[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. So where is Willinghams wife now? Our kids were spoiled rotten.. AUSTIN, Tex. All rights reserved, Man Shot by Fort Worth Officer After Reaching for Gun in Waistband: Police, Fort Worth Music Festival Happening at Fort Worth Stockyards, Novak Djokovic Denied' US Entry Ahead Of Indian Wells, Joe Biden Asked To Intervene, Barbara Corcoran Says Meeting Mark Cuban Was Her Most Embarrassing Moment' on Shark Tank' Here's Why, 3 Children Killed, 2 Wounded in Ellis County Home; 1 in Custody: Sheriff. They didnt care who. She said, I dont think he did it. Todd said he'd been napping but had just managed to escape the flames before he was severely injured. What If He Was Innocent? "[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. Kuykendall told prosecutors that he had never abused the children. He insisted he would not admit to something he had not done, even if it meant sparing his life. 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. On February 8, 2004the very day that Ronnie Kuykendall claimed his sister had told him that Willingham had confessedthe CorsicanaDaily Sun publishedan interview with Stacy Kuykendall. 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. While Willingham . Yesterday, Possley, who is now an investigative researcher for the Northern California Innocence Project, at Santa Clara University School of Law, told me that he had no doubt that what he and Mills reported is accurate. [16] However, those not associated with the case paint a different picture of Willingham. In January 2004, the forensic evidence in the case was looked at by an established fire . February 27, 2023 Over time, she has alternated between claiming she believes her former husband is guilty and innocent. Something doesnt, No , the murder happened in Ohio . Prosecutors charged that Willingham set the fire and killed the children in an attempt to cover up the abuse of the children and wife. Willingham's case and the investigative techniques were criticized by a 2004 Chicago Tribune article. Hurst said in December 2004 that "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. 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. . That was until she spoke to him shortly before his execution. After the fire, police and fire investigators interrogated Kuykendall. Commissioners last month rejected Bradley's efforts to close the case and conclude that fire investigators did not commit professional misconduct. . Cameron Todd Willingham, of Texas, was the husband of Stacy Willingham and the loving father of three young girls.There is a reason why I did not include the word 'loving' in front of the word 'husband'. [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." 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. Or try to make you believe them just because a movie made THEM look bad. That statement was false. Willingham was executed in 2004. On Sunday, Stacy Kuykendall the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham gave her first public statement in years. 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. By David Grann. 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 sent Jackson a "Motion to Recant Testimony," which declared, "Mr. Willingham is innocent of all charges." Kuykendall claims in the . Cameron Todd Willingham. His testimony has been criticized as contentious for several reasons. Hes never hurt those kids, she said. 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. Perhaps most notably, Hurst was able to explain the presence of lighter fluid at the scene: a charcoal grill which had been used . Willingham explained that he moved his car because he was afraid fuel in the car would cause the fire to get much worse. a husband returns home to find his wife dead on the living room floor; he tells first responders she committed suicide . . Willingham's statement and eyewitness accounts had detailed rescue attempts. 982 Followers, 33 Following, 49 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Stacy Kuykendall Willinghamgirlslivesmattered (@willinghamgirlslivesmattered) A jury in Corsicana, south of Dallas, convicted Willingham of capital murder in 1992. He told me he was sorry and that he hoped that I could forgive him one day. 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. [2] The Corsicana Fire Department disputes the findings, stating that the report overlooked several key points in the record. Sad when people cant just tell the truth. Rick Perry had done all he could to justify the 2004 execution of inmate Cameron Todd Willingham . Bradley subsequently canceled the meeting amid accusations that Perry was interfering with the inquiry. 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]. 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. She also previously campaigned for his release and wrote to the governor of Texas, I know him in ways that no one else does when it comes to our children. Is anyone feeling that the mom has strong narcissistic vibes, I worked on both cases. October 26, 2009. In the case, Willingham refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. 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. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. 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. He burnt them. They urged him to go inside and rescue his children, but he refused. It's very difficult to review this case, as there, The FBi has been murdering people for years since their, Clearly its hard for some people to understand that although, What is taking so long? Stacy Kuykendall read a prepared statement to reporters outside the Travis County courthouse . This was taken as evidence that the accelerant was poured by Willingham as he left the house. "I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. Where Is Stacey Willingham From Trial By Fire In 2019? His testimony has since been deemed unreliable as he lied in court about the prosecution offering him a reduced sentence to testify. [29] Fire investigator Gerald L. Hurst reviewed the case documents, including the trial transcriptions and an hour-long videotape of the aftermath of the fire scene. Mills told me, We accurately reported our encounter with her in 2004.. 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 . 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. "It didn't have [anything] to do with the fire," Fogg said. David Grann: Stacy Speaks: News Desk : The New Yorker. Kuykendall and Willingham had a tumultuous past and both had come from troubled backgrounds. 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.. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. Willingham had escaped the fire with bare feet and no burn marks. He did not. Mills, who is still at theTribune, confirms Possleys account. And they chose poorly, because Willingham is a guilty monster.". 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. According to their sworn statements, both Brandice Barbee and Diane Barbee urged Willingham to return to the house to rescue his children. There has been serious doubt expressed over the validity of Willinghams conviction. 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 . Ken Light. Please see the three Memorials: Amber Kuykendall-Willingham Memorial# 41759101 Karmen Willingham Memorial# 41759144 Kameron Willingham Memorial# 41759163. 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.