In 1988, a report compiled by an assistant district attorney in Dallas concluded that after the study of 11 specific death penalty verdicts where the defendants' terms had been reduced not a single one had been other than a model prisoner. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. The hearing was carried out under a heavy police presence, Keathley said, with members of the Navarro County Sheriff's Office and the Corsicana Police Department present for security purposes. (February 17, 2004). The prosecution claims that Mr. Willingham started the fire in order to conceal evidence that his children had been recently abused. Appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction; therefore, the facts of the offense will be discussed only in reference to the error alleged in point of error number four. Facebook gives people the. Prosecutors contended he just wanted to get rid of the children. "It's been due a long time," Palos said. He saw smoke, jumped out of bed, and ordered Amber out of the house. Amber Louise Kuykendall (1989 - 1991) How do we create a person's profile? Circuit Court of Appeals. An expert witness for the State testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. In fact, Willingham openly admitted to a fellow inmate that he purposely started this fire to conceal evidence that the children had been abused. ", Willingham's wife initially supported him and testified on his behalf at his 1992 trial. Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation's top fire scientists -- first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the commission. He saw smoke, jumped out of bed and told her to get out of the house, he said. In November, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. 14th murderer executed in U.S. in 2004 The re-examination of the Willingham case comes as many forensic disciplines face scrutiny for playing a role in wrongful convictions that have been exposed by DNA and other scientific advances. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. Cameron Willingham, 36, was sentenced to die for the deaths of his three daughters. The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Cameron Willingham, a white man, Feb. 17 for the 1991 murders of his three children Amber, 2, and twins Kameron and Karmon, 1, in Navarro county. Willingham, 36, said, "From God's dust I came, and to dust I will return, so the earth shall become my throne. Clinton, J., filed opinion concurring in the result in which Maloney, J., joined and Baird, J., joined in part. An investigation revealed that it was intentionally set with a flammable liquid. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Biography submission guide. Navarro County District Attorney Steve Keathley requested the setting of an execution date during a hearing presided over by Judge Bob McGregor of Hillsboro. Death because of his tenacious and authoritative belief that seldom can murderers be rehabilitated. Monday's setting of an execution date for Willingham was the first such proceeding in the district court since October 2001 when Gary Sterling, convicted for the May 1988 capital murder of a 72-year-old Navarro County man, was given a death date in early December 2001. Dr. James Grigson testified for the State at punishment. "I was the only person at home and that was their way of thinking," he said of the charges against him. The U.S. Supreme Court in November refused to review his case and a late appeal Tuesday was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. Reaves asked that the court wait to set an execution date until after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on lethal injection issues that are being raised. I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. Willingham had acknowledged he was a lousy husband but insisted he wasn't responsible for the blaze in Corsicana that killed his daughters 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. The Court of Criminal Appeals denied the writ of habeas corpus on the findings of the trial court. My memory is in bits and pieces. Dr. James Grigson testified for the state at punishment. Willingham v. Texas, 116 S.Ct. He told her repeatedly in obscenity-laced language that he hoped she would "rot in hell" and attempted to maneuver his hand, strapped at the wrist, into an obscene gesture. In more than 100 of 167 cases, he testified that the defendant would kill again. There, he was strapped to a chair and executed by lethal injection. He suggested that a lantern spilled fluid when a shelf collapsed, and then 2-year-old Amber, who was "fascinated with everything," accidentally started the fire. Willingham, 36, said, "From God's dust I came, and to dust I will return, so the earth shall become my throne. Maria Tassie Malowney, an Assistant District Attorney for Carter County, Oklahoma, listed the felonies and misdemeanors with which appellant has been charged and/or convicted. Austin Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott offers the following information about 35-year-old Cameron Todd Willingham, who is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m. February 17, 2004. He further testified that these areas are typically set on fire to impede firefighters in their rescue attempts. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. The testimony at trial demonstrates that Willingham neither showed remorse for his actions nor grieved the loss of his three children. Weve done a lot of work and found out that the prosecutor had an undisclosed deal. Memorials are rich with content, including dates, photos and bios. Denied). Andrea Keilen, an attorney with Texas Defender Service, said she knew of dozens of former death row inmates whose sentences were reduced for various reasons and who have never been involved in any difficulties though Dr. Grigson testified they should be executed because they would likely commit murder again. An expert witness for the State testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. Appellant brings four points of error for this Court to review. 2001). In November, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. According to his testimony, Willingham fits the profile of a sociopath whose conduct becomes more violent over time, and who lacks a conscience. Relationshipto Murderer Killed in the fire were Willingham's three daughters: two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall, and one-year-old twins, Karmen Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. Gender: Male Normally, District Judge John Jackson would have presided over such a hearing. ). The mood back at the firehouse, after the Willingham fire, was different than most after-action gatherings. The fire that Willingham was convicted of setting occurred two days before Christmas in 1993 in Coricana. Prior Prison Record: Reportedly sentenced to Boot Camp at Oklahoma State Prison in 1989. "Either that, or someone came in with the intent to kill me and the children," he told a reporter. Dalls Morning News Prosecutors contended he just wanted to get rid of the children. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Willingham, 36, said, "From God's dust I came and to dust I will return so the Earth shall become my throne. The jury also heard evidence of Willinghams character. He then attempted to maneuver his hand, strapped at the wrist, into an obscene gesture. An expert witness for the State testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. Inside, Willingham's 3 young children -- 2-year-old Amber, and 1-year-old twins, Karmon Diane and Kameron Marie -- were dying. Cameron Todd Willingham Punishment: 4 days in the county jail and ordered to pay fine and costs If the commission reaches the same conclusion, it could lead to the first-ever declaration by an official state body that an inmate was wrongly executed. Killed were Amber Louis Kuykendall, 2, Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham, one-year-old twins. W / M / 23 - 36 The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Cameron Willingham, a white man, Feb. 17 for the 1991 murders of his three children Amber, 2, and twins Kameron and Karmon, 1, in Navarro county. A handwritten note by Webb asking to recant his testimony contains the lines "I was made to lie. "They ask for privacy during this time," the rep told us on Tuesday. He ran outside to get help because the house had no phone. Thanks for your help! I gotta go, Road Dog." A friend of appellant's testified that appellant once bragged about brutally killing a dog. For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. He ran outside to get help because the house had no phone. Reaves asked that the court wait to set an execution date until after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on lethal injection issues that are being raised. After the appellate court also denied Willinghams motion for rehearing, he filed a timely petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court on July 21, 2003. TDCJ#: 999041 Neighbors of Willingham testified that as the house began smoldering, Willingham was crouched down in the front yard, and despite the neighbors pleas, refused to go into the house in any attempt to rescue the children. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. A firefighter also testified that Willingham was upset that his dart board was burned. Willingham, now 36, insisted in a recent interview on death row he wasn't responsible for his daughters' deaths. The witness further testified that this igniting of the floors and thresholds is typically employed to impede firemen in their rescue attempts. At Willingham's trial, the fire marshall testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. His former wife showed no reaction to the outburst. a former auto mechanic, was sentenced to death for killing his three young children in the familys house in Corsicana in December 1991. Killed were Amber Louis Kuykendall, 2, Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham, one-year-old twins. The rest of the prosecution hinged on the testimony of a jailhouse informant by the name of Johnny Webb. Method The second best result is Louis Charles Kuykendall age 40s in Knoxville, TN. In fact, Willingham openly admitted to a fellow inmate that he purposely started this fire to conceal evidence that the children had been abused. Failed to remove flower. Appellant asserts in his second point of error that the trial court erred in refusing to admit evidence offered by the defense to impeach the testimony of a witness for the State. "But it's difficult for me to believe that the State of Texas or the governor will take responsibility and admit they did in fact wrongfully execute Todd. Willingham filed a federal writ of habeas corpus in the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division on April 21, 1998. Denied). We have set your language to denied, 501 U.S. 1259, 111 S.Ct. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. If Stacy will advise, I will be happy to make correction.Please see the three Memorials:Amber Kuykendall-Willingham Memorial# 41759101Karmen Willingham Memorial# 41759144Kameron Willingham Memorial# 41759163, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Punishment: ordered to pay restitution, 15 days in the county jail and six months probation, running concurrently Stacy Kuykendall initially supported her husband and testified on his behalf at his trial. Perry and urge him to impose a moratorium on executions, endorse legislation to offer Texas defendants the option of life without parole, and commute the death sentence of Cameron Willingham. Willingham's wife initially supported him and testified on his behalf at his 1992 trial. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. 2915, 115 L.Ed.2d 1078 (1991). The deefendant told authorities that the fire started while he and his children were asleep. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Willingham was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m., seven minutes after the lethal drugs began flowing through his veins. denied, 501 U.S. 1259, 111 S.Ct. Texas Execution Information Center by David Carson. Occupation: auto mechanic The fire occurred on Dec. 23, 1991, just before Christmas. Oops, we were unable to send the email. "They are definitely going to have to respond to it," said Pat Cox. Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation's top fire scientists -- first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the commission. A fire marshal testified the placement of the accelerant was designed to impede any rescue efforts by firefighters. A neighbor also testified that on the day after the fire, Willingham and his wife were going through the debris while playing music and laughing. We will affirm. One of appellant's neighbors testified that the morning following the house *355 fire, Christmas Eve, appellant and his wife were at the burned house going through the debris while playing music and laughing. "I can't think of a more horrible case," said Pat Batchelor, who was district attorney in Navarro County when Willingham was the lone survivor of the blaze Dec. 23, 1991. Discover your family history in millions of family trees and more than a billion birth,marriage, death, census, and miltary records. 0 cemeteries found in Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas, USA. Jailhouse snitches are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use. An expert witness for the State testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. They just didn't want to pursue what really happened." Oops, something didn't work. Mr. Willingham, 36, said, "From God's dust I came and to dust I will return, so the Earth shall become my throne. "He basically took my life away from me. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? based on information from your browser. "And the word (of the fire and children's deaths) spread around town real quick." In point of error number one, appellant contends the trial court erred in refusing to grant his Motion for Change of Venue, in light of inflammatory statements made by the Navarro County District Attorney. [I]ts very possible I misunderstood what he said. 385 (1995) (Cert. Willingham had acknowledged he was a lousy husband but insisted he wasn't responsible for the blaze in Corsicana that killed his daughters 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. STACY KUYKENDALL WELLINGHAM INTERVIEW - PART I DOUG FOGG:. The hearing was carried out under a heavy police presence, Keathley said, with members of the Navarro County Sheriff's Office and the Corsicana Police Department present for security purposes. (August 25, 2009) A firefighter testified that Willingham showed no grief over his children's deaths, but became upset upon discovering that his dart board was burned. "He basically took my life away from me. "I died 12 years ago," Willingham said from death row. Defendant appealed, and the Court of Criminal Appeals, White, J., held that: (1) jury could find that defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute continuing threat to society; (2) trial court properly denied defendant's motion for change of venue; (3) trial court properly refused to admit evidence offered by defense to impeach testimony of witness for state; and (4) trial court properly refused to charge jury on effect of parole in punishment phase. He told them: Ive been wanting to come forward with this for a long, long time about certain specific things that no ones ever known. services and This witness further testified that this igniting of the floors and thresholds is typically employed to impede firemen in their rescue attempts. But Jackson had recused himself, citing his ties with the Willingham case. "The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit," Cameron Willingham said. The testimony at trial demonstrates that Willingham neither showed remorse for his actions nor grieved the loss of his three children. 02-17-04 Texas does not offer the option of life without parole. In more than 100 of the 167 cases he testified in, he predicted the defendant would kill gain. Since then 369 people have been sentenced to life without parole, while death sentencing has dropped from an average 10 per year to four or less. The re-examination of the Willingham case comes as many forensic disciplines face scrutiny for playing a role in wrongful convictions that have been exposed by DNA and other scientific advances. He expressed love to someone named Gabby and then addressed his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, who was watching about 8 feet away through a window and said several times, "I hope you rot in Hell, bitch." He expressed love to someone named Gabby and then addressed his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, who was watching about 8 feet away through a window. He tried to get to the twins' room, but couldn't get past the flames. The three girls died in a fire on December 23, 1991. An investigation showed that a flammable liquid had been poured throughout the house. He has been convicted of numerous felonies and misdemeanors, both as an adult and as a juvenile, and attempts at various forms of rehabilitation have proven unsuccessful. Released in 1990. You can contact the owner of the tree to get more information. "But it's difficult for me to believe that the State of Texas or the governor will take responsibility and admit they did in fact wrongfully execute Todd. HUNTSVILLE, Texas Spewing profanities at his ex-wife standing a few feet away, a former auto mechanic was executed Tuesday evening for the deaths of his three young children in a fire at their home two days before Christmas 12 years ago. Date ofMurder "They were great kids," he said. The Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has lawful and valid custody of Willingham pursuant to a judgment and sentence of the 13th Judicial District Court of Navarro County, Texas. Evidence at his trial showed an accelerant, believed to be charcoal lighter fluid, was used to ignite the floors, a front threshold to the house and on a concrete porch. A friend of appellant's testified that appellant once bragged about brutally killing a dog. But Kuykendall told the Corsicana Daily Sun earlier this month that after reviewing case and meeting with her former husband in prison recently, she doesn't buy his version of the events that day. San Antonio Express-News His former wife showed no reaction to the outburst. Children Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. However, studies have shown that when given the choice juries are more likely to impose the sentence of life without parole. I gotta go, Road Dog." Willingham, convicted in August 1992 of the 1991 capital murders of his three children, saw his execution date set at Feb. 17 -- some 50 days from today. But before he received the lethal injection, he looked toward his ex-wife and mother of the three children he had killed and said, "I hope you rot in Hell, bitch." Subsequently, the court adopted the magistrates findings, granted the states motion for summary judgment and denied Willinghams petition for federal habeas relief. The jury also heard evidence of appellant's character. He was asleep late in the morning when the 2-year-old woke him with her cry for him. Circuit Court of Appeals. He referred to a document from the U.S. Supreme Court that issued a denial of the latest request for a delay. Keathley said that Reaves asked Judge McGregor to delay setting an execution date, citing ongoing litigation concerning the constitutionality of using the "death by lethal injection" method. Punishment: probation, placed in a Nonviolent Intermediate Offender Act ON THE 17 February 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was brought to the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. "I can remember it just like it was yesterday." I gotta go, Road Dog." Appellant's neighbors testified that when the fire "blew out" the windows, appellant "hollered about his car" and ran to move it away from the fire to avoid its being damaged. If actions taken in a Navarro County Courtroom Monday stand, Cameron Todd Willingham knows exactly when he will die. Jackson was the lead prosecutor for the district attorney's office in the Willingham case 12 years ago, securing the death penalty. TX His former wife showed no reaction to the outburst. Released in 1990. WHITE, Judge. Todd spent his last words expressing his love to his prison pen pal Gabby and then he addressed me. He saw smoke, jumped out of bed, and ordered Amber out of the house. Punishment: One year probation on the condition he check himself into an in-patient rehabilitation program for paint abuse. 899 Create an email alert based on the current article, The Explainer is a weekly podcast from TheJournal.ie that takes a deeper look at one big news story you need to know about.