BREAKING NEWS: (Willingham prosecutor accused of misconduct: State bar files charges more than 10 years after execution): In a major turn in one of the country's most-noted death penalty cases, the State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against the county prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man executed in 2004 for the arson murder of his three young daughters. .........Following a preliminary inquiry that began last summer, the bar this month filed a disciplinary petition in Navarro County District Court accusing the former prosecutor, John H. Jackson, of obstruction of justice, making false statements and concealing evidence favorable to Willingham's defense. "Before, during, and after the 1992 trial, [Jackson] knew of the existence of evidence that tended to negate the guilt of Willingham and failed to disclose that evidence to defense counsel," the bar investigators charged. This story was produced in collaboration with The Washington Post. The bar action was filed March 5 without any public announcement. It accuses Jackson of having intervened repeatedly to help a jailhouse informant, Johnny E. Webb, in return for his testimony that Willingham confessed the murders to him while they were both jailed in Corsicana, the Navarro county seat. Webb has since recanted that testimony. In a series of recent interviews, he told The Marshall Project that Jackson coerced him to lie, threatening a long prison term for a robbery Webb had committed but promising to reduce his sentence if he testified against Willingham. Jackson has repeatedly denied that he made any pre-trial agreement with Webb in exchange for his testimony. The former prosecutor acknowledged that he and others made extraordinary efforts to help Webb, but said they were motivated only by concern for a witness who had been threatened by other prisoners because of his testimony.........From the time of the house fire that killed his children on Dec. 23, 1991, Willingham maintained his innocence. He said he awoke from a nap to find his home engulfed in smoke and flames, and that he could not locate the three toddlers before stumbling outside to seek help. Texas fire examiners concluded that the blaze was an arson, and Jackson later said it was "very likely" that Willingham had poured some accelerant on the floor in the shape of a pentagram, apparently as a symbol of Satanic worship. Willingham was executed on Feb. 17, 2004, after Gov. Rick Perry refused to grant a stay requested by Willingham's lawyers on the basis of a report by an independent arson expert who concluded there was no evidence the fire was intentionally set. Five years later, Perry also replaced several members of a Texas state forensic commission that was reviewing the finding of arson. The commission subsequently avoided concluding whether investigators in the Willingham case had been negligent or committed misconduct. At the time, Perry called Willingham "a monster." Relatives and supporters of Willingham have long sought his vindication but have been frustrated by both the courts and the state government. The Innocence Project, which has investigated the case for a decade, sought a posthumous pardon for Willingham and to have his case re-heard by a court of inquiry. Both efforts were unsuccessful. In July, the group filed a grievance with the Texas bar accusing Jackson of conduct that "violated his professional, ethical and constitutional obligations" in his handling of the case. That complaint was the basis for the disciplinary petition filed on March 5. A spokeswoman for the bar said the state supreme court has already appointed a district court judge from Harris County, David D. Farr, to preside over the disciplinary case in Navarro County. Whether a jury will be chosen from the citizens of the county, where Jackson also served as a judge before going into private practice, was unclear.........No date for any hearing on the petition has been scheduled." (Maurice Possley: The Marshall Project);
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/03/18/willingham-prosecutor-accused-of-misconductPUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Readers. Due to a 'writing' assignment, I will not be filing fresh posts for several weeks. (With the exception of breaking news;) When I am back in action I will make up for lost time with a vengeance. In the meantime, please keep me up to date with developments and don't hesitate to bring new matters of interest to this Blog to my attention at hlevy15@gmail.com.
Best wishes,
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial go to: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial
