Ed Graf; Cameron Todd Willingham; As Ed Graf's retrial proceeds in Waco, Texas, Texas Public Radio notes that the Graf case is, " just one of several cases being reevaluated by the State Fire Marshal's Office."

STORY: "The Source: Flawed arson science may have wrongfully  convicted Texans," by TPR (Texas Public Radio).

GIST: Yesterday, ()ctober 6, 2014)  the retrial of Ed Graf got underway in Waco. Imprisoned for 25 years, Ed Graf was convicted in 1988 of setting the fire that killed his two stepsons. A change in the forensic science of arson has shown that the chances the fire was intentionally set are slim. Graf is just one of several cases being reevaluated by the State Fire Marshal's Office. Their Texas Forensic Science Commission, working with the Innocence Project of Texas, has identified several cases of people convicted of arson that may have in fact been accidental. The fact that the state has taken the lead on this project differs in tone from the defensive posture they have taken in the past." This is not the first nor the most famous of Texas' junk fire science cases. Many still remember the case of Cameron Todd Willingham."

The entire story can be found at:

http://tpr.org/post/source-flawed-arson-science-may-have-wrongfully-convicted-texans

See the Frontline  production "Death by fire: an update."..."Our film, Death by Fire raised questions about the evidence used to convict Willingham, in particular investigators’ reliance on an outdated understanding of the science in arson cases. But new questions are now being raised about a different piece of evidence — the testimony of a key witness in the case, Johnny Webb. At Willingham’s trial, Webb testified that the defendant had confessed to him while in jail. Webb told the jury that Willingham said he set the fire in order to conceal the fact that his wife had injured one of the children and also said Willingham admitted to using lighter fluid to start the fire. Earlier this year, Webb changed his story. In a series of taped interviews with the Innocence Project, a legal advocacy group, Webb said that he lied about Willingham’s guilt and that former prosecutor John H. Jackson promised to help him in an unrelated robbery case.
It was a shocking charge, and one we decided to investigate ourselves."

 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/criminal-justice/death-by-fire/death-by-fire-an-update/

The original Frontline production can be found at:

 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/death-by-fire/

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;