[3] Both were sharply critical of Beyler. A psychologist was asked to interpret Willingham's Iron Maiden poster. Kuykendall claims in the . Willingham was accused of arson . 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.. It seems unlikely that, moments after asking for this favor, he suddenly confessed to the murder of her children. He told me he was sorry and that he hoped that I could forgive him one day. We asked her, Did he confess in that conversation? She said, No. The couple's three children died in a fire Dec. 23, 1991, at the family's Corsicana, Texas, home. 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. Since her ex-husbands execution, Stacy Kuykendall has remained completely under the radar. He did not. Mills, who is still at theTribune, confirms Possleys account. "[7], In June 2009, the State of Texas ordered a re-examination of the case. As the fire took hold, Willingham was driven out through the front door of his house, where he crouched down near the entrance. [6], The prosecutor also said that Willingham was a serial wife abuser, both physically and emotionally. The science commission was set to hear testimony from Beyler last year. Willingham's ex-wife tearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. 1. Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted and Executed in Texas - Innocence Project. "[27], But Hurst said, "The whole case was based on the purest form of junk science. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. The 3rd Court of Appeals ordered state District Judge Charlie Baird to not rule on the case of Cameron Todd Willingham. "He was polite, and he seemed to care," she said. But Stacy Kuykendall knew Todd better than anyone, and she's convinced that he was a monster who was guilty as charged and deserved to die. The case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in 2004 and whom Iwrote about forThe New Yorker last month, has taken another strange twist. When the recusal motion was denied, Thompson appealed to the Third Court of Appeals and had the proceedings stayed. . It was an unusual hearing . Willingham later said that he removed the car out of concern that it could explode and worsen the house fire. Alexander Watson was arrested after an armed robbery turned into a murder, but while he was in custody, DNA evidence revealed that he had killed before and that he was an undiscovered serial killer. She said that she and Willingham had not had a disagreement for two weeks. Last Sunday, in a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cameron Todd Willingham's former wife, Stacy Kuykendall . 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. "He admitted he did it and told me why," she said. Cameron Todd Willingham, who went by Todd, with his wife, Stacy. Its hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didnt say., Your email address will not be published. Nine nationally renowned, independent experts have reviewed the case in the last five years and found that the forensic analysis was wrong. Once more, she never mentioned that they had fought the night before the fire or that she had threatened to divorce him, and she said that she was convinced he was innocent. [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. Myth: While its now clear that the forensic analysis was wrong, we couldnt have known that with the science at the time. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Stacy Kuykendall Says Texas Shouldn't Pardon Him [EXCLUSIVE] | HuffPost . List of people executed in Texas, 20002009, List of people executed in the United States in 2004, List of wrongful convictions in the United States, "Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man? Myth: If Stacy will advise, I will be happy to make correction. Person after person has stood up and testified to facts of this case that quite frankly you all aren't covering. Willingham explained that he moved his car because he was afraid fuel in the car would cause the fire to get much worse. VASQUEZ: Did he get angry at you for any reason? This was taken as evidence that the accelerant was poured by Willingham as he left the house. Within 5 miles of your location. Protestors posthumously campaigning for Cameron Willingham's innocence, photographed outside a hearing in 2010 (Image: Jay Jenner/AP) An American chemist and fire investigator named Gerald Hurst was able to rebut the evidence of arson brought against Willingham. Stacy Kuykendall is known for Evil Lives Here (2016). 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 . [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. 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." He wrote, "Willingham's wife insisted during the trial and under interrogation that Willingham had not physically abused the children. [16], But journalist David Grann reported that "there is evidence that Willingham hit his wife, even when she was pregnant, but there were no police reports or medical evidence indicating that Willingham had tried to abort or kill his children." There was no item of evidence that indicated arson." On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. All Rights Reserved. "[17], Commenting on the condition of the house, Jackson added, "any escape or rescue route from the burning house was blocked by a refrigerator, which had been pushed against the back door, requiring any person attempting an escape to run through the conflagration at the front of the house. I said that I was going to divorce you. [37], In 2010, the Innocence Project filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas, seeking a judgment of "official oppression. If he had pleaded guilty, he would most likely have been sentenced to life in prison. 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. But tragically, their three young children were killed in the blaze. Stacy Kuykendall visited Willingham shortly before the execution, which is when he supposedly confessed. That was until she spoke to . "[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. Neighbors later told the police how they had seen Willingham crouching on the lawn outside his house as the building went up in smoke. 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. Menu. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered is on Facebook. The defense did not present a fire expert because the one hired by Willingham's attorney also said the fire was caused by arson. Why is it turned into a competition between lawyers. 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. 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. I remember when he was executed. Before the trial, he even refused to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. We provide you with news from the entertainment industry . Daily Sun) CORSICANA . A jury in Corsicana, south of Dallas, convicted Willingham of capital murder in 1992. While Willingham always insisted he was innocent, later evidence suggested he was wrongly convicted and executed. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Willingham a writ of habeas corpus a month before his execution. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Craig Beyler's report criticized investigators who ruled the . She noted that he had an inadequate defense, saying of one of his lawyers, Hes not a good lawyer. 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. 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. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. Write by: . 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. Evil Lives Here airs at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery. Webb later sent Jackson a "Motion to Recant Testimony," which declared, "Mr. Willingham is innocent of all charges." [33] In 2010, she declared, "Todd murdered Amber, Karmon, and Kameron. "[16] Grann, however, said fire investigators who reviewed the case told him that "Willingham's first-degree and second-degree burns were consistent with being in a fire before the moment of 'flashover' that is, when everything in a room suddenly ignites. On December 23, 1991, a fire enveloped the home of Todd and Stacey in Corsicana, Texas. Descubre qu pasa hoy con Stacy Kuykendall, ex esposa de Cameron Willingham! "[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. 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. It is also tasked with determining what corrective action, if any, is needed to ensure that forensic analysis in cases like this is reliable. 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. Although Kuykendall, who was eventually convinced of her ex-husbands guilt, turned down many of his last requests, she was there for his execution by lethal injection. 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 was a mean person to me, but something like that, no., Willingham had written to Kuykendall, asking her to come visit. 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. The case was discussed again in a 2009 investigative report in The New Yorker. KERA's Bill Zeeble reports the . "[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. 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. [6] But none of the girls were found at the time of death to have physical injuries that were still distinguishable after the effects of the fire. Corsicana -- The Associated Press is reporting that Stacy Kuykendall, former wife of Cameron Todd Willingham, will hold a press conference today before an Austin judge is scheduled to begin a hearing on whether or not Cameron Willingham was wrongly executed for the deaths of his three daughters in a 1991 fire ruled as arson. The new chair, John Bradley, canceled the meeting, sparking accusations that Perry was interfering with the investigation[4] and using it for his own political advantage. [1], Willingham had the Texas Department of Criminal Justice number 999041. October 26, 2009. According to an August 2009 investigative report by an expert hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the original claims of arson were doubtful. [citation needed], In addition to the arson evidence presented at the trial, a jailhouse informant named Johnny Webb testified at that time. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. TV-14. But the investigators' conclusions have been strongly challenged by several fire experts. They said somebody had poured a combustible accelerant on the floor throughout the house. According to their sworn statements, both Brandice Barbee and Diane Barbee urged Willingham to return to the house to rescue his children. "[11], The prosecution sought to establish that Willingham's conduct at the time of the fire and in the days afterward was suspicious. Kuykendall voice began quavering early in her statement, as she noted her oldest daughter would be 21 and her twins would be 19. "[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. Self - Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Getting Started . Willingham escaped the home with only minor burns. 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). According to The New Yorker article, Willingham had been unfaithful, drank heavily, and would physically assaulted his partner, even while she was pregnant. Photo: Flashlight Films/Kobal/Shutterstock. 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.. Shes given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his execution, Jackson said. American justice (in many cases) is flawed. Myths and Facts about the Willingham Case. Two medical experts confirmed the theory. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. (Scott Honea/Corsicana (Tex.) 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.