Tag Archives: arson

Forensic Science Commission finally gets back to Willingham case

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, but it’s not much more than that. Meeting for the first time since January, the nine-member Texas Forensic Science Commission voted to obtain and review the complete transcript of the capital murder trial of Cameron Todd Willingham, … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission to finally get back to Willingham case

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s sure taken them long enough. After months of delay and internal upheaval, the revamped Texas Forensic Science Commission is poised to reopen discussion of the Cameron Todd Willingham case when it meets April 23 in Irving. Tarrant County Medical … Continue reading →

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Bradley and the Texas Open Meetings Act

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey finds another way in which John Bradley, the Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, is a failure. Friday started badly for John Bradley, the Williamson County district attorney selected last fall by Gov. Rick Perry to ride … Continue reading →

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No mention of Willingham

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Forensic Science Commission had its first meeting since Williamson County DA John Bradley was named Chair by Governor Perry. Bradley did the job Perry picked him for by preventing any official discussion of the Cameron Todd Willingham case … Continue reading →

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The Willingham jury

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You know, I don’t blame any of the jurors in the Cameron Todd Willingham trial for the verdict they rendered. Based on the evidence that was presented to them, a guilty verdict was to be expected. They had no way … Continue reading →

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Bradley’s penchant for secrecy

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what John Bradley’s goals are as the Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. But if one of them is to dispel the notion that he’s Rick Perry’s stooge, who was installed for the purpose of covering … Continue reading →

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The Whitmire/Bradley hearing

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As noted, today was the day for the Senate hearing chaired by State Sen. John Whitmire to inquire with John Bradley about the status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The main data point to note is that Bradley says … Continue reading →

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Bradley speaks

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

John Bradley, the hang-em-high Williamson County District Attorney who was appointed to chair the Texas Forensic Science Commission by Governor Perry in August, tries to reassure us that there will be no Perry-saving monkey business on the Commission. He has … Continue reading →

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Two views of Willingham and Perry

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of good op-eds in the papers in the past few days concerning the Cameron Todd Willingham case. First, here’s State Sen. Rodney Ellis and Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project focusing on the forensics: In 2006, the Innocence Project … Continue reading →

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Chron sues Perry over clemency files

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers LLC are suing Gov. Rick Perry in an effort to force the release of a clemency report Perry received before denying a stay of execution to Cameron Todd Willingham. The report … Continue reading →

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The case against Willingham

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Willingham’s supposed confession

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Perry goes on the attack as evidence of a coverup mounts

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The evidence keeps coming in. Lawyers representing Gov. Rick Perry on two occasions grilled Austin lawyer Sam Bassett on the activities of his Texas Forensic Science Commission, telling him its probe into a controversial Corsicana arson case was inappropriate and … Continue reading →

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More heat on Perry over the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Perry fills out rest of Forensic Science commission

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Whitmire pushes Bradley

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. John Whitmire, who has previously indicated that he will hold a hearing to inquire about the current status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, has reiterated that intent for the near future. “I’m concerned about the process,” said … Continue reading →

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

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Some criminal justice quick hits

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some short commentary on a few articles that have appeared lately and were worth mentioning. Murray Newman disputes the need for a public defender’s office in Harris County. I’m perfectly willing to accept the idea that there’s a better way … Continue reading →

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It’s not too early to reschedule that meeting

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey talks to State Sen. John Whitmire about Rick Perry’s choice of Williamson County DA John Bradley as the replacement chair of the Texas Forensic Sciences Commission, and how we can tell if the intent was as sinister as … Continue reading →

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Reschedule the meeting

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve read a bunch of coverage of Governor Perry’s conveniently-timed decision to replace members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission just before they were scheduled to review the Beyler report on the Cameron Todd Willingham arson investigation, and one thing … Continue reading →

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Perry attempts to gut Forensic Science Commission

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is an outrage. Gov. Rick Perry today replaced the chairman of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, which is conducting a politically sensitive investigation into whether the state executed a man based on a fatally flawed arson investigation. The commission’s … Continue reading →

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It’s hard to get a conviction when there’s no evidence of a crime

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The main bit of news in this AP story about the Todd Willingham case review is that the Texas Forensic Science Commission will be reviewing the Beyler report about the shoddy investigation of the fire on Friday. I hope, though … Continue reading →

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Perry sneers at Willingham evidence

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is exactly what I expect from Rick Perry. Governor Rick Perry today strenuously defended the execution of a Corsicana man whose conviction for killing his daughters in a house fire hinged on an arson finding that top experts call … Continue reading →

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DMN on Willingham

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Another good overview of the Cameron Todd Willingham case and why the “science” that led to his conviction and ultimately his execution was junk. If you’ve been following the case there’s nothing really new there, but if you need to … Continue reading →

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Link roundup on Todd Willingham

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits finds a bunch of links about Cameron Todd Willingham and the reaction that his case and the New Yorker article about it have generated, to which I added this Dahlia Lithwick article in the comments. Three things: 1. As … Continue reading →

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The New Yorker on Todd Willingham

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you haven’t done so already, you really need to read this in-depth story, as well as the brief followup, on the Cameron Todd Willingham case. Author David Grann gives a thorough overview of the case, and gets into why … Continue reading →

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More on the Willingham report

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that the Texas Commission on Forensic Sciences has received its report on the botched investigation of Cameron Todd Willingham and the likelihood that he was convicted and executed for a non-crime, will that help improve forensic standards so that … Continue reading →

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Grand juror disagrees with dismissal of arson charge against Francisca Medina

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Given the grand jury issues that surrounded the original indictment of Supreme Court Justice David Medina in the matter of the fire that destroyed his house, this seems only fitting. A grand juror who sat on one of two panels … Continue reading →

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DA drops arson charges against Justice Medina’s wife

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall the saga of State Supreme Court Justice David Medina, who was indicted on a charge of arson after his house burned down, then had that charge dismissed by Chuck Rosenthal amid much controversy – see here for … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission gets its report on Willingham case

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be a lot harder for anyone to claim with a straight face that the state of Texas has never executed an innocent man. Key testimony that sent a Corsicana auto mechanic to the execution chamber for setting … Continue reading →

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Gallery arsonist arrested

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

An arrest has been made in the setting of the fire at the Gallery Furniture warehouse back in May. A man fired five years ago from Gallery Furniture has been arrested and charged with arson, accused of setting the fire … Continue reading →

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More questionable arson convictions

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer has published the second of its stories on questionable arson convictions (the first, from April, is here). It’s a compelling series, and really gives a good picture of why these two cases should not have resulted in charges, … Continue reading →

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Gallery fire ruled arson

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The massive fire last week that destroyed the warehouse at Gallery Furniture’s main location on the North Freeway was intentionally set, an official said today. Rob Elder, assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and … Continue reading →

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Innocence

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg examines what Circuit Judge Jacques L. Wiener Jr. referred to as “the elephant in the room” in granting a stay of execution to Larry Swearingen. The nation’s highest court hasn’t directly addressed whether a claim of actual innocence … Continue reading →

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