Texas Governor Rick Perry Killed a man in 2004

[Modbert]

Did Texas kill an innocent man? | Democracy in America | Economist.com

Thanks to David Grann's piece in the New Yorker last month, the case of Cameron Todd Willingham is getting the exposure it deserves. Willingham was executed by the state of Texas for setting fire to his home in 1991. The blaze killed his three young children. His conviction was largely a result of the testimony of two local arson investigators, who said Mr Willingham had deliberately set the fire. But subsequent reviews found troubling problems with the arson finding. In 2004, as Willingham sat on death row protesting his innocence, an independent investigator reviewed the original report and concluded that the fire was accidental and that the initial investigation was based on "junk science". That report was sent to the governor's office and the Board of Pardons and Paroles, but Willingham's appeals were turned down and he was executed on February 17th 2004.

Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation’s top fire scientists—first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the [Texas Forensic Science Commission]. All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson.

Discuss

 

[Polk]

That's gonna burn on the way down.

 

[alan1]

Was Texas Governor Rick Perry was on the jury?

 

[driveby]

Misleading title, shocker ......

 

[bodecea]

Texas doesn't kill innocent people. Texas believes there are NO innocent people.

 

[potter 58]

nope but he was just like "W", lazy , he couldn't have read the repor " bring it on" , hell W executed a retard, but then again his IQ wasn't much higher

 

[alan1]

Texas doesn't kill innocent people. Texas believes there are NO innocent people.

You speak for all Texans, do you?

 

[bodecea]

Texas doesn't kill innocent people. Texas believes there are NO innocent people.

You speak for all Texans, do you?

All real Texans. Yes.

 

[rightwinger]

Shouldn't this be stored with those Laura Bush posts?

 

[Sidestreamer]

Perry will never concede that the conviction and death sentence shouldn't have been carried out. He ain't the jury but he had the ability to stop the switch from being thrown.

Oh, and Dogbert, do you mind using the title of the article instead of twisting it? You're only distracting from the point that way.

 

[GHook93]

Very disingenuous attack Dogshit!

 

[Sidestreamer]

Texas doesn't kill innocent people. Texas believes there are NO innocent people.

You speak for all Texans, do you?

All real Texans. Yes.

*sigh* I wouldn't say that.

 

[Modbert]

Very disingenuous attack Dogshit!

Not at all. Governor Perry had evidence the man was innocent and shunned it. The death is on his hands.

 

[alan1]

Texas doesn't kill innocent people. Texas believes there are NO innocent people.

You speak for all Texans, do you?

All real Texans. Yes.

I'm sure they are all proud to have you as their unelected spokesperson.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

I wouldn't be so fast as to say "innocent."

There were certainly flaws in the Prosecuter's case, and Gov. Perry appears to be doing all he can to cover that up. However, from what I've read of the case there is certainly a heckuva lot of circumstanial evidence.

I don't think he should have been executed without another look at the case.

 

[indianaboy]

Very disingenuous attack Dogshit!

Not at all. Governor Perry had evidence the man was innocent and shunned it. The death is on his hands.

Fail. The last I knew, juries were in charge of finding guilt, not governors.

 

[amrchaos]

I wouldn't be so fast as to say "innocent."

There were certainly flaws in the Prosecuter's case, and Gov. Perry appears to be doing all he can to cover that up. However, from what I've read of the case there is certainly a heckuva lot of circumstanial evidence.

I don't think he should have been executed without another look at the case.

Maybe Texas should regulate such cases to the "Life in prison" bin.

 

[Mr. Capitalism]

Hey, mistakes can be made in prosecutions. Thats why we can go back and free wrongfully impris...wait, they did what...oh fuck me.

 

[nodoginnafight]

If you are going to use the death penalty - you are going to have people who get executed from time to time who are not guilty of the crimes they are executed for. We are human beings, we make mistakes.

We - as a society - have determined that some "collateral damage" like this is acceptable.

I disagree - but I am apparently in the minority on this issue.

 

[bodecea]

You speak for all Texans, do you?

All real Texans. Yes.

I'm sure they are all proud to have you as their unelected spokesperson.

They would not consider me Innocent. That's for sure.