Mills told me, We accurately reported our encounter with her in 2004.. Hes never hurt those kids, she said. 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. She never mentioned that she intended to divorce Willingham, whom she had married three months earlier. 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. Even without evidence that the fire was arson, Willingham would have been convicted because there was substantial other evidence. Throughout the process, Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's former wife and the mother of the three victims, has maintained that he was guilty of the murders. Vasquez asked her if he ever abused the children. They dont care if the person is indeed telling the truth. How Did Cameron Todd Willingham Die? [33] In 2010, she declared, "Todd murdered Amber, Karmon, and Kameron. 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. I dont blame Todds stepmom for fighting for her son, she continued to The Huffington Post in 2012. 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. 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.. When Stacy Kuykendall agreed to lie on the stand to protect her husband, Cameron Todd Willingham, she still believed him to be an innocent man. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [5] However, there was no evidence of child abuse. It was an unusual hearing . Join Facebook to connect with Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered and others you may know. She said he would not have hurt the children. Evidence of such a deal would have eliminated Webb's testimony. Webb later sent Jackson a "Motion to Recant Testimony," which declared, "Mr. Willingham is innocent of all charges." 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. [24], This left only the chemical testing for accelerant. All Rights Reserved. On Jan. 8, the night before Willingham's 24th birthday, he was arrested by a SWAT team. David Grann: Stacy Speaks: News Desk : The New Yorker. [16] In a 2009 article discussing the reasons why Willingham was found guilty, Jackson recalled witness statements establishing that Willingham was overheard whispering to his deceased older daughter at the funeral home, "You're not the one who was supposed to die." He spoke about the contradictions between Kuykendalls public statements and her brothers affidavit. Gary Green stabbed his wife, Lovetta Armstead, and then drowned her daughter Jazzmen Montgomery before her two sons managed to persuade him to spare their lives in this particularly horrible case of anger and jealously. Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. 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. The commission was never asked to determine whether Willingham was innocent, and was never going to reach a conclusion on his innocence. [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. AUSTIN Nine days before Cameron Todd Willingham was to be executed for setting a house fire that killed his three daughters, his ex-wife called her family together to tearfully recount a . Stacy Kuykendall, Self: Evil Lives Here. [37], In 2010, the Innocence Project filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas, seeking a judgment of "official oppression. She noted that he had an inadequate defense, saying of one of his lawyers, Hes not a good lawyer. His report was sent to authorities asking to postpone the execution. Before the trial, he even refused to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. In their final meeting, however, he did not confess, she told the Tribune. KERA's Bill Zeeble reports the . "I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. Even if the analysts didnt know it was wrong at the time, they surely should have known it in the years following and should have brought it to the attention of courts and prosecutors long before the 11th-hour efforts that preceded Willinghams execution. [2] The Corsicana Fire Department disputes the findings, stating that the report overlooked several key points in the record. State district Judge Charlie Baird scheduled an unusual court of inquiry hearing Wednesday after the Innocence Project filed a petition asking him to "restore the reputation" of Willingham and declare he was wrongly convicted. 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. CBS News Texas: Free 24/7 News "[7], In June 2009, the State of Texas ordered a re-examination of the case. Evil Lives Here is examing a shocking case involving the murder of three young children through an act of arson by their father, Cameron Todd Willingham, in Corsicana, Texas, in 1991. Webb later recanted his recantation. [20] While on death row, Willingham was initially incarcerated in the Ellis Unit,[1] and later in the Polunsky Unit.[21]. Baird in the meantime will likely either recuse himself or refer the case to another judge for a decision on recusal. He was executed on February 17, 2004, aged 36. : Directed by Phoebe Kwong, Joel Pincosy. Jimmie Hensley, a police detective, and Douglas Fogg, the assistant fire chief who both investigated the fire told Grann that they had never believed that the refrigerator was part of the arson plot. 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. Emily Meade as Stacey in "Trial By Fire.". 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. Prior to his death, he was expelled by the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians for unethical conduct. He burnt them. We are evil when it comes to justice. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire. 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. 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 . Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Hurst speculated that it was likely that water sprayed by firefighters had spread the lighter fluid from the melted container. Two prosecution experts who testified that Willingham was a sociopath had never met him; one was expelled from his professional association three years later for unethical behavior. Murder of his three young children by Cameron Todd Willingham examined on Evil Lives Here . Todd is guilty, the criminal justice system and the courts confirmed his guilt, and he should not be pardoned for his crimes, Kuykendall said at the time. Cameron Todd Willingham : biography. Throughout his time on death row, he always maintained his innocence. 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? Kuykendall told prosecutors that he had never abused the children. [1], Willingham had the Texas Department of Criminal Justice number 999041. Navarro County District Attorney R. Lowell Thompson is seeking Baird's removal. [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. He added that Willingham's Led Zeppelin poster of a fallen angel was "many times" an indicator of "cultive-type" activities. 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. Dallas, TX - Outside an Austin court room today, the ex-wife of convicted, executed killer Cameron Todd Willingham tearfully reiterated her former husband's guilt. And they chose poorly, because Willingham is a guilty monster.". Willingham was executed in 2004. Based on a 2009 investigative report by David Grann in The New Yorker, Trial by Fire concerns Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texan man who was convicted for the murder of his three children by arson . as Tracy Kuykendall (l.) comforts his sister Stacy Kuykendall, the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham. In 1992, Willingham was convicted of arson-related triple homicide and was executed 12 years later by the death penalty after his three daughters were killed in a 1991 house fire. He insisted he would not admit to something he had not done, even if it meant sparing his life. Sad when people cant just tell the truth. Around two weeks before the execution, Kuykendall went to see Willingham. The arson finding that led to his 1992 conviction has been disputed by numerous fire experts. Willingham's case and the investigative techniques were criticized by a 2004 Chicago Tribune article. She said that during her visit with Willingham in prison, he maintained that the fire was accidental and that their daughter Amber had likely caused it: Willingham laid out the same theory to Kuykendall that he suggested during the Daily Sun interviewthat Amber had accidentally set the fire. The case will resume Oct. 14. [26] Neither responded to Willingham's appeals. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the family home of Cameron Todd Willingham in Corsicana, Texas. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. 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 . Todd told me that it was stupid but it was like an obsession. There were far too many legal errors and turning a blind eye to the truth. By John Schwartz. Bradley was appointed to the science commission post by Gov. However, he insisted that he would not admit to a crime he claimed he didnt commit, so he was sentenced to die by lethal injection. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. "He was polite, and he seemed to care," she said. He said that a picture of a fist punching through a skull signified violence and death. [23], In 2004, Gerald Hurst examined the arson evidence compiled by state deputy fire marshal Manuel Vasquez. [18] 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. However, Cameron maintained his innocence to his dying breath, and later evidence also suggested that he could have been wrongly executed. During the penalty phase of the trial, she testified under oath. According to the affidavits, Willingham's ex-wife had told Ronnie that Willingham confessed to her that he had set the fire. He wanted her help in his appeal for clemency and also to say goodbye. Testimony from fire investigators was the primary evidence against Willingham. of Criminal Justice . 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). There has been serious doubt expressed over the validity of Willinghams conviction. Si quieres saber en qu se convierte Stacy Kuykendall hoy, Sigue leyendo! Your email address will not be published. Is anyone feeling that the mom has strong narcissistic vibes, I worked on both cases. It was a heartbreaking, heartless death sentence. 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.. February 27, 2023 It was the centerpiece of the case, as it is in other arson cases. In 1992, Willingham was convicted of arson-related triple homicide and was executed 12 years later by the death penalty after his three daughters were killed in a 1991 house fire. She was out shopping for Christmas presents at a thrift shop. While its now clear that the forensic analysis was wrong, we couldnt have known that with the science at the time. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. 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. Bradley subsequently canceled the meeting amid accusations that Perry was interfering with the inquiry. Neither one of us could live without them kids. While Kuykendall admitted to investigators that shed been hit by Willingham, she initially defended his innocence and didnt believe hed kill their children. . They said somebody had poured a combustible accelerant on the floor throughout the house. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. 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. Reports from arson experts who reviewed the case have been exaggerated; the experts dont really say the fire was not arson. The 2011 documentary Incendiary: The Willingham Case also explored the case. Willingham said that he never encountered Amber in those initial moments and theorized that Amber had left the kids room via a hall that led both to the front door and to another entrance to his bedroom and thats how he missed her. Prueba de fuego est disponible en Netflix! "[12] According to Brandice, he refused, and moved his car away from the fire before returning to sit on a nearby lawn, "not once attempting to go inside to rescue his children." It seems unlikely that, moments after asking for this favor, he suddenly confessed to the murder of her children. Cameron Todd Willingham, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 17 February 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of his three children. 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. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. In January 2004, the forensic evidence in the case was looked at by an established fire . Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. 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. Our kids were spoiled rotten.. Willingham's attorneys were not notified. [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. Myth: 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). "[1] A sample of burned material near the doorway of the house tested positive for mineral spirits, indicating the presence of lighter fluid. Write by: . 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." In a rebuttal, Grann wrote, "If the arson investigators had concluded that there was no scientific evidence that a crime had occurred as the top fire investigators in the country have now determined Willingham's words at the funeral would surely be viewed as a sign that he was tormented by the fact that he had survived without saving his children. About Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and . His former probation officer, Polly Goodin, said he had never demonstrated bizarre or sociopathic behavior and that "He was probably one of my favorite kids. 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. "[1], Webb and Jackson consistently denied that Webb was offered a sentence reduction in return for his testimony against Willingham. "[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. Willinghams ex-wife said that he hit her but never tried to hurt the children. 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. Not long after their encounter, a leading fire investigator, Dr. Gerald Hurst, completed his review of the original investigation and concluded, as other leading fire investigators would in the years to come, that there was no scientific basis to determine that Willingham had set the fire, and that the original fire investigators had based their theories on discredited methods. I think they were after somebody, she said. It is also tasked with determining what corrective action, if any, is needed to ensure that forensic analysis in cases like this is reliable. Willingham was accused of arson . 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. On 23 December 1991, the Corsicana home of Cameron Willingham burned. Mar 11, 2015 at 10:07 am. 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. Baird has twice sat on courts considering Willingham's appeal and once won an award from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. Stacy Kuykendall, his then-wife, played a . She provided a statement to the Fort Worth . On December 23, 1991, a fire enveloped the home of Todd and Stacey in Corsicana, Texas. His wife Stacey was out Christmas shopping at the time. "[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. While Willingham . On one fact, Willingham changed his story. 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." . Daily Sun) CORSICANA . January 9, 1968 - February 16, 2004 . March 9, 2015. Willingham's three children -- 2-year-old Amber Kuykendall and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron Willingham, died of smoke inhalation. Rick Perry had done all he could to justify the 2004 execution of inmate Cameron Todd Willingham . 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. Pic credit: Texas Dept. Stacy Kuykendall visited Willingham shortly before the execution, which is when he supposedly confessed. Facebook gives people the power to. Several witnesses testified for the prosecution. "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. He did not. Mills, who is still at theTribune, confirms Possleys account. Cameron Todd Willingham Just when it seemed Gov. I told him yes I did say that. . What If He Was Innocent? AUSTIN, Tex. 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. 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. At a local bar, where a fundraiser was held for the Willingham family, he placed an order for a replacement set, stating that "money was not a problem now. . "[43] A jury later heard and rejected the claim that Jackson had hid evidence, finding in favor of Jackson. Cameron Todd Willingham, who went by Todd, with his wife, Stacy. 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. When Willingham was arrested, he vigorously professed his innocence. [22] He was 36 years old. [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. Willingham didnt try to save his children (his wounds were superficial, he stood outside while the house burned, he moved his car, etc). Kuykendall voice began quavering early in her statement, as she noted her oldest daughter would be 21 and her twins would be 19. Many of those hearsay witnesses statements evolved and hardened once they knew Willingham was a suspect in the case. The investigators concluded that the fire had been started deliberately. In the case, Willingham refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. Prosecutors charged that Willingham set the fire and killed the children in an attempt to cover up the abuse of the children and wife. The couple's three children died in a fire Dec. 23, 1991, at the family's Corsicana, Texas, home. 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. Attorneys for Willingham's family are seeking his exoneration. Jackson stated that Willingham's comment was an indicator of guilt. Stacy Kuykendall is known for Evil Lives Here (2016). 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. Hes just not. She also said the prosecution was motivated to find anyone to blame. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered is on Facebook. I was 21, just lost all my children and now everyone expected me to believe that their father did this. "[11], The prosecution sought to establish that Willingham's conduct at the time of the fire and in the days afterward was suspicious. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the Willingham family home in Corsicana, Texas. Their daughters, 2-year-old Amber and her two younger identical twin sisters, 1-year-old Karmon and Kameron, all died from carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. That was until she spoke to him shortly before his execution. 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. October 27, 2009, 12:00 AM, CDT. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. He told me that he believed I was going to but he couldnt let that happen. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He said he was prescribed many medications at that point while being treated for bipolar disorder. The order comes at the end of a day of testimony. Willingham'sex-wifetearfully reiterated her contention Wednesday that he confessed his guilt to her. Willingham maintained his innocence up until his death and spent years trying to appeal his conviction. Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on Evil Lives Here. 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 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. So where is Willinghams wife now? Cameron Todd Willingham during a 2004 death-row interview just before his execution. 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. Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Stacy Kuykendall Says Texas Shouldn't Pardon Him [EXCLUSIVE] | HuffPost. 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. According to The New Yorker article, Willingham had been unfaithful, drank heavily, and would physically assaulted his partner, even while she was pregnant.