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Texas Man Executed For Crime That Did Not Even Happen!

 

Friends & Allies,

    Below is more info and a link to follow what's happening now with the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who Texas executed in 2004 for a crime that did not even occur.  As you will recall, several independent investigations have concluded that the fire that killed Willingham's children was not arson.  The Texas Forensic Commission was about to adopt the findings of one of those investigations when Governor Rick Perry fired the Commission chair and several of its members in a blatant attempt to prevent any official imprimatur being put on the fact that Texas killed an innocent man for a crime that did not occur.

As you are probably aware, the Texas Forensic Science Commission is meeting tomorrow for the first time in six months. This is the commission’s first meeting since Gov. Rick Perry suddenly replaced its chair and several of its members while it was in the middle of an investigation into the case of Cameron Todd Willingham.

The Innocence Project will stream live video of the meeting on our website at http://www.innocenc eproject. org/tfsc. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. (Central) on Friday, January 29, and will run several hours. Newly appointed commission chairman John Bradley decided to hold the meeting in Harlingen, which makes it difficult for many interested parties in the state to attend. Those who cannot be in Harlingen can watch the meeting live online starting at 9:30 a.m. (Central).

The agenda for the meeting is at: http://www.fsc. state.tx. us/documents/ D_012910MeetingA genda_000. pdf. The Willingham case is not on the agenda, which Bradley set, although it was on the agenda for the last scheduled meeting of the commission (which was canceled when Gov. Perry replaced the chair and several members). The agenda for the canceled October meeting is at: http://www.fsc. state.tx. us/documents/ D_100209MeetingA genda_000. pdf. The agenda for tomorrow’s meeting does include a discussion of pending cases. Also, individual commissioners have the authority to place a discussion of the Willingham case on the agenda during tomorrow’s meeting.

Willingham was executed in 2004 for allegedly setting a fire that killed his children. Before and after his execution, leading experts found that there was no scientific basis for deeming the fire an act of arson. The Innocence Project formally asked the Forensic Science Commission to investigate the case in 2006. That request specifically asked the commission to determine whether there was negligence or misconduct in the forensic analysis that initially deemed the fire an arson and – importantly – to determine whether other arson convictions in Texas may have been based on the same kind of unreliable forensic analysis. Nearly two years ago, the commission unanimously decided to pursue an investigation, which proceeded in an objective, transparent fashion until October 2009, when the chair and several members were removed. For full background on the Willingham case, go to: http://www.innocenc eproject. org/willingham.

Eric Ferrero

Director of Communications

The Innocence Project

Office: 212-364-5346

Cell: 646-342-9310

100 Fifth Ave., 3rd Floor

New York, NY  10011

www.innocenceprojec t.org