Tag Archives: Gerald Hurst

Sonia Cacy

A long-time-coming story of actual innocence. A judge has ruled that Sonia Cacy, a West Texas woman convicted of setting her uncle on fire, is innocent of murder, basing his decision on new analysis of evidence presented at her 1993 … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sonia Cacy

Willingham documentary

From the Trib: As you’re reading this, Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr. are putting the finishing touches onIncendiary, a new documentary about theCameron Todd Willingham case that focuses almost entirely on forensics — on the science behind arson investigations … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The case against Willingham

Most of the pushback against the criticism of the Cameron Todd Willingham investigation and conviction has so far been of the form of “He was a bad guy!” and “We did too use science to prove arson!”, neither of which … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The case against Willingham

Willingham’s supposed confession

I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot about this in the coming weeks. A newly released affidavit has a relative of the then-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham saying the condemned inmate confessed to her that he set the fire that … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More heat on Perry over the Forensic Science Commission

The Chicago Tribune provides further evidence that gutting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission was all about politics. Just months before the controversial removal of three members of a state commission investigating the forensics that led to a Texas man’s … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Perry fills out rest of Forensic Science commission

Sam Bassett, the now-former Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission whom Rick Perry abruptly replaced with Williamson County DA John Bradley, wasn’t the only member of the Commission that got the ax, but his was the only slot that … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

One more for the arson-that-wasn’t files

Meet Alfredo Guardiola, currently serving a 40-year sentence for arson-related murders that were almost certainly deaths that resulted from an accidental fire. His case has another chestnut in it, the coerced confession. It’s story number three in a series by … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment