), and Willingham escaped. 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. Where Is Stacey Willingham From Trial By Fire In 2019? Cameron Todd Willingham : biography. On Jan. 8, the night before Willingham's 24th birthday, he was arrested by a SWAT team. [1] This coverage suggested that the arson evidence was misinterpreted. Cameron Todd Willingham during a 2004 death-row interview just before his execution. Her statement is curious. He spoke about the contradictions between Kuykendalls public statements and her brothers affidavit. 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. A jury in Corsicana, south of Dallas, convicted Willingham of capital murder in 1992. But a few days before that meeting, Perry removed three members of the commission and appointed Bradley, a conservative ally, as its chairman. 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 said if I didnt have my girls I couldnt leave him and that I could never have Amber or the twins with anyone else but him. By The New Yorker. 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]. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. But the investigators' conclusions have been strongly challenged by several fire experts. Application of the Law is not perfect in the UK either, but Todd would still be alive if hed lived here, and would probably have been exonerated. Gary Green stabbed his wife, Lovetta Armstead, Alexander Watson was arrested after an armed robbery turned into a murder. On February 8, 2004the very day that Ronnie Kuykendall claimed his sister had told him that Willingham had confessedthe CorsicanaDaily Sun publishedan interview with Stacy Kuykendall. 1. "[7], In June 2009, the State of Texas ordered a re-examination of the case. He wrote, "Willingham's wife insisted during the trial and under interrogation that Willingham had not physically abused the children. Cameron Todd Willingham's 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. Photo: Flashlight Films/Kobal/Shutterstock. 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 . 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. 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. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire . AUSTIN, Tex. They dont care if the person is indeed telling the truth. Many of those hearsay witnesses statements evolved and hardened once they knew Willingham was a suspect in the case. When Willingham was arrested, he vigorously professed his innocence. Hurst said in December 2004 that "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. 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. 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. It was just a fire. Mothers love their children and always will, no matter what happens in their lives I understand why she does not want to face the facts of what he did to our girls.. 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'. I said that I was going to divorce you. Family's Effort to Clear Name Frames Debate on Executions. He was a mean person to me, but something like that, no., Willingham had written to Kuykendall, asking her to come visit. He wanted her help in his appeal for clemency and also to say goodbye. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. In February 2014, The New York Times reported that the Innocence Project investigators said that they had discovered a handwritten note in Webb's files indicating that such a deal was in play. He was executed on February 17, 2004, aged 36. Willingham was accused of arson . (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.). Jailhouse informants are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use. Cameron Todd Willingham, who went by Todd, with his wife, Stacy. I think they were after somebody, she said. Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Stacy Kuykendall Says Texas Shouldn't Pardon Him [EXCLUSIVE] | HuffPost . Bradley was appointed to the science commission post by Gov. Rick Perry in what many viewed as a political move to bury new evidence that cast doubt on Willingham's guilt. [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. If Stacy will advise, I will be happy to make correction. Willingham was accused of arson . Over time, she has alternated between claiming she believes her former husband is guilty and innocent. 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. She said that she and Willingham had not had a disagreement for two weeks. After the fire, the police investigation determined that the fire had been started using some form of a liquid accelerant. On 23 December 1991, the Corsicana home of Cameron Willingham burned. With Bob Gallagher, Amber Louise Kuykendall, Stacy Kuykendall, Kameron Marie Willingham. as Tracy Kuykendall (l.) comforts his sister Stacy Kuykendall, the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham. By David Grann. I remember when he was executed. Each time, she said that she and Todd had not fought the night before the blaze, and that they had gone to Kmart to pick up photographs of the family to get ready for their Christmas celebration. During the penalty phase of the trial, she testified under oath. They said somebody had poured a combustible accelerant on the floor throughout the house. The case will resume Oct. 14. His wrists and hands were blackened with smoke. The forensic analysis is what determined that a crime had been committed in the first place. Here are five crucial facts about the case. The defense did not present a fire expert because the one hired by Willingham's attorney also said the fire was caused by arson. According to the affidavits, Willingham's ex-wife had told Ronnie that Willingham confessed to her that he had set the fire. [45], 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[46] starring Laura Dern and Jack O'Connell as Willingham.[47]. The order comes at the end of a day of testimony. VASQUEZ: Did he get angry at you for any reason? [1], In 2009, John Jackson, the prosecutor at the trial, stated that burns suffered by Willingham were "so superficial as to suggest that the same were self-inflicted in an attempt to divert suspicion from himself. "I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. The science commission was set to hear testimony from Beyler last year. . 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. Since her ex-husbands execution, Stacy Kuykendall has remained completely under the radar. In their final meeting, however, he did not confess, she told the Tribune. 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. 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. )[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. [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.