Tomorrow, Texas plans to execute Hank Skinner, a death-row inmate who has been begging for the right to have tested the DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime for which he was convicted.
Skinner's been asking for DNA testing for over a decade now, and has been constantly rebuffed by the state that's so certain of his guilt. The state Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied his last request for DNA testing, and though editorials across Texas are decrying the rush to the gurney, it's unlikely he'll have a chance to be vindicated before his execution.
Which brings us to tonight: at 7 p.m., the Georgetown Law Innocence Project is hosting a panel discussion of the Cameron Todd Willingham case, featuring Dr. Craig Beyler, author of the damning report that laid bare the failures that led to a wrongful execution in 2004.
Anyone in the DC area who's interested in attending should feel welcome to come--the event is free and open to the public and press. If you can't make it, there's supposedly going to be a live webcast, viewable at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/...
Since the Willingham case has become a national discussion (largely thanks to the Polk Award-winning New Yorker article by David Grann, "Trial By Fire," that first appeared last September), I decided that it would be helpful to have a clear timeline of events surrounding the case, including the prosecution itself, critical changes in fire science that would have prevented his conviction, and the political cover-up that Rick Perry has been engaged in ever since.
I hope others find this useful.
Anatomy of a Wrongful Death: The Willingham Case Timeline
Dec. 23, 1991 : A fire at the Corsicana, TX home of Cameron Todd Willingham kills his three young daughters: Amber, age two; and Karmon Diane and Kameron Marie, one year-old twins.
Jan. 8, 1992 : Willingham is arrested for arson and three counts of murder after investigators from the Corsicana Fire Department and the Texas State Fire Marshall’s office determine the fire was intentionally set and Willingham’s account of events did not match the evidence.
Jan. 17, 1992 : NFPA 921, laying out a set of scientific standards that should be followed by fire investigators (including adherence to the Scientific Method) is first presented in Montreal, Canada.
Aug. 18, 1992 : Willingham’s trial for murder and arson begins. The state presents testimony from fire experts that the evidence indicated arson.
Aug. 19, 1992 : Testimony ends in the Willingham trial.
Aug. 21, 1992 : Willingham is convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. During the sentencing phase, the court heard testimony from psychiatrist Dr. James Grigson, who indicated that Willingham was a violent sociopath likely to harm others if released.
Mar. 22, 1995 : Willingham’s automatic appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is rejected. The court specifically cites the testimony from Dr. Grigson to sustain Willingham’s sentence.
Jul. 1995 : Dr. Grigson is expelled from the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians for failing to abide by ethical standards in criminal cases. Specifically, the APA cited Dr. Grigson for "arriving at a psychiatric diagnosis without first having examined the individuals in question, and for indicating, while testifying in court as an expert witness, that he could predict with 100 per cent certainty that the individuals would engage in future violent acts." Over his career, Dr. Grigson testified in over a hundred cases where a sentence of death was imposed on the defendant.
Feb. 13, 2004 : Fire scientist Dr. Gerald Hurst sends his report on the errors in the Willingham case to the state Attorney General: no evidence indicates the report was ever read.
Feb. 17, 2004 : The Attorney General’s office forwards Dr. Hurst’s report to Governor Perry’s office via fax: no evidence indicates the report was ever read.
Feb. 17, 2004 : Willingham is executed by the state of Texas via lethal injection.
Dec. 9, 2004 : The Chicago Tribune, after commissioning four independent fire experts to review the Willingham case file, publishes an article by Maurice Possley and Steve Mills, "Man executed on disproved forensics."
2005 Legislative Session : The Texas legislature creates the Texas Forensic Science Commission.
Apr. 2006 : The Arson Review Committee, a peer-review panel commissioned by the Innocence Project, releases its report on the Willingham and Willis cases, finding both cases to be replete with scientific errors.
Aug. 15, 2008 : The Texas Forensic Science Commission agrees to hire an independent expert to conduct a review of the Cameron Todd Willingham and Ernest Willis cases.
Dec. 12, 2008 : The Texas Forensic Science Commission agrees to hire Dr. Craig Beyler to conduct the review of the Cameron Todd Willingham and Ernest Willis cases, after the Commission determines he is the "most qualified candidate to investigate the Willis/Willingham case."
Aug. 17, 2009 : Dr. Beyler submits his findings to the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Among his findings, he notes that prosecution witnesses failed to adhere to current or contemporaneous standards of conduct in their investigation and testimony. He concludes that, "a finding of arson could not be sustained based upon the standard of care expressed by NFPA 921, or the standard of care expressed by fire investigation texts and papers in the period 1980-1992."
Sep. 7, 2009 : David Grann's article "Trial By Fire," a detailed examination of the Willingham case, appears for the first time in the New Yorker. Grann would subsequently win the Polk Award for this piece.
Sep. 30, 2009 : Two days before the scheduled testimony of Dr. Beyler before the Texas Forensic Science Commission, Governor Perry removes several members whose terms had expired. The scheduled testimony is postponed indefinitely.
Oct. 2, 2009 : The City of Corsicana releases its response to Dr. Beyler’s report, accusing him of "distortions of the trial record" and professing that the city "stand[s] by the work of our investigator." The response claims that NFPA 921 had not been published prior to Willingham’s trial.
Jan. 29, 2010 : The Texas Forensic Science Commission reconvened for the first time with its new membership. Dr. Beyler’s report and the Willingham case were absent from the agenda. To date, the Commission has not rescheduled Dr. Beyler’s testimony.
Remember, 7 p.m. tonight at Georgetown University Law Center, Hart Auditorium - "Bad Science: The Execution of Cameron Todd Willingham and the Case for Forensic Reform." Moderated by Radley Balko. Featuring Dr. Craig Beyler, John Lentini, CFI (disclaimer: my father), and Innocence Project policy director Stephen Saloom.
Hope to see you there.
-JR
One Last Thing: Please contact Rick Perry and ask/urge/implore/beg him to grant a 30 day stay of execution to Hank Skinner so that he may finally get the DNA evidence in his case tested.
Texas callers: (800) 252-9600
Out of state callers and Austin residents: (512) 463-1782
Innocence Project e-Petition to the Governor here.