Willingham's Ex-Wife: "He Watched While Their Tiny Bodies Burned" 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 was used to . [16] However, those not associated with the case paint a different picture of Willingham. Myth: Emily Meade as Stacey in "Trial By Fire.". [33] In 2010, she declared, "Todd murdered Amber, Karmon, and Kameron. "And they want to make Willingham that poster boy. Prior to his death, he was expelled by the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians for unethical conduct. Willingham's case gained attention in December 2004, when Maurice Possley and Steve Mills of the Chicago Tribune published on poor investigative tactics. This is because Willingham was anything but that; he regularly verbally abused and beat his wife, and in some of these instances, the police was called. Mar 11, 2015 at 10:07 am. He admitted he burnt them to me, and he was convicted for his crime. Since her ex-husbands execution, Stacy Kuykendall has remained completely under the radar. Our justice system has become who can twist a believable story, not the truth. Willingham's Family Seeks "Posthumous Pardon" | The Texas Tribune When Willingham exited his bedroom, the hallway was not yet on fire; the fire was contained in the childrens bedroom. 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. March 9, 2015. Cameron Todd Willingham - gaz.wiki According to The New Yorker article, Willingham had been unfaithful, drank heavily, and would physically assaulted his partner, even while she was pregnant. Willingham's ex-wife tearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. But tragically, their three young children were killed in the blaze. In their final meeting, however, he did not confess, she told the Tribune. "My ex-husband murdered my daughters . 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. The prosecutor, John Jackson, and the City of Corsicana have both released formal responses to the Beyler Report on the investigation of the fire that killed Willingham's three children at the behest of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Cameron Todd Willingham | Found a Grave That was until she spoke to . The defense did not present a fire expert because the one hired by Willingham's attorney also said the fire was caused by arson. Oct. 14, 2010. Kuykendall told prosecutors that he had never abused the children. Fresh doubts over a Texas execution | The Washington Post Is Cameron Todd Willingham Dead or Alive? How Did Cameron Todd [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]. About Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and . Hurst said in December 2004 that "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. During his trial, Willingham did not testify; the defense called only one witness, the Willinghams' babysitter, who stated that she believed that Willingham could not have killed his children. 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. "[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). [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. Nine nationally renowned, independent experts have reviewed the case in the last five years and found that the forensic analysis was wrong. By The New Yorker. Baird has twice sat on courts considering Willingham's appeal and once won an award from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. How Did Cameron Todd Willingham Die? Myths and Facts about the Willingham Case - Innocence Project His report was sent to authorities asking to postpone the execution. Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. Jackson stated that Willingham's comment was an indicator of guilt. David Grann: Stacy Speaks: News Desk : The New Yorker. 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. Facebook Cameron Todd Willingham "Rising from the Ashes" # - YouTube 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. Facebook gives people the power to. The investigators concluded that the fire had been started deliberately. 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.. 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. . Evil Lives Here: What If He Was Innocent? episode 1. season 9. TvProfil 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. Within 5 miles of your location. 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. In the fall of 2004, just months after Willinghams execution, the ChicagoTribune reporters Steve Mills and Maurice Possley visited Kuykendall at her house and asked her if Willingham had, in fact, confessed to her. [1][19], At trial, the fire investigator Vasquez testified there were three points of origin for the fire, which indicated that the fire was "intentionally set by human hands. 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. Several witnesses testified for the prosecution. 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. But she said in an interview that was untrue. 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. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. 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. Church recalls, I point-blank asked Kuykendall, Did he confess his guilt? And she said, No.. February 27, 2023 The investigators also found charring under the aluminum front doorjamb, which they believed was a further indication of a liquid accelerant and tested positive for such an accelerant in the area of the front door. Last Sunday, in a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cameron Todd Willingham's former wife, Stacy Kuykendall . 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. Willingham explained that he moved his car because he was afraid fuel in the car would cause the fire to get much worse. Where Is Stacey Willingham From Trial By Fire In 2019? Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. [1], At Willingham's trial, Webb offered an explanation for the individual, distinguishable burns found on Amber's forehead and arm. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered Yet Kuykendall continued to give the same version of events long after the fire and after she and Willingham were divorced. Murder of his three young children by Cameron Todd Willingham examined on Evil Lives Here . 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. No clear motive was found, and Willingham's wife denied that the couple had been fighting prior to the night of the fire. 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. On December 23, 1991, a fire enveloped the home of Todd and Stacey in Corsicana, Texas. It seems unlikely that, moments after asking for this favor, he suddenly confessed to the murder of her children. That was until she spoke to him shortly before his execution. He's just not.". "[1] A sample of burned material near the doorway of the house tested positive for mineral spirits, indicating the presence of lighter fluid. 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. 5 Things To Know About The Cameron Todd Willingham Case | Crime History The Big Little Lies actress, 52, plays Elizabeth Gilbert in Trial by Fire, the real-life ordinary citizen who took on the case of Cameron Todd Willingham as he sat on death row. Testimony from fire investigators was the primary evidence against Willingham. I was 21, just lost all my children and now everyone expected me to believe that their father did this. Cameron was executed by lethal injection on February 17, 2004. Or try to make you believe them just because a movie made THEM look bad. "[43] A jury later heard and rejected the claim that Jackson had hid evidence, finding in favor of Jackson. [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. My girls would have been 23 and 21 years old today. Willingham's Stepmother Responds | The New Yorker Neighbors later told the police how they had seen Willingham crouching on the lawn outside his house as the building went up in smoke. But tragically, their three young children were killed in the . Write by: . Cameron Todd Willingham, who went by Todd, with his wife, Stacy. S9 E1: Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. Willinghams ex-wife said that he hit her but never tried to hurt the children. She said that she and Willingham had not had a disagreement for two weeks. On Sunday, Stacy Kuykendall the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham gave her first public statement in years. Perhaps most notably, Hurst was able to explain the presence of lighter fluid at the scene: a charcoal grill which had been used . Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered - Facebook 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. [1], Willingham had the Texas Department of Criminal Justice number 999041. 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. He spoke about the contradictions between Kuykendalls public statements and her brothers affidavit. Rick Perry, others don't align with facts", "Convict in disputed execution was guilty, ex-wife says", "Third Court Rules in Willingham Case: Matter must be referred to Judge Stubblefield", "Bar Files Disciplinary Case Against Ex-Prosecutor", "Prosecutor accused of misconduct in disputed Texas execution case", https://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/update-jury-rules-in-jacksons-favor-in-civil-judicial-misconduct-trial/article_cdcf8856-35e7-11e7-81dd-2ba5db18fbeb.html, "Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern Star For Ed Zwick In 'Trial By Fire', "Tune in Tonight: Scheck on "The Good Wife", Faulty Testimony Sent 2 to Death Row, Panel Finds, "Texas Execution Information: Cameron Willingham", City of Corsicana Response to Beyler Report, 29 September 2009, "Media Advisory: Cameron Todd Willingham Scheduled For Execution", Analysis of the Fire Investigation Methods and Procedures Used in the Criminal Arson Case Against Ernest Ray Willis and Cameran Todd Willingham Craig L. Beyler, Willingham Files A collection of all stories published by the Corsicana Daily Sun, Media Advisory: Cameron Todd Willingham Scheduled For Execution, PBS portal on the Cameron Todd Willingham case including original documents, a shorter summary of the Cameron Todd Willingham case a slide show presentation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cameron_Todd_Willingham&oldid=1137586879, 21st-century executions of American people, People executed by Texas by lethal injection, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox criminal with known for parameter, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 12:27. When the recusal motion was denied, Thompson appealed to the Third Court of Appeals and had the proceedings stayed. 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. Throughout his time on death row, he always maintained his innocence. 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. The National Fire Protection Association had issued guidelines several months before Willinghams trial that directly contradicted the analysis the experts used (and testified about at the trial). Killed in the fire were Willingham's three daughters: two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. The 3rd Court of Appeals ordered state District Judge Charlie Baird to not rule on the case of Cameron Todd Willingham. I dont blame Todds stepmom for fighting for her son, she continued to The Huffington Post in 2012. [1], Eyewitnesses described Willingham as having "singed hair on his chest, eyelids, and head and had a two-inch burn injury on his right shoulder, but the prosecution highlighted the absence of any evidence of smoke inhalation. The Texas Forensic Science Commission is going to determine whether Willingham was innocent. 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. I think they were after somebody, she said. 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. 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. 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. He was a mean person to me, but something like that, no., Willingham had written to Kuykendall, asking her to come visit. "[17], An August 2009 Chicago Tribune investigative article concluded, "Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation's top fire scientists first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the commission. [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. Did Todd Willingham confess or did Stacy Kuykendall lie? - Blogger Also, the prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of convict Johnny Webb, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. 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. According to Brandice Barbee, "All I could see was smoke. He admitted that he exaggerated having gone inside the babies room (he said he wanted to sound brave and feared that people would think he was a coward for not going into the burning room). Texas mom who witnessed more than 300 executions tells how she's still 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. Stacy Kuykendall read a prepared statement to reporters outside the Travis County courthouse. In the case, Willingham refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. "[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. The commission was never asked to determine whether Willingham was innocent, and was never going to reach a conclusion on his innocence. He was executed on February 17, 2004, aged 36. 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. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered is on Facebook. 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. By David Grann. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. 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. . 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. [12] All twenty of the indications listed by Vasquez of an accelerant being used were rebutted by Hurst,[1] who concluded there was "no evidence of arson" the same conclusion reached by other fire investigators. Stacy Kuykendall, Self: Evil Lives Here. [7] Webb later told David Grann, a reporter for The New Yorker that he might have been mistaken. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Stacy Kuykendall Now: Where is Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Today (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.). Rick Perry had done all he could to justify the 2004 execution of inmate Cameron Todd Willingham . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "He was polite, and he seemed to care," she said. 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. Kuykendall claims in the . Myth: 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." . Webb later asked, "The statute of limitations has run out on perjury, hasn't it? Willingham's Stepmother Responds. Willingham ex-wife featured on streaming series | News Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire . Willinghams former probation officer and a judge both directly refute any notion that he was a sociopath. This was taken as evidence that the accelerant was poured by Willingham as he left the house.

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