Blog #7 5/3/12 Burning Down The House

On December 23rd, 1991, three days before Christmas, Todd Willingham was in a state of terror. He had noticed recently that his three daughters had scars, scars that he didn't want the public to find out about. Deep inside Todd knew that if the public was to see those scars they would learn the truth that was eating up his self conscious. Worst of all, Todd knew that if made clear to the authorities he could face prison time. So, Todd developed a plan. While his wife, whom he had an argument with the night before, was out shopping for Christmas presents, he stepped outside of himself. In a state of utter panic, he put together a horrifying scheme that, in his mind, would disintegrate all proof of abuse. Todd Willingham then proceeded to pour a liquid accelerant around the house and set fire while the children were inside. When the firemen arrived, the damage had been done. Two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham were dead. Todd had escaped with minor burns. It was the perfect plan. Unfortunately, Todd's plan didn't quite go the way he had hoped. Authorities did a thorough investigation, arrested him, and after a trial in court, convicted him of murder. Soon after, he was sentenced to death. Thirteen years later, while strapped to a gurney and facing lethal injection, Todd Willingham, a despicable man who selfishly and maliciously sacrificed his three daughters to save himself from public shame, had one last thing to say, one last comment before meeting his maker. What would it be? Would it be an apology? Would it be an unremorseful statement of evil? What?!
"I am an innocent man, convicted of a crime I did not commit."
Oh yeah, I forgot. IT'S ALL BULLSHIT.
Apparently back in 1991, in the town of Corsicana, Texas,  Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and Deputy Barney Fife were running things. The Dukes of Hazzard? Andy Griffith? Forget it. Anyway, after someone finally got some big boys in there and did some "real" detective stuff, evidence was found that the investigation was flawed. They even said the fire could've been accidental. In the days leading up to Willingham's execution, Gerald Hurst, a nationally recognized arson expert, sent documents to state officials claiming that Willingham's conviction was based on "erroneous forensic analysis." Did they act on it? Nope. Although ignored, Gerald Hurst continued to do research. He reviewed all documents, trial testimony, and an hour-long videotape of the aftermath. He even recreated the fire conditions the investigators were implying. "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire," said Hurst. "It was just a fire."(thechicagotribune.com) As far as Todd Willingham's wife, she proclaimed there was no fight the night before, that Todd has NEVER abused his children, and that their kids were "spoiled rotten."

Well, there you have it. It's just another case in execution friendly Texas where some innocent U.S. citizen is found guilty of something he or she didn't do. I mean, come on man. Texas is highest in number of prisoners found to be innocent following DNA testing. In the U.S. inmates that had their convictions overturned as a result of DNA testing since 1989, 38 have been in Texas. That's not a coincidence. Now, the "lone star" state has come up with another brilliant idea. People who have been exonerated in Texas will receive $80,000 for each year they spent behind bars. Don't get wrong, these people most definitely deserve it but hmm. I wonder where that money comes from? From our pockets.

Should Todd Willingham have been convicted? Absolutely not!!  Do I think Todd Willingham is innocent? Well, you know what? Probably. Who the hell knows? I find it hard to understand why he didn't try to get his kids out of that house. Minor injuries? That's not the sign of a man who desperately tried to rescue his daughters from a deadly flame. Maybe he did. Maybe it just happened so fast that there was no time. I know a fire can spread in a matter of seconds but wouldn't he at the first sight of fire get his kids the hell out of dodge? Then as I read more information, according to the authorities on the scene, Todd had to be held back with extreme force. “We had to wrestle with him and then handcuff him, for his and our protection,” policeman George Monaghan stated. “I received a black eye.” One of the firemen at the scene told investigators that he also had to hold Willingham back. “Based on what I saw on how the fire was burning, it would have been crazy for anyone to try and go into the house."(thenewyorker.com) OK. Well I guess I'll retract that one.

All I do know is that this man, seconds from a needle injection into his arm and the plug being pulled on his life, still claimed he was innocent. That's pretty telling right there.

"Trial by Fire." The New Yorker. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann?currentPage=1>.

"Man Executed on Disproved Forensics." Chicagotribune.com. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0412090169dec09%2C0%2C1173806.story>.

"The Innocence Project - Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted and Executed in Texas." The Innocence Project. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Cameron_Todd_Willingham_Wrongfully_Convicted_and_Executed_in_Texas.php>.

"Texas Justice: Where Wrongful Convictions Are the Norm." The Institute for Southern Studies. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/09/texas-wrongful-convictions.html>.