Shouting from the Rooftops

In 2006, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that there has not been "a single case - not one - in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit. If such an event had occurred in recent years, we would not have to hunt for it; the innocent's name would be shouted from the rooftops."

We knew then, though, that innocents had been executed. So we issued a report titled “Innocent and Executed: Four Chapters in the Life of America’s Death Penalty.” In that report, we told the stories of four such men: Ruben Cantu, Carlos De Luna, Larry Griffin and Cameron Todd Willingham.

The story of Cameron Todd Willingham garnered even more national attention, thanks to the article, "Trial by Fire," published in the September 7, 2009 edition of the New Yorker.  The reporter, David Grann, lays out the powerful story of Willingham's conviction and execution, and demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt what we have known all along: That Cameron Todd Willingham was innocent, and he was executed.  On October 19, 2010, an important, in-depth PBS "Frontline" documentary, "Death by Fire" which also focused on the case, confirmed that Willingham's wrongful conviction and execution was the result of "junk science."

But efforts to officially clear Willingham's name and prove that the fire was not caused by arson have been stymied. First, a hearing before the Texas Forensic Science Commission in 2009 to review a report by fire scientist Craig Beyler, who also said the fire was in all probability accidental, was cancelled when Governor Rick Perry removed its members and replaced them with new commissioners. After months of delay, a commission subcommittee which examines fire investigation methodology, began its inquiry, but the original fire investigators, supported by new Commission Chair John Bradley, insisted that their methods, and their interpretation of the evidence, was valid. Bradley was even quoted as saying Willingham was "a guilty monster."  Willingham's family petitioned District Judge Charlie Baird for a hearing with the goal of clearing Willingham's name.  A hearing was held in mid-October 2010, but it was halted by an appeals court's stay.

As Justice Scalia asked, we are now SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS that this man was innocent.  But we need your help to get the message out. 

Here are eight things you can do:

1. Read the New Yorker article on Cameron Todd Willingham.  You can also read other reports and media accounts of the Willingham case at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty's website, and an article in Newsweek titled, "Innocent Until Executed." 


2. Tell your friends about Willingham's innocence by sending them an e-mail.


3. Learn how to make a video in which you "shout from the rooftops" that an innocent person has been executed.   
    
4. Write a letter to the editor about Cameron Todd Willingham, calling for an end to the death penalty. 
    
5. Read our report, "Innocent and Executed: Four Chapters in the Life and Death of America's Death Penalty," and tell a friend about it.
    
6. Support NCADP's work by clicking here.  Your gift enables us to reach out to more people and helps our voices grow louder.
    
7. Put the "Shouting from the Rooftops" banner on your web page or blog.  Click here for the html code.


8. Watch "Death by Fire" on PBS' "Frontline" website with your friends. Be sure to leave a comment on the website about the Willingham case, calling for an end to the death penalty.

BREAKING NEWS: September 30, 2009 - Gov. Perry of Texas stops formal process to examine Willingham case. Click HERE for updated, breaking news.

NEWS UPDATE: April 23, 2010 - Texas Forensic Science Commission to finally investigate Willingham case -- but does not set timeline for completion. Click HERE for more in the Willingham case news section.

NEWS UPDATE: July 23, 2010 - The Texas Forensic Science Commission met today to discuss the Willingham case, but took no concrete action except to say that a fire investigator whose testimony played a significant role in Willingham's conviction -- and whose forensic investigation and findings were among those characterized in the Craig Beyler report as stemming from "junk science" -- was not at fault. The Commission is scheduled to meet on the case again on September 17. Meanwhile, some members of Willingham's family say the Commission's review of the flawed fire science investigation leading to his conviction and execution is moving too slowly.  See the Willingham case news section for details.

NEWS UPDATE: Over the objections of its Chair, the Texas Forensic Science Commission during its September 17, 2010 meeting, decided to continue its probe into the Willingham case, to determine if the best fire investigation standards at the time were followed by the Texas fire experts who reviewed the evidence.  See the Willingham case news section for details.

You can also learn more at CNN and MSNBC.