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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
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