"I can't think of a more horrible case," said Pat Batchelor, who was district attorney in Navarro County when Willingham was the lone survivor of the blaze Dec. 23, 1991. "Either that or someone came in with the intent to kill me and the children," he said from prison. Monday's setting of an execution date for Willingham was the first such proceeding in the district court since October 2001 when Gary Sterling, convicted for the May 1988 capital murder of a 72-year-old Navarro County man, was given a death date in early December 2001. McAlester, Okla. - Cameron Todd Willingham went to the Texas death house just after 6 p.m. for the murder of his three children. Obituaries Section. Appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction; therefore, the facts of the offense will be discussed only in reference to the error alleged in point of error number four. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 7th murderer executed in Texas in 2004 Mills wrote in todays Chicago Tribune that Kuykendall has offered differing accounts about Willinghams guilt and restated that she had told the Tribune that Willingham never confessed to her. 320th murderer executed in Texas since 1976 2) April 1987: Grand Larceny His house had no phone. "Either that, or someone came in with the intent to kill me and the children," he told a reporter. Willingham suggested a lantern lamp dumped fluid when a shelf collapsed inside the house and caught fire or his oldest daughter, who was "fascinated with everything," accidentally set off the blaze. Three barbequed pork ribs, two orders of onion rings, fried okra, three beef enchiladas with cheese and two slices of lemon creme pie. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? He has been convicted of numerous felonies and misdemeanors, both as an adult and as a juvenile, and attempts at various forms of rehabilitation have proven unsuccessful. UPDATE: When firefighters arrived at the burning 5-bedroom house on Corsicana's south side, the man who lived there was outside. Since then 369 people have been sentenced to life without parole, while death sentencing has dropped from an average 10 per year to four or less. Killed in the house fire at 1213 West 11th Street in Corsicana were Amber Louis Kuyendall, 2, and twins Karmon Diane Willingham, 1, and Kameron Marie Willingham, 1. After the appellate court also denied Willinghams motion for rehearing, he filed a timely petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court on July 21, 2003. His house had no phone. On August 20, 1993, the jury found Willingham guilty of capital murder and, after a separate punishment phase hearing, the trial court imposed a sentence of death. Neighbors testified that Willingham came outdoors as the house began smoldering, before flames were visible from the outside. Tex. "The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit," Cameron Willingham said. He expressed his opinion that an individual demonstrating this type of behavior can not be rehabilitated in any manner, and that such a person certainly poses a continuing threat to society. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. An expert witness for the State testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. The U.S. Supreme court denied Willinghams certiorari petition on June 8, 1998. Willingham was arrested on 8 January. 1) May 1986: Second Degree Burglary Many people choose to share their Memorial Websites in Sysoons Featured Memorial Website Program. Subsequently, Willingham was arrested and charged with the murder of his three daughters. 12-23-91 Weight: 177 1995). Oops, we were unable to send the email. His house had no phone. A friend of Willinghams testified that Willingham once bragged about brutally killing a dog. , 400px wide Willingham subsequently filed an application for a certificate of appealability in the 5th U.S. At the punishment phase of trial, testimony was presented that Willingham has a history of violence. "It was hard for me to sit in front of him," she said. 1995). "Convicted killer in Texas executed by lethal injection Tuesday night." Appellant contends in his fourth point of error that the evidence is insufficient to support the jury's answers to the special issues submitted in the punishment phase of the trial. James Grigson also testified in the case of Randall Adams. Willingham argued that his ex-wife's boyfriend started the blaze, but the jury in his 1992 trial delivered a guilty verdict and the death penalty. He was asleep late in the morning when the 2-year-old woke him with her cry for him. Sysoon is one of the best place on the internet to look for burial and other final disposition information for your friends, family and famous people . "Either that or someone came in with the intent to kill me and the children," he said. His wife, Stacy Kuykendall, was not home at the time. 1) April 1986: Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Public Intoxication An expert witness for the State testified that the floors, front threshold, and front concrete porch were burned, which only occurs when an accelerant has been used to purposely burn these areas. "He was engaged in pushing his car out of the way so it wouldn't be scorched by the flames," John Jackson, the prosecutor in the subsequent criminal case, recalled. His claims of heroic effort to save the girls were not borne out by his unscathed escape with little smoke in his lungs. Defendant was convicted of capital murder by murdering more than one person during same criminal transaction after jury trial in the 13th Judicial District Court, Navarro County, Kenneth A. Douglas, J. 7th murderer executed in Texas in 2004 19.03(a)(6)(A). Killed in the fire were Willingham's three daughters: two- year- old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one- year- old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. (February 17, 2004) "I can remember what I was doing that day, what was going on," Palos said Monday. He expressed love to someone named Gabby and then addressed his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, who was watching about 8 feet away through a window. "The appeals have run their course and the conviction and sentence have been upheld," Keathley said. Internet Sources: Willingham v. Texas, 118 S.Ct. But she shifted her outlook shortly before his 2004 execution, proclaiming that . 02-17-04 Navarro County District Attorney Steve Keathley requested the setting of an execution date during a hearing presided over by Judge Bob McGregor of Hillsboro. "And the word of the fire and children's deaths spread around town real quick." The state court adjudication on the merits neither resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, nor resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding. Willingham said he tried to get to the twins' room, couldn't get past the flames and ran to get help. He had been found guilty of starting the fire that killed his three daughters: two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. Perry and urge him to impose a moratorium on executions, endorse legislation to offer Texas defendants the option of life without parole, and commute the death sentence of Cameron Willingham. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. We got involved with the Willingham case at first because of the faulty forensic science. In November, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Victim(s)(Race/Sex/Age at Murder) Willingham was charged with setting the blaze that killed the 3 youngsters, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. In the punishment phase of the trial, James Grigson testified that Mr. Willington presented a future danger to the community. It was while the fire department was in the mop-up stages of that North 36th Street fire that firefighters got the call to go to the Willingham fire in the 1200 block of West 11th Avenue. Willingham subsequently filed an application for a certificate of appealability in the 5th U.S. The jury also heard evidence of Willinghams character. His house had no phone. HUNTSVILLE -- Spewing profanities at his ex-wife standing a few feet away, an angry former auto mechanic was executed Tuesday evening for the deaths of his three young children in a fire at their home two days before Christmas 12 years ago. According to autopsy reports, Amber, age two, and twins Karmon and Kameron, age 1, died of acute carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of smoke inhalation. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Kameron Marie Willingham and Karmen Diane Willingham, and two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall. She declined to speak to reporters. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Amber Kuykendall is on Facebook. Neighbors of Willingham testified that as the house began smoldering, Willingham was crouched down in the front yard, and despite the neighbors pleas, refused to go into the house in any attempt to rescue the children. Circuit Court of Appeals. The opinion of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeal summarized the offense as follows: Neighbors of Willingham testified that as the house began smoldering, Willingham was crouched down in the front yard, and despite the neighbors pleas, refused to go into the house in any attempt to rescue the children. "I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do." Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. He first pushed his car away to protect it from being burned, then "crouched down" in the front yard. Willingham, the father of those children, was executed in February 2004. Education: 10 years , 300px wide Grigson explained that a person with this degree of sociopathy commonly has no regard for other people's property or for other human beings. Andrea Keilen, an attorney with Texas Defender Service, said she knew of dozens of former death row inmates whose sentences were reduced for various reasons and who have never been involved in any difficulties though Dr. Grigson testified they should be executed because they would likely commit murder again. The testimony at trial demonstrates that Willingham neither showed remorse for his actions nor grieved the loss of his three children. 2) May 1986: Entering a Building with Unlawful Intent and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor (supplying paint for sniffing to a twelve-year- old child) The three girls died in a fire on December 23, 1991. Last week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted 15-0 to deny a clemency request. "However, I'd predict that this sentence would be carried out unless some unforeseen constitutionality issue comes up." And, in my opinion, the children were just an impediment to his lifestyle." He expressed love to someone named Gabby and then addressed his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, who was watching about 8 feet away through a window. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in October 1995. Sterling was granted a stay of execution in November 2001. He remains on death row. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was another inmate who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. Penal Code Ann. Neighbors said they saw Cameron Willingham outdoors even before the blaze engulfed the place, according to testimony at Willingham's trial. Willingham then filed a state writ of habeas corpus on which the trial court recommended denying relief. Texas Forensic Science Commission, the original claims of arson were doubtful. Austin Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott offers the following information about 35-year-old Cameron Todd Willingham, who is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m. February 17, 2004. We will affirm. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. "They ask for privacy during this time," the rep told us on Tuesday. Compare, Do not sell or share my personal information. CRIMINAL HISTORY/PUNISHMENT PHASE EVIDENCE. "I was so full of myself and so dumb. Indeed, the report concludes there was no evidence to determine that the December 1991 fire was even set, and it leaves open the possibility the blaze that killed three children was an accident and there was no crime at all -- the same findings found in a Chicago Tribune investigation of the case published in December 2004. All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson. Willingham, 23, the children's father, and the only adult home at the time of the fire, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death on . (Not Reported) (Habeas). On 23 December 1991, the Corsicana home of Cameron Willingham burned. He expressed his opinion that an individual demonstrating this type of behavior can not be rehabilitated in any manner, and that such a person certainly poses a continuing threat to society. Willingham, 36, said, "From God's dust I came, and to dust I will return, so the earth shall become my throne. Willingham previously acknowledged he was a lousy husband but insisted he wasn't responsible for the blaze in Corsicana that killed his daughters -- 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. Willingham v. Dretke, 124 S.Ct. He previously acknowledged he was a bad husband but insisted he wasn't responsible for the blaze in Corsicana that killed his daughters 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. He said firefighters had been called out earlier in the day to a fire on North 36th Street, a fire that was also ruled an arson. Jackson was the lead prosecutor for the district attorney's office in the Willingham case 12 years ago, securing the death penalty. The jury also heard evidence of Willinghams character. Willingham, now 36, insisted in a recent interview on death row he wasn't responsible for his daughters' deaths. "It was hard for me to sit in front of him," she said. He was the seventh convicted killer executed in Texas this year and the third in seven days. "Either that or someone came in with the intent to kill me and the children," he said from prison. 2229 (1998) (Cert. Monday's setting of an execution date for Willingham was the first such proceeding in the district court since October 2001 when Gary Sterling, convicted for the May 1988 capital murder of a 72-year-old Navarro County man, was given a death date in early December 2001. On Dec. 23, 1991, 2-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall, and 1-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham died in a mid-morning house fire at 1213 W. 11th Ave. in Corsicana. [I]ts very possible I misunderstood what he said. On 17 February 2004, 36-year-old Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three daughters, one-year-old twins. Despite their pleas, Willingham refused to go into the house to attempt to rescue the children, they said. (February 17, 2004) Circuit Court of Appeals. View Source Share Save to Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Oklahoma Marshall County Simpson Also at the Saturday march at the Capitol, Corey Session, brother of Timothy Cole, a man who died while in prison and was later exonerated, called for the case to be reheard before an advisory panel. I gotta go, Road Dog." For example, 10 years ago Georgia introduced life without parole. Normally, District Judge John Jackson would have presided over such a hearing. "And the word (of the fire and children's deaths) spread around town real quick." Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. At his trial, neighbors said he was outdoors even before flames engulfed the place and was concerned about his car getting scorched. "He really just wanted to get rid of them," said Pat Batchelor, who was Navarro County district attorney at the time. Other testimony showed that Willingham deliberately set the fire to kill his children. Although appellant does not argue that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for capital murder, a review of the facts and other evidence underlying his conviction is necessary, as this is the information which the jury considered when answering the special issues in the punishment phase of the trial. via arson at their family home in Corsicana, Texas. "It's been due a long time," Palos said. "They were great kids," he said. In more than 100 of the 167 cases he testified in, he predicted the defendant would kill gain. Appellant's neighbors testified that when the fire "blew out" the windows, appellant "hollered about his car" and ran to move it away from the fire to avoid its being damaged. But Kuykendall told the Corsicana Daily Sun earlier this month that after reviewing case and meeting with her former husband in prison recently, she doesn't buy his version of the events that day. Testimony at his trial indicated that Willingham had a history of violence and family abuse, including an incident where he beat his pregnant wife with a telephone to try to force a miscarriage. Willingham previously acknowledged he was a lousy husband but insisted he wasn't responsible for the blaze in Corsicana that killed his daughters -- 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. The execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. An investigation revealed that it was intentionally set with a flammable liquid. Prosecutors contended he just wanted to get rid of the children. He explained that a person with this degree of sociopathy commonly has no regard for other peoples property or for other human beings. Funeral industry and Genealogy directory. LINDSAY, J. It was 2 days before Christmas 1991. The mood back at the firehouse, after the Willingham fire, was different than most after-action gatherings. Please, Login or Sign-up to post your comments. The three girls died in a fire on December 23, 1991. Willingham was convicted of burglary three months before the fire, and was serving a sentence of 6 years' probation. Amber, age two, and twins Karmon and Kameron, age 1, died of acute carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of smoke inhalation, according to autopsy reports.
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