Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three children. [35] For example, earlier in 2009, Kuykendall supported her 2004 contradiction of her brother's affidavit (saying that there had been no confession) and had previously always maintained that things had been amicable between her and Willingham before the fire. 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. Hes never hurt those kids, she said. 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. "[43] A jury later heard and rejected the claim that Jackson had hid evidence, finding in favor of Jackson. Evil Lives Here airs at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery. . Bradley subsequently canceled the meeting amid accusations that Perry was interfering with the inquiry. Photo: Flashlight Films/Kobal/Shutterstock. Authorities had to restrain Willingham from going back into the house. wife, Stacy. Before the trial, he even refused to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. But tragically, their three young children were killed in the . Myth: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "Our kids were spoiled rotten," she said, insisting he would never harm their children,[1] but according to Kuykendall, she herself was abused by him. 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. She noted that he had an inadequate defense, saying of one of his lawyers, "He's not a good lawyer. KERA's Bill Zeeble reports the . Willingham's attorneys were not notified. TV Schedule for Investigation Discovery USA HD - Eastern Dal momento che Willingham's Nell'esecuzione del 2004 , sono sorte importanti polemiche sulla legittimit del verdetto di colpevolezza e sull'interpretazione . 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. 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. [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. Hurst said in December 2004 that "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. Jailhouse informants are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use. Stacy Kuykendall, the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham, said in a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published Sunday that Willingham told her he was upset by threats to divorce him after . 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. Prosecutors are fighting that effort, which is being led by the Innocence Project, a New York legal center. 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. 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. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. stacy willingham married. Cameron Todd Willingham (1968-2004) - Find a Grave Memorial 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. [1], Willingham was charged with murder on January 8, 1992. Other than a jailhouse informant who has been solidly discredited (and who recently asked when the statute of limitations for perjury runs out), the forensic analysis was the only evidence that a crime occurred. Rick Perry had done all he could to justify the 2004 execution of inmate Cameron Todd Willingham . [23], In 2004, Gerald Hurst examined the arson evidence compiled by state deputy fire marshal Manuel Vasquez. When Willingham exited his bedroom, the hallway was not yet on fire; the fire was contained in the childrens bedroom. He wrote, "Willingham's wife insisted during the trial and under interrogation that Willingham had not physically abused the children. That statement was false. Myth: Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered - Facebook [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]. [5] However, there was no evidence of child abuse. January 9, 1968 - February 16, 2004 . [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. In the case, Willingham refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire . Sad when people cant just tell the truth. 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. She said, If I said it, then its true., In the course of reporting my story, I also spoke to John Jackson, who prosecuted Willingham. He said that he woke up to her cry of Daddy, Daddy. Willingham said he woke up and saw smoke hovering a few feet above him, then jumped up from the bed where Ambers body would later be found, put on his pants and ran to the kids room where all he could see was fire. Cameron Todd Willingham's ex-wife spoke out saying that he - reddit She told reporters thatWillingham set the fire that killed the girls "and watched while their tiny bodies burned.". 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. [1] Grigson had served as an expert witness for the prosecution in murder trials across the state of Texas. "I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. Ken Light. Our kids were spoiled rotten.. [1], Jackson contradicted Willingham's account by claiming blood gas analysis at Navarro Regional Hospital shortly after the fire revealed that Willingham had not inhaled any smoke. 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? 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 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. Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Stacy Kuykendall Says Texas Shouldn't Pardon Him [EXCLUSIVE] | HuffPost. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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 himself escaped the home with only minor burns. 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. Did Man Confess Before Much-Debated Execution? Former Wife May Think So Kuykendall and Willingham had a tumultuous past and both had come from troubled backgrounds. I said that I was going to divorce you. The family of Cameron Todd Willingham has asked a judge to posthumously clear his name, arguing that he was put to death based on "junk science." . Details in Stacy Kuykendall recent statements contradict what she said in multiple statements to law enforcement authorities, letters to Willingham and attorneys, and under oath at his trial. A WOMAN who has seen nearly 300 prisoners die at Huntsville State Prison in Texas said she still remembers the final words of Cameron Willingham, who killed his three daughters. My girls would have been 23 and 21 years old today. stacy willingham married Fire expert criticizes investigation that led to execution By The New Yorker. There was no item of evidence that indicated arson." [3] A 2011 documentary, Incendiary: The Willingham Case, also explored the case. S9 E1: Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. Is anyone feeling that the mom has strong narcissistic vibes, I worked on both cases. Continued Coverage of Todd Willingham, An Innocent Executed Around two weeks before the execution, Kuykendall went to see Willingham. Cameron Todd Willingham's Real Last Words. 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. [22] He was 36 years old. Thank you for visiting us. There has been serious doubt expressed over the validity of Willinghams conviction. : Directed by Phoebe Kwong, Joel Pincosy. On seeing neighbor Diane Barbee, Willingham began to shout at her to call 911, shouting "My babies are in there! However, Cameron maintained his innocence to his dying breath, and later evidence also suggested that he could have been wrongly executed. Perry on Willingham: He was a 'bad man' - News - The Austin Chronicle [6], The prosecutor also said that Willingham was a serial wife abuser, both physically and emotionally. According to Brandice Barbee, "All I could see was smoke. In her most recent statement explaining why she had once defended Willingham, she said. State District Judge Charles Baird delayed the hearing Wednesday in the case of Cameron Todd Willingham after prosecutors moved for Baird's recusal. Stacy Kuykendall Now: Where is Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Today . Help us advocate for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Innocence Project. Murder of his three young children by Cameron Todd Willingham examined 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's case gained attention in December 2004, when Maurice Possley and Steve Mills of the Chicago Tribune published on poor investigative tactics. Willingham escaped the home with only minor burns. Craig Beyler, hired by the Forensic Science Commission, said of one of the analysts: None of these determinations have any basis in modern fire science, and of the second analysts findings: There is no basis for this notion in modern fire science. He found that the investigators did not comport with the standard of care for fire investigation at the time, and that a finding of arson could not be sustained., In a report filed with the Forensic Science Commission in 2006, five leading experts said each and every one of the indicators relied on [to determine that the fire was arson] have since been scientifically proven to be invalid., Gerald Hurst, whose report was sent to the governor before Willinghams execution, has said, Theres nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fireIt was just a fire.. The couple's three children died in a fire Dec. 23, 1991, at the family's Corsicana, Texas, home. His report was sent to authorities asking to postpone the execution. 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. In Loving Memory of 3 Murdered Children (Murdered by Cameron Todd The spokeswoman added he was aware of a "claim of a reinterpretation of (the) arson testimony. He added that Willingham's Led Zeppelin poster of a fallen angel was "many times" an indicator of "cultive-type" activities. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered "What they are interested in is finding the poster boy for the abolition of the death penalty," Bradley said. By Maurice Possley, The Marshall Project. Required fields are marked *. He burnt them. Webb later asked, "The statute of limitations has run out on perjury, hasn't it? Stacy Kuykendall visited Willingham shortly before the execution, which is when he supposedly confessed. Why is it turned into a competition between lawyers. A jury in Corsicana, south of Dallas, convicted Willingham of capital murder in 1992. It was an unusual hearing . According to an August 2009 investigative report by an expert hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the original claims of arson were doubtful. of Criminal Justice . Willingham, played . A Life Cut Short: Todd Willingham Photos - ABC News Shes given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his execution, Jackson said. 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. Webb later sent Jackson a "Motion to Recant Testimony," which declared, "Mr. Willingham is innocent of all charges."