Posted on 05/03/2006 8:33:25 AM PDT by Crackingham
Four of the nation's top arson experts have concluded that the state of Texas executed a man in 2004 based on scientifically invalid evidence, and on Tuesday they called for an official reinvestigation of the case. In their report, the experts, assembled by the Innocence Project, a non-profit organization responsible for scores of exonerations, concluded that the conviction and 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham for the arson-murders of his three daughters were based on interpretations by fire investigators that have been scientifically disproved.
"The whole system has broken down," Barry Scheck, co-founder and director of the Innocence Project, said at a news conference at the state Capitol in Austin. "It's time to find out whether Texas has executed an innocent man."
The experts were asked to perform an independent review of the evidence after an investigation by the Tribune that showed Willingham had been found guilty on arson theories that have been repudiated by scientific advances. In fact, many of the theories were simply lore that had been handed down by generations of arson investigators who relied on what they were told.
The report's conclusions match the findings of the Tribune, published in December 2004. The newspaper began investigating the Willingham case following an October 2004 series, "Forensics Under the Microscope," which examined the use of forensics in the courtroom, including the continued use of disproved arson theories to obtain convictions.
In strong language harshly critical of the investigation of the 1991 fire in Corsicana, southeast of Dallas, the report said evidence examined in the Willingham case and "relied upon by fire investigators" was the type of evidence "routinely created by accidental fires."
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Oh yeah? What do you think about the article you just posted?
'Nuff said.
Crackingham. Willingham. Are you guys related?
I remember this case. The guy was a piece of scum and there was little doubt he was guilty. The world is better off without him.
I see their namesake television show got cancelled.
They were, but at least one of them is now dead!
Since this guy is already dead... I guess they should've started this investigation a little earlier than they did.
In the words of the immortal Homer.... Doh!!!!
"Crazed glass" was but one of the indicators of arson. This was not the only piece of evidence in this case, was it?
The article is remarkably lacking in details.
So, not an objective panel, then.
"The whole system has broken down," Barry Scheck, co-founder and director of the Innocence Project
Barry Sheck? Jeez. Helped OJ find the real killers yet, Barry?
At some point it's going to happen; it'll be proved that a man was executed on the basis of testimony or evidence that will be found to have been false. It may even happen that it will be proved that an innocent man was executed. And that's when there will be a serious push in America to abolish the death penalty.
Great lesson about intuition(faith?) versus science and the potentially deadly consequences.
So, is this article just leftist propaganda? I am a strong proponent of the death penalty but when the 'left' can find a case where we wrongly gave such a penalty, we would have a hard time to enforce it going forward.
Last thing the death penalty needs is a wrongful conviction proven 'after the fact'. World may be better off with a lot of 'pieces of scum' but the key question was there 'litle doubt he was guilty!'
Doubt it........
That hardly exonerates Willingham.
No problem with science improving forensics in this area. However "the prisoners are the victims" groups will use it as yet another excuse in their attempt to ban the death penalty where it is most assuredly warranted: Premeditated first degree murder.
Not many things. That is why, as a conservative, I can't support the death penalty.
This guys may very well have been guilty, though.
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