"WE WORK WITH A GROUP OF FIRE ORIGIN AND CAUSE EXPERTS -- INCLUDING JERRY HURST, JOHN LENTINI, JIM MUNGER, CHRIS BLOOM AND 15 OTHERS -- WHO FORMED THE TETRAHEDRON COMMITTEE AND WILL PROVIDE THEIR EXPERTISE PRO BONO IN COMPELLING INNOCENCE CASES THAT INVOLVE ARSON CLAIMS."
SHEILA BERRY: TRUTH IN JUSTICE:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND: (Wikipedia); Cameron Todd Willingham (January 9, 1968 – February 17, 2004), born in Carter County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to death by the state of Texas for murdering his three daughters—two year old Amber Louise Kuykendall, and one year old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham— by setting his house on fire. The fire occurred on December 23, 1991 in Corsicana, Texas. Lighter fluid was kept on the front porch of Willingham’s house as evidenced by a melted container found there. Some of this fluid may have entered the front doorway of the house carried along by fire hose water. It was alleged this fluid was deliberately poured to start the fire and that Willingham chose this entrance way so as to impede rescue attempts. The prosecution also used other arson theories that have since been brought into question. In addition to the arson evidence, a jailhouse informant claimed Willingham confessed that he set the fire to hide his wife's physical abuse of the girls, although the girls showed no other injuries besides those caused by the fire. Neighbors also testified that Willingham did not try hard enough to save his children. They allege he "crouched down" in his front yard and watched the house burn for a period of time without attempting to enter the home or go to neighbors for help or request they call firefighters. He claimed that he tried to go back into the house but it was "too hot". As firefighters arrived, however, he rushed towards the garage and pushed his car away from the burning building, requesting firefighters do the same rather than put out the fire. After the fire, Willingham showed no emotion at the death of his children and spent the next day sorting through the debris, laughing and playing music. He expressed anger after finding his dartboard burned in the fire. Firefighters and other witnesses found him suspicious of how he reacted during and after the fire. Willingham was charged with murder on January 8, 1992. 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. After his conviction, he and his wife divorced. She later stated that she believed that Willingham was guilty. Prosecutors alleged this was part of a pattern of behavior intended to rid himself of his children. Willingham had a history of committing crimes, including burglary, grand larceny and car theft. There was also an incident when he beat his pregnant wife over the stomach with a telephone to induce a miscarriage. When asked if he had a final statement, Willingham said: "Yeah. The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man - convicted of a crime I did not commit. I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. From God's dust I came and to dust I will return - so the earth shall become my throne. I gotta go, road dog. I love you Gabby." However, his final words were directed at his ex-wife, Stacy Willingham. He turned to her and said "I hope you rot in hell, bitch" several times while attempting to extend his middle finger in an obscene gesture. His ex-wife did not show any reaction to this. He was executed by lethal injection on February 17, 2004. Subsequent to that date, 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. 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. Hurst said, "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. It was just a fire."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Cameron Todd Willingham case - the execution of an innocent man in Texas - is a reminder of the vulnerability of innocent persons to wrongful convictions based on shoddy arson "science." "Truth in Justice", a Virginia non-profit organization," offers an excellent resource for those facing wrongful convictions due to shoddy arson "science" - at truthinjustice.org. Sheila Berry, one of its directors, states on the site that arson cases, as well as false allegations of a wide range of types child abuse "are examined closely, with experts' reports and links to specialists provided to assist innocent persons facing similar charges." Ms. Berry notes that her organization maintains, "a frequently-updated list of contacts for US innocence projects, as well as innocence projects in Canada, Australia and the UK. In some instances, we are able to help the wrongfully convicted find the forensic experts needed to prove their innocence." Ms. Berry wrote the publisher of this Blog that: "Bogus arson cases built on junk science have been such a major issue for us that there is an entire section devoted to it, including substantive resources to assist innocent people charged with arson, at http://truthinjustice.org/arson.htm We work with a group of fire origin and cause experts -- including Jerry Hurst, John Lentini, Jim Munger, Chris Bloom and 15 others -- who formed the Tetrahedron Committee and will provide their expertise pro bono in compelling innocence cases that involve arson claims. There is a link to our arson defense resources right at the top of the section page, so people who need them can find them quickly. We have, in fact, resources in many more areas than SBS and arson, roughly 1,800 web pages of resources. Our mission is educating the public about the frequency of wrongful convictions and the factors that contribute to it, and to serve as a resource for those facing charges for crimes they did not commit. The website is our primary means of carrying out this mission.
See the Blog at:
http://truthinjustice.org/
HAROLD Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
