Texas May Have Executed An Innocent Man
Cameron Todd Willingham in 2004 just before his execution. Willingham refused to plead guilty in return for a life sentence and maintained his innocence until the day he was put to death. (Photo by Scott Honea/Corsicana (Tex.) Daily Sun)
New evidence casts doubt on a 2004 execution.
For more than 20 years, the prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham of murdering his three young daughters has insisted that the authorities made no deals to secure the testimony of the jailhouse informer who told jurors that Willingham confessed the crime to him.
About this project: The investigation was reported and written by Maurice Possley for The Marshall Project, a new nonprofit news organization focused on the criminal justice system. Sign up for updates on their launch.
Since Willingham was executed in 2004, officials have continued to defend the account of the informer, Johnny E. Webb, even as a series of scientific experts have discredited the forensic evidence that Willingham might have deliberately set the house fire in which his toddlers were killed.
But now new evidence has revived questions about Willingham’s guilt: In taped interviews, Webb, who has previously both recanted and affirmed his testimony, gives his first detailed account of how he lied on the witness stand in return for efforts by the former prosecutor, John H. Jackson, to reduce Webb’s prison sentence for robbery and to arrange thousands of dollars in support from a wealthy Corsicana rancher. Newly uncovered letters and court files show that Jackson worked diligently to intercede for Webb after his testimony and to coordinate with the rancher, Charles S. Pearce Jr., to keep the mercurial informer in line.
Anomaly 100 August 4th, 2014 at 8:25 am
That’s why I don’t believe in the death penalty.
Tommy6860 August 4th, 2014 at 8:55 am
I never liked it, no matter. This being the most importnt aspect, innocent people being executed. But also, state sanctioned execution paid with my tax dollars just doesn’t seem right at all.
M D Reese August 4th, 2014 at 11:17 am
Executions are for revenge. They are also permanent and can’t be fixed if it’s later found that the person executed was innocent. I’m hoping that the problems they’re having now in getting the drugs for executions and the recent totally botched executions will get this barbaric practice put to an end.
Dwendt44 August 4th, 2014 at 2:06 pm
I am basically a fence sitter on executions. For certain crimes like mass murder, serial killing, knowingly killing a police/LEO or political assassinations, I’m all for capital punishment. But that’s it.
Some rabid right wingers want to use it for nearly everything. Maybe even jaywalking.
M D Reese August 5th, 2014 at 11:40 am
I’m completely against it. Not because I have any sympathy for the killers, but because I know that the death penalty is not meted out fairly and that a lot of them did not have competent lawyers. Texas comes to mind. Death is also permanent and can’t be reversed when new evidence or technology becomes available. I also don’t like being in the same company as the other countries in the world that still use the death penalty.
Roctuna August 4th, 2014 at 9:34 am
Texas has executed so many (1270 as of April 2014, 414 or 32% since 1990) no doubt this poor man wasn’t the first and won’t be the last.
Shades August 4th, 2014 at 9:42 am
I’ve followed this story since Perry’s last reelection campaign. Although this link follows the jailhouse snitch side of the story, many articles were written about the botched evidence that called the case arson. Apparently the fire inspector was not educated in fire science and made many incorrect assumptions according to the fire experts who followed up. However, those reports were ignored and Perry allowed Willingham’s execution to proceed. In 2009, two days before a commission investigating the execution was to receive a final report including the new reports from fire investigators which it is believed were going to claim the fire was an accident, thus the girls’ deaths were accidents, not murder. Perry suddenly replaced three members of the commission, including appointing a buddy of his as the new head. This buddy cancelled the upcoming meeting and no other meetings were ever scheduled, effectively shutting them down. Rick Perry sailed to reelection. In searching for links, most of the original reports are no longer available on the web. Here is a PDF for the updated fire investigation. http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/austin/investigative/upload/2009/08/execution_based_on_bad_investi/D_Beyler%20FINAL%20REPORT%20082509.pdf
Shades August 4th, 2014 at 9:44 am
The only link I can find regarding Perry’s actions are from a Kos diary from 2009. So far, the other links I’ve traced back have expired but if I find a current one, I’ll update. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/09/30/788296/-Rick-Perry-s-coverup-of-Todd-Willingham-s-murder-begins-UPDATE-KBH-dips-her-toe-in-the-water
Suzanne McFly August 4th, 2014 at 11:37 am
This story is beyond sick. I guess I am too naïve to believe this would ever happen. the fact that anyone stopped an investigation simply to be re-elected proves the values, or lack of, this person has.
cvryder2000 August 4th, 2014 at 10:07 am
“May have”? “An”? Not news. How many? Texas has almost certainly executed more than *an* innocent person since 2000. Texan bloodlust is legendary.
Ron Luce August 4th, 2014 at 10:11 am
Shouldn’t all the people involved here go to jail, if they really did this? Especially the prosecutor but also the rancher?
viva_democracy August 4th, 2014 at 10:41 am
This sounds worse than just a jail house snitch due to money changing hands between an outside rancher and the snitch.
I still don’t understand why for years, prosecutors have allowed jail house snitches to testify. These are desperate people. Desperate to have their sentence lowered, or jail house privileges, or whatever. I would bet that most of them are going to say whatever you want to get what they want. Most of them were probably proven to be liars on the stand during their trials, yet we’re supposed to believe them when it comes to them testifying against someone else? WTF?
fahvel August 4th, 2014 at 11:45 am
well there ya go – the next two to be executed in happy texass
Bunya August 4th, 2014 at 2:02 pm
I’m pretty sure Texas doesn’t care if they executed an innocent man, as long as there’s an execution to keep “pro-life” Perry happy.