here we go with the clownpuncher drivel. what garbage.

Here we go with liberal spin. What garbage

Judicial corruption is more common then public wishes to believe. One story leaked out but many more did not.

I'm almost speechless.....stumped by people who can't admit their own mistakes. You execute an innocent man, and then find out he's innocent, you better commit suicide cause nothing will bring him back to his family. Or rot in Level 5, whichever satisfies his family.

more "christian" hypocrisy from a republican leader

i live in Texas. it's great, but rick perry is a useless governor.

it's sickening how republican texas is. but not so much in the big cities.

he needs to be put OUT OF OFFICE!

Texas would be better off with Kaye Bailey Hutchinson.

@Spacemikey thank you! I'm so sick of people like that calling themselves Christians.

Christian: to strive to be Christ-like!
NOT being full of hate for people who are different but being full of LOVE and FORGIVENESS

He will get his down th road , watch !

I agree Mr. motown, nothing worse than a blood thirsty bible thumper. I feel sorry for real Christians that have had there religion hijacked by complete hypocrites...

Cold blooded state run executions are so barbaric they make me sick. And there so called Christian bible behind the facade of righteousness.

[edit]Evidence

Charcoal starter fluid and an outdoor grill were kept on the front porch of Willingham’s house as evidenced by a melted container found there. Some of this fluid may have entered the front doorway of the house carried along by fire hose water. It was alleged this fluid was deliberately poured to start the fire and that Willingham chose this entranceway so as to impede rescue attempts. The prosecution also used other arson theories that have since been brought into question. Beyler wrote in his report, "in the end, the only (basis) for the determination of arson ... is the burn patterns on the floor of the children's bedroom, the hallway and the porch interpreted as accelerant spill. None of these determinations have any basis in modern fire science."[3]
In addition to the arson evidence, a jailhouse informant named Johnny Webb claimed Willingham confessed that he set the fire to hide his wife's physical abuse of the girls, although the girls showed no other injuries besides those caused by the fire.[16] Webb later told a reporter for The New Yorker, "it’s very possible I misunderstood what he said. Being locked up in that little cell makes you kind of crazy. My memory is in bits and pieces. I was on a lot of medication at the time. Everyone knew that."[4] Webb was later diagnosed bipolar and even the prosecutor described Webb as "an unreliable kind of guy" yet after Webb's testimony Jackson successfully got him released from prison early. Webb later sent Jackson a Motion to Recant Testimony, that declared, “Mr. Willingham is innocent of all charges.” Willingham's attorneys were not notified and Webb later recanted his recantation. [17]
According to testimony, at the time of the fire eyewitnesses reported that Willingham was outside the house and in a distressed state calling out that his babies were burning. He frantically told neighbor Diane Barbee to call the fire department and then broke the window our of the child's bedroom. He grew increasingly hysterical and had to be restrained with handcuffs to prevent him from re-entering the house. One early-arriving fireman said that he had also had to restrain Willingham for his own safety. One neighbor also testified that Willingham could have tried to re-enter the home to rescue the children. They allege he "crouched down" in his front yard and watched the house burn for a period of time without attempting to enter the home or go to neighbors for help or request they call firefighters. [4] Eyewitnesses also described his appearance as having "singed hair on his chest, eyelids, and head and had a two inch burn injury on his right shoulder. His wrists and hands were blackened with smoke. He was eventually transported to the hospital for treatment, still resisting and still in handcuffs" [18]
The prosecution claimed that Willingham may have been motivated by a desire to rid himself of his unwanted children. Willingham had previously been arrested for assaulting his then-pregnant wife.[19]
In a 2009 article discussing the reasons why Willingham was found guilty, Jackson recalled witness statements established that Willingham was overheard whispering to his deceased older daughter at the funeral home, "You're not the one who was supposed to die." Jackson stated that Willingham's comments was an indicator of guilt. In a rebuttal David Gran wrote, "If the arson investigators had concluded there was no scientific evidence that a crime had occurred—as the top fire investigators in the country have now determined—Willingham’s words at the funeral would surely be viewed as a sign that he was tormented by the fact that he had survived without saving his children."[20]
Since Willingham's execution, persistent questions have been raised as to the accuracy of the forensic evidence used in the conviction; specifically, whether it can be proven that an accelerant (such as the lighter fluid mentioned above) was used to start the fatal fire.[21]
Fire investigator Gerald L. Hurst reviewed the case documents, including the trial transcriptions and an hour-long videotape of the aftermath of the fire scene. Hurst said, "There's nothing to suggest to any reasonable arson investigator that this was an arson fire. It was just a fire."[16] In June 2009 the State of Texas ordered an unprecedented re-examination of the case and may issue a ruling on it at a later date.
A Chicago Tribune investigative article concluded: "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 commission. All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice recanted testimony[22] by another inmate who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. Jailhouse snitches are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use."[23]

Willingham maintained his innocence up until his death and spent years trying to appeal his conviction. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, led by controversial judge Sharon Keller, denied Willingham of his writ of habeas corpus and a month before his execution. Dr. Gerald Hurst, an Austin scientist and fire investigator reviewed the case and concluded there was "no evidence of arson, the same conclusion reached by other fire investigators. Hurst's report was sent to governor Rick Perry's office as well as Board of Pardons and Paroles along with Willingham's appeal for clemency. [12] Neither responded to Willingham's appeals. Later, Hurst remarked, "The whole case was based on the purest form of junk science," Hurst said. "There was no item of evidence that indicated arson." Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said the governor had weighed the "totality of the issues that led to (Willingham's) conviction." She said he was aware of a "claim of a reinterpretation of (the) arson testimony."[13]

Willingham was executed by lethal injection on February 17, 2004, at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. He was 36 years old.

When asked if he had a final statement, Willingham said: "Yeah. The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. From God's dust I came and to dust I will return, so the earth shall become my throne. I gotta go, Road Dog. I love you, Gabby."[14] He then addressed his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, who was watching about 8 feet away through a window. Willingham said several times, "I hope you rot in hell, bitch." He then attempted to maneuver his hand, strapped at the wrist to the execution gurney, into an obscene gesture.[15] Kuykendall showed no reaction to the outburst. While she initially believed in her husband's innocence, following the trial she told him she no longer believed him and publicized her change of heart. Willingham was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m., seven minutes after the lethal dose of chemicals began.