Hes just not. She also said the prosecution was motivated to find anyone to blame. 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. 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 . He told me that he believed I was going to but he couldnt let that happen. 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 2011 documentary Incendiary: The Willingham Case also explored the case. Stacy Kuykendall is known for Evil Lives Here (2016). Cameron Todd Willingham. Descubre qu pasa hoy con Stacy Kuykendall, ex esposa de Cameron Willingham! The case was discussed again in a 2009 investigative report in The New Yorker. Note to Stacy and Family: Many accounts refer to Amber as having lastname of Kuykendall and Willingham. His wife Stacey was out Christmas shopping at the time. Bradley was appointed to the science commission post by Gov. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [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. "[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. It didnt take this long. Stacy Kuykendall read a prepared statement to reporters outside the Travis County courthouse. 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. Pic credit: Texas Dept. 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. [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. In that article, Kuykendall made it clear that she did not believe Willinghams version of events. 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. At the time, Todd said hed been napping but had just managed to escape the flames before he was severely injured. 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.. "[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. And they chose poorly, because Willingham is a guilty monster.". 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. Myth: He said that a picture of a fist punching through a skull signified violence and death. The Texas Forensic Science Commission is going to determine whether Willingham was innocent. . [16] However, those not associated with the case paint a different picture of Willingham. It was the centerpiece of the case, as it is in other arson cases. Our kids were spoiled rotten.. 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. 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. Help us advocate for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Innocence Project. The date is December 23, 1991, and 23-year-old Cameron Todd Willingham has fallen asleep while caring for his three young daughters, two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins . 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. Todd told me that it was stupid but it was like an obsession. 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. 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. On Jan. 8, the night before Willingham's 24th birthday, he was arrested by a SWAT team. On Sunday, Stacy Kuykendall the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham gave her first public statement in years. She said that she and Willingham had not had a disagreement for two weeks. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. Hes never hurt those kids, she said. Also, Stacy Kuykendall now claims that he confessed in the same conversation that he asked her to help with his clemency bid. Self - Cameron Todd Willingham's Ex-Wife Getting Started . Bradley subsequently canceled the meeting amid accusations that Perry was interfering with the inquiry. 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. Other witnesses at Willinghams trial provided contradictory statements about Willinghams behavior after the fire, but those statements were not evidence that a crime had taken place. 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." . The Huntsville Unit where the executions take place . His testimony has been criticized as contentious for several reasons. They married a few months before the fire and were a significant part of each others lives. Authorities had to restrain Willingham from going back into the house. 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). I think they were after somebody, she said. Many of those hearsay witnesses statements evolved and hardened once they knew Willingham was a suspect in the case. 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. 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. Me and Stacys been together for four years, but off and on we get into a fight and split up for a while and I think those babies is what brought us so close together, Willingham had said, per The New Yorker. 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. Website by MADEO. Cameron Todd Willingham lying in his cell in 1994. Incendiary: The Willingham Case is a 2011 documentary film by Steve Mims and Joe Bailey, Jr. that explores the conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham for arson murder. [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. [31], In October 2009, the city of Corsicana released two affidavits that included statements from Ronnie Kuykendall, the former brother-in-law of Willingham, originally made in 2004. Kuykendall has acknowledged that Willingham had asked to see her to help him in his bid for clemency. Yet Kuykendall continued to give the same version of events long after the fire and after she and Willingham were divorced. "[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. 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. But tragically, their three young children were killed in the blaze. 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. 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. 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. It is also tasked with determining what corrective action, if any, is needed to ensure that forensic analysis in cases like this is reliable. 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. She told reporters that Cameron Todd Willingham set the fire that killed the girls "and watched while . "[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. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire . 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. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. There were far too many legal errors and turning a blind eye to the truth. [25], Hurst's report was sent to governor Rick Perry's office, as well as the Board of Pardons and Paroles along with Willingham's appeal for clemency. They urged him to go inside and rescue his children, but he refused. In recreations with rooms involved in intense fires, experts can safely stand by a door seconds before flashover, and Willingham could have stood close to the childrens room without being harmed. Cameron Todd Willingham, shown with his then-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, and their daughters, was executed in 2004. Willingham's Stepmother Responds. 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. Person after person has stood up and testified to facts of this case that quite frankly you all aren't covering. [3] A 2011 documentary, Incendiary: The Willingham Case, also explored the case. 36-year-old Willingham flicked a middle finger at his wife, Stacy Kuykendall, as he was strapped down to the gurney for his execution in 2004. Kuykendall played a major role in Willinghams life and fate, but in the movie version she is quite prominent. Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered is on Facebook. Corsicana Daily Sun Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three children. No clear motive was found, and Willingham's wife denied that the couple had been fighting prior to the night of the fire. 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. On one fact, Willingham changed his story. Its hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didnt say., Your email address will not be published. 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. "[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). Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. 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 . "[12], The prosecution claimed that Willingham may have been motivated by a desire to rid himself of unwanted children. He admitted he burnt them to me, and he was convicted for his crime. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Craig Beyler's report criticized investigators who ruled the . Willingham's three children -- 2-year-old Amber Kuykendall and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron Willingham, died of smoke inhalation. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was not home at the time of the fire. Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on Evil Lives Here. This was taken as evidence that the accelerant was poured by Willingham as he left the house. But a few days before that meeting, Perry removed three members of the commission and appointed Bradley, a conservative ally, as its chairman. 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. Rick Perry in what many viewed as a political move to bury new evidence that cast doubt on Willingham's guilt. Jackson stated that Willingham's comment was an indicator of guilt. 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], At Willingham's trial, Webb offered an explanation for the individual, distinguishable burns found on Amber's forehead and arm. [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. The faulty forensic analysis and lack of other evidence doesnt matter because Willingham was a bad man and a sociopath, so he was guilty. David Grann: Stacy Speaks: News Desk : The New Yorker. "[27], But Hurst said, "The whole case was based on the purest form of junk science. Days before Willingham's execution, fire scientist Gerald Hurst concluded there was no foul play and the fire was caused by a space heater, however the governor declined Willinghams reprieve. 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. February 27, 2023 endeavor air pilot contract No Comments . Required fields are marked *. In the following days, Willingham returned to the house with some family and friends. Since her ex-husbands execution, Stacy Kuykendall has remained completely under the radar. Stacy Kuykendall read a prepared statement to reporters outside the Travis County courthouse . Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. 1. 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. "I think about my girls every day and I miss them," she said. By The New Yorker. According to Brandice Barbee, "All I could see was smoke. [3] Both were sharply critical of Beyler. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. Prosecutors are fighting that effort, which is being led by the Innocence Project, a New York legal center. )[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. I did ask her if she stood by her statements to theTribune and to theDaily Sun. "And they want to make Willingham that poster boy. Hes never hurt those kids, she said. 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. Stacey Kuykendall divorced her husband not long after the deaths of her children, and she professed that Willingham had been abusive towards her, but not the children. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. CBS News Texas: Free 24/7 News 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. That was until she spoke to . Uno de los eventos ms fascinantes pero desgarradores en la historia del sistema de justicia estadounidense se lleva a la pantalla grande con Prueba de fuego. VASQUEZ: Did he get angry at you for any reason? "[16] There were two refrigerators in the Willingham house. Willingham, played . Stacy Kuykendall, his then-wife, played a . 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. "[7], In June 2009, the State of Texas ordered a re-examination of the case. Myths and Facts about the Willingham Case. October 30, 2009. "He admitted he did it and told me why," she said. Willingham's case and the investigative techniques were criticized by a 2004 Chicago Tribune article. [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. 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. [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. So where is Willinghams wife now? 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 . 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]. Deleted member 31923. David Grann: Stacy Speaks: News Desk : The New Yorker. There is credible and reliable new information that Willingham confessed to his ex-wife. 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. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Willingham a writ of habeas corpus a month before his execution. However, Cameron maintained his innocence to his dying breath, and later evidence also suggested that he could have been wrongly executed. (Scott Honea/Corsicana (Tex.) His wrists and hands were blackened with smoke. It was a heartbreaking, heartless death sentence. That statement was false. He was executed on February 17, 2004, aged 36. . 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 . 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]. Or try to make you believe them just because a movie made THEM look bad. Cameron Todd Willingham, 36, was executed by lethal injection on 17 February 2004 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder of his three children. He was eventually transported to the hospital for treatment, in handcuffs."[13]. 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. 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 . Neighbors later told the police how they had seen Willingham crouching on the lawn outside his house as the building went up in smoke. In the case, Willingham refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. On seeing neighbor Diane Barbee, Willingham began to shout at her to call 911, shouting "My babies are in there! It was just a fire. February 27, 2023 2023 Innocence Project. 982 Followers, 33 Following, 49 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered (@willinghamgirlslivesmattered) The couple's three children died in a fire Dec. 23, 1991, at the family's Corsicana, Texas, home. 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. 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. "[28], Since Willingham's execution, persistent questions have been raised as to the accuracy of the forensic evidence used in the conviction: specifically, whether it can be proven that an accelerant (such as the lighter fluid mentioned above) was used to start the fatal fire. There has been serious doubt expressed over the validity of Willinghams conviction. stacy willingham married. 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. Your email address will not be published. But she never mentioned a confession. He said he was prescribed many medications at that point while being treated for bipolar disorder. The police then began to suspect that Willingham was a murderer. Recalling her visit to Willingham in prison shortly before his execution on February 17, 2004, Kuykendall told theStar-Telegram: He asked if I remembered what I had told him that I was going to do after the first of the year [in 1992]. Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, has . [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." In her most recent statement explaining why she had once defended Willingham, she said. . Willingham escaped the home with only minor burns. I recently finished The Lost City of Z, David Grann's account of the British explorer Percy Fawcett's final journey in the Amazon basin, where . 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. Church recalls, I point-blank asked Kuykendall, Did he confess his guilt? And she said, No.. He suggested that, had this information been available at the time of trial, it would have provided grounds for Willingham's acquittal. That is the closest to justice that my daughters will ever get. Vasquez asked her if he ever abused the children. "[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." 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.
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