It ends like this: Just before Willingham received the lethal injection, he was asked if he had any last words. Cameron Todd Willingham, delivered a foul-mouthed tirade directed at his ex-wife. However, she later worked as an official spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where she witnessed the final few hours of the inmates life. "His wife was watching from the witness room and I was told later by the chaplaincy that she had come to witness not on his behalf but as one of the victims. We had one guy that was telling jokes, we had another that was referencing a song by a Texas songwriter called 'The Road Goes On Forever And The Party Never Ends.. Sunday, September 27, 2009. The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. It seems like Cameron admitted to the couples tumultuous past first, acknowledging that their relationship was affected by their troubled backgrounds. Rick Perry replaced key members of the panel, delayed the investigation for months. As previously revealed by The Sun, Lyons says this can sometimes be an arduous process as some refuse to die quietly. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Michelle Lyons is a reporter who covered hundreds of executions at a prison in Texas, She said the final words of Cameron Willingham, who killed his three daughters, were some of the worst she heard, Texas mom who witnessed more than 300 executions talks of her experience, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Dal momento che Willingham's Nell'esecuzione del 2004 , sono sorte importanti polemiche sulla legittimit del verdetto di colpevolezza e sull'interpretazione . I live in New York. I hope you f***ing rot, c***. The chilling memoirs, which she recently penned in her book Death Row: The Final Minutes, has now been fully . Though, in the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, Willingham has faced the harsh reality . The witness believed the bitch in question was Willinghams ex-wife Stacy, the mother of his daughters. Might Willingham have been guilty after all? 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. I picked it up after finishing Trial By Fire, Granns story in The New Yorker that made the case that Cameron Todd Willingham, a man executed by the state of Texas in 2004 for murdering his three baby girls by arson, was innocent-that the fire was likely an accident. For years, even after they divorced, Stacy Kuykendall advocated for Cameron and his innocence. Amnesty International. (That blog is a project of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which . more to his last words than that,however, Choire Granns story establishes that, after years of supporting Willingham as he waited on death row, Stacy had lost herfaith. Lyons explained that initially the process made her "completely unbiased and unaffected" by what she saw, as the executions ran like clockwork and lasted a mere few minutes. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice keeps a record of these last statements. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. ", David Long Executed 12/8/99"Ah, just ah, sorry ya'll. Ron, give Peggy a hug for me. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. If my death gives you any peace, so be it.I want my friends to know it is not the way to die, but I belong to Jesus Christ. However, a police investigation determined that the fire had been started using some sort of liquid accelerant, and Willingham was reportedly relatively unharmed after the fire. Theres nothing left but the memory of those who lay dead. I gotta go, road dog. I hope you f***ing rot in hell. At the time of the fire, Kuykendall and Willingham were newlyweds. Willingham's ex-wife said that he . Gov. TIL that the real last words of Cameron Todd Willingham, executed in 2004 but now widely believed to be innocent, were a stream of curses directed at his ex-wife who was watching the execution and who claimed that he had confessed to her . I have a good family. Todd had minor burns but no major injury. In 2006, the Innocence Project formally submitted the case to the Texas Forensic Science Commission, asking the empowered state entity to launch a full investigation. And the statement as Grann reports it is consistent with what we might expect from a person who actually was innocent. Though she hadn't said this to investigators or during his trial, Kuykendall said she threatened to divorce Willingham the night before the fire. One-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron, as well as two-year-old Amber, were killed in the blaze. You don't have to. A Troubled Young Man | "Death by Fire". This is because Willingham was anything but that; he regularly verbally abused and beat his wife, and in some of these instances, the police was called. Yes, if one defines truth in the Clintonesque way of defensible as not literally false. Why did he go out into the world to see? It was me and me alone. Fade to black. He was convicted based on the testimony of forensic experts who said they had determined that the fire was intentionally set and a jailhouse informant who said Willingham had confessed to him. "I hope you rot in hell, b--," Willingham said . To my family, to my brother Gerard, I love you. Perhaps most notably, Hurst was able to explain the presence of lighter fluid at the scene: a charcoal grill which had been used . I pray Lord, please forgive me. Over the years, the former journalist has witnessed hundreds of death row inmates killed by lethal injection - with her first being murderer Javier Cruz in 1998. Usually, the warden will allow them to talk for about two minutes. Also back in October, but apparently, near-totally unnoticed, there was a post over on the legal blog Crime and Consequences that finally did print all of Willingham's final words. Two-year-old Amber Willingham, along with her younger twin sisters, Karmon and Kameron, died in a fire on December 23, 1991 in Corsicana, Texas. I. I. NTRODUCTION. Willingham's actual final words were a venom-filled curse at his ex-wife as he attempted an obscene gesture, Cook reported. Last week, the pair filed a petition with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend a pardon for Willingham. I knew I would pay with struggle and strife, but I never thought the cost would be me losing my life.Written through his sister, Michelle Winn, Robert Carter Executed 5/31/00"To the Davis family, I am sorry for all of the pain that I caused your family. I hope that you can forgive me. By an 11-to-1 vote, a Navarro County jury rejected claims by the State Bar of Texas that Jackson made false statements . You had some lovely girls and I am sorry. Is Granns report the truth? At the trial, the prosecutor asserted that Willingham wanted to . Cameron Todd Willingham (January 9, 1968 - February 17, 2004) was an American man who was convicted and executed by lethal injection for the murder of his three young children by arson in Corsicana, Texas, on December 23, 1991. Cameron, Todd Willinghammurdered his children by arson in 1991, despite numerous attempts to clear his name, I guess all I can do is close this episode with Todd's last words before he was executed. Warden Baggett, thank all of you so much. He claimed he was innocent right up until his death, using his last words to say . "I read that Todds stepmom and cousin are asking the governor for a pardon. "His wife was watching from the witness room and I was . At Willinghams 1992 trial, prosecutors claimed he intentionally set fire to his home in order to kill his own children. Like I said, I am sorry for hurting your family. Inside were three children: one-year-old twins named Karmon and Kameron, and Amber, a 2 year old. I'm real sorry for it. To the end, he denied setting the fire that killed his wife and kids. Thank you for visiting us. Anthony Graves had nothing to do with it. ', "It was just such a crazy contrast to see in the space of 30 minutes, and it stuck with me.. I picked it up after finishing Trial By Fire, Granns story in The New Yorker that made the case that Cameron Todd Willingham, a man executed by the state of Texas in 2004 for murdering his three baby girls by arson, was innocent-that the fire was likely an accident. In 2009, an arson . I hope God will give you peace with this.Baby, I love you. You bitch; I hope you fucking rot, cunt. Im not sure Im entirely comfortable with the way Grann structured his ending, in light of Willinghams full statement-but Im not content with Scheideggers takeaway, either. However, there are some that do produce some heartfelt moments in their final minutes. Documents obtained by the Innocence Project show that state officials received that report but apparently did not act on it. Saying that Willingham is guilty is not new for Kuykendall, but it's a 180-degree change from the early years of the case. A woman who witnessed nearly 300 executions in the state of Texas has revealed that she is still haunted by the final words of a man who killed his children in a shocking arson. He reasserts his innocence, and his very last words are religious. "My girls would have been 23 and 21 years old today. ", 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Michelle Lyons is a reporter who covered hundreds of executions at a prison in Texas, She said the final words of Cameron Willingham, who killed his three daughters, were some of the worst she heard, Texas mom who witnessed more than 300 executions talks of her experience, Texas mom who witnessed more than 300 executions tells how shes still haunted by child killers last words, Liquor CEO, 46, plummets to his death attempting backflip during Dead & Company concert at New York's Citi Field, Taliban orders British paratroopers out of Afghanistan in a weeks time or it's war, Giant Sturgeon Moon shines above lighthouse in breathtaking snap, Incredible snaps of gravity-defying stunt driver and fog-shrouded viaduct win at pic awards, Disgraced Gov Andrew Cuomo sends farewell message using NY's email alert system to brag about achievements in office, Afghan journalists beaten by Taliban & prevented from making evacuation flight, Giant tortoise thought to be vegetarian kills and eats bird in slo-mo attack, Calls for Biden to RESIGN over Afghanistan crisis grow louder as president jokes he 'may need work after this'. Stacy, who had for so long expressed belief in Willinghams innocence, had recently taken her first look at the original court records and arson findings. And on October 15, the Texas Forensic Science Commission discussed the case in depth at its regular meeting. I don't know what to say. My wife had nothing to do with it. I am going to sleep. Before this ID episode, Stacy last gave a public statement to The Huffington Post in 2012, when Camerons family was fighting to earn him an acquittal. Willingham said he was asleep in the home when the fire started and always maintained his innocence. 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Its basically like reading a 300-page Indiana Jones movie that teaches you important and incredible things about the world. 1. He often said, "Theres nothing left of me." Fire investigators determined that the fire was caused by arson and that Willingham used an accelerant to start the blaze. Lyon recalled that warden signalled for the execution to begin while he continued hurling insults at her until he finally became silent. But others she admits are very hard to forget as she recalled the horrific final words of one inmate. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Below are some final statements of convicted murderers. Cameron Todd Willingham was in jail, charged with murdering his daughters, when he supposedly confessed to a fellow inmate named Johnny Webb. She also added her experience about a man named Rodolfo Hernandez, that she felt had been treated harshly with his death sentence. (Yes, they couldnt resist bringing in Clintonesque.). A letter to the editor revealed that there was more to his last words than that,however. Trial by Fire: Directed by Edward Zwick. Fade to black. Willingham, who said he was home napping at the time . He then reportedly looked right at his victims' family and told them: "Be careful when you drive home. Michelle Lyons worked as a newspaper reporter and a Texas state employee at the jail and said Willingham was swearing and yelling at his wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even as . She denied him his wish, later telling a reporter, He took my kids away fromme.. After all, she also agreed to take to the stands to state the same during his trial. In 2009, she unleashed a startling accusation that Willingham confessed the crime to her when she visited him on death row. "He directed so much vitriol towards her that the warden actually started the execution as he was talking to make him stop.". "He directed so much vitriol towards her that the warden actually started the execution as he was talking to make him stop," Lyons said. Abul, behold your son, and Anitra, behold your mother. She said the final words of Cameron Willingham, who killed his three daughters, were some of the worst she heard "His last statement was the worst I had ever seen," she told The Mirror. The meeting adjourned without action on the draft addendum, however. View our online Press Pack. Todd Willingham was executed by lethal injection in Texas in February, 2004. The pursuit of justice has always been rooted in good will, to succeed those who have been wronged. Does knowing the full scope of his final statement change the way you feel about Willingham? In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed afters years of trying to appeal his conviction, maintaining his innocence until the end. I know Im missing somebody, but if theres anything I have left to say, it would be that I wish I had a Shakespearean vocabulary, but since I was raised in TDC, I missed out on some of my vocabulary.If my words can persuade you to discontinue this practice of executing people, please do so. The witness believed the bitch in question was Willinghams ex-wife Stacy, the mother of his daughters. CORSICANA More than five years after his final act from the Texas death chamber gurney was a profanity-filled tirade, the murder case of executed inmate Cameron Todd Willingham refuses to die. She recalled: "We had two guys in one night, and the first had a really ugly statement where he was telling the victims' families, 'I hope y'all get in a crash and die on your way home., He also said: You can kiss my ass,' and a whole bunch of stuff., Lyons explained: "It really stood out that night because it was so ugly, but then the second execution afterwards, the guy was so apologetic and was crying and telling the victim's family, 'I am so sorry I did this to you. All right, Warden, let's do it. You have been so good to me. Aftermath of the fire [Texas State Fire Marshal's Office] On December 23, 1991, fire gutted the home where Cameron Todd Willingham, then 23, lived with his wife, Stacy Kuykendall, and the couple's three daughters: two-year-old Amber Kuykendall and one . On February 17, 2004, the state of Texas executed Cameron Todd Willingham for the arson and murder of his three children, two-year-old Amber, and one-year-old twins, Karmon and . "Todd is guilty, the criminal justice system and the courts confirmed his guilt, and he should not be pardoned for his crimes," Kuykendall said in an exclusive statement to The Huffington Post. And to my family, I love you. Stacy Kuykendall prefers to remain out of the spotlight. Part of HuffPost Crime. Testimony from an informer and the fire investigators convicted him, with the prison informant saying Willingham confessed that he'd started the fire to hide the evidence that his daughters had been abused. Thanks to Carolyn and Gloria, who have been my friends for over four years. I was raised by the California Youth Authority, I can't really pin point where it started, what happened, but really believe that's just the bottom line, what happened to me was in California. ", Cameron Todd Willingham Executed 2/17/04"Yeah. "I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. A WOMAN who has seen nearly 300 prisoners die at Huntsville State Prison in Texas said she still remembers the final words of Cameron Willingham, who killed his three daughters. 2. With Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern, Emily Meade, Chris Coy. Cameron Todd Willingham's stepmother and cousin, . Well, Grann doesnt actually say those words are the very last, but that is certainly the picture the reader gets. "I hope y'all don't have a wreck and kill yourselves. I gotta go, road dog. Cameron Todd Willingham Executed 2/17/04 "Yeah. ", Donald Aldrich Executed 10/12/04"Yes sir, I would. I love you Gabby. He said, the only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime. Thank Chaplain Taylor and Jane. He said, The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. God is real. Faulty investigative techniques, redundant fire science, and swinging witness testimonies resulted in his . I gotta go, road dog. I just got your letter. 3. Standing in the way of a pardon for a Texas man that his family considers was wrongly convicted and executed is his ex-wife. I am so sorry for what all of you had to go through. Well, Grann doesnt actually say those words are the very last, but that is certainly the picture the reader gets. On the night of January 8, 1992, two weeks after the fire, Willingham was riding in a car with Stacy when SWAT teams surrounded them, forcing them to the side of the road. Based in part on Webb's testimony, Willingham was . That poignant end reads almost like a Hollywood script, doesnt it? This is because Willingham was anything but that; he regularly verbally abused and beat his wife, and in some of these instances, the police was called. My girls would have been 23 and 21 years old today. You did not deserve this. Scheidegger takes Grann to task for depicting an execution scene more dramatically in line with the articles assertion of Willinghams innocence, and suggests that the omitted vitriol points to a possible motive in the case-something the prosecution struggled to establish in court. ", Dennis Dowthitt Executed 3/7/01"I am so sorry for what y'all had to go through. . The reporter also said she witnessed the last moments of Brian Keith Roberson, who stabbed his neighbors James Boots, 79, and Lillian Boots, 74, to death during a burglary in Dallas in 1986. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. So I hope that you don't find peace, not in my death, but in Christ. The process usually sees witnesses and the media brought into a small viewing room where the inmate is already strapped to a gurney. Usually, the warden will allow them to talk for about two minutes. A letter to the editor revealed that there was more to his last words than that, however. Handout. Lyons who is a mother to a daughter herself claimed that during the killers execution, his wife was behind a glass window witnessing it, and he screamed at her: "I hope you rot in hell, b***h. I hope you f**king rot in hell.". Anthony Graves don't even know anything about it. While waiting for permission to finish the case from the Third Court of Appeals, Baird put together the document that "orders the exoneration of Cameron Todd Willingham for murdering his three daughters," because of "overwhelming, credible and reliable evidence" presented during a one-day hearing in Austin in October 2010. Do you value our journalism? He asked Stacy if his tombstone could be erected next to their childrens graves. The Innocence Project assembled five of the nations leading independent arson experts to review the evidence in the case, and this prestigious group issued a 48-page report finding that none of the scientific analysis used to convict Willingham was valid. Cameron Todd Willingham, of Texas, was the husband of Stacy Willingham and the loving father of three young girls.There is a reason why I did not include the word 'loving' in front of the word 'husband'. I want to remember Patsy Buntion, Gladys and a lot more friends.I want to thank the prosecutor in my case; it took courage for him to do what he did but he did what he did because he believed in the judicial system.Im not ready to go, but I have no choice; I sent several letters to my family; theyll be very moving when you get them. Cameron Todd Willingham (9 gennaio 1968 - 17 febbraio 2004) stato un uomo americano condannato e giustiziato per l'omicidio dei suoi tre figli per incendio doloso nella casa di famiglia a Corsicana, in Texas , il 23 dicembre 1991. I have been persecuted 12 years for something I did not do. This statement contradicted Stacys several others, especially as shed never mentioned such an argument earlier. Ardmore, Oklahoma (CNN) Cameron Todd Willingham's family here . . I hope you rot in hell, bitch; I hope you fucking rot in hell, bitch. Does knowing the full scope of his final statement change the way you feel about Willingham? Our system is set in place to protect the people, and acts as a model to prosecute the evil in society. I love you Gabby." The most unfortunate part is that the film poorly serves a real-life miscarriage of justice, the 2004 execution in Texas of Cameron Todd Willingham (O'Connell) for the arson murder of his three . But anyway I just wanted, right after that to apologize to you. Continue to pray for me, I am fine. Before prison officials administer the lethal cocktail of drugs used to carry out executions, the condemned may say their final piece. The late Texas native was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed for the murders of his three toddler daughters by arson in their family home on December 23, 1991. He was confessed, he was one of the guilty ones. Michelle Lyons, who worked as a journalist for The Huntsville Item between the years of 2000 and 2012, recently recalled some of the prisoners final words - admitting that some she will never forget. Its basically like reading a 300-page Indiana Jones movie that teaches you important and incredible things about the world. Show us with your support. ", Earl Behringer Executed 6/11/97"Its a good day to die. EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Wife Doesn't Think Texas Man Was Wrongly Executed. Michelle said: "Most of them don't talk for very long - there was one execution that I witnessed [the 2000 execution of Gary Graham], who spoke for over 20 minutes. That's it, I have nothing else to say. In the days following the devastation, a full investigation would take place. That's the story of my whole life, that's what alcohol will do for you. On 23 December 1991, the Corsicana home of Cameron Willingham burned. Cameron Todd Willingham was executed by the state of Texas on February 17 200 Ten years after that was first published it has now been adapted into a film starring British actor O'Connell as . Although Willingham fought for his innocence for 12 years on death row, he was executed in . I, I never was right after that incident happened. "It . In 1992, Willingham was convicted of arson-related triple homicide and was executed 12 years later by the death penalty after his three daughters were killed "They pulled guns out . Michelle's book Death Row: The Final Minutes, is available now. You've been the best. A leading arson expert in 2004, however, concluded in a report that the testimony from fire investigators used against Willingham was no longer scientifically valid. Wake up to the day's most important news. examination of the evidence persuaded her. For years, Stacy Kuykendall advocated for Cameron Todd Willingham, stating repeatedly that she believed he didn't deliberately start the house fire that killed their three daughters in 1991. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. The process usually sees witnesses and the media brought into a small viewing room where the inmate is already strapped to a gurney. From Gods dust I came and to dust I will return-so the earth shall become my throne. I will see you all when you get there. who was convicted of his wife's murder in 1987 and spent nearly 25 years in prison before DNA testing led to his exoneration in 2011, appealed . Precious Lord. On December 23, 1991, a fire destroyed the Corsicana, Texas, home Cameron Todd Willingham shared with his wife and three daughters, killing the three girls. Two weeks before Willingham's execution date in 2004, famed arson analyst Gerald Hurst took a fresh look at the case. This page is an online memorial to Cameron Todd Willigham, an innocent man who was executed by the state of Texas for a crime he did not commit. Take care of yourselves. She told the Corsicana Daily Sun that a close examination of the evidence persuaded her that Willingham was not innocent. more to his last words than that, however. I am really so sorry about it, I really am. I hope you will accept my apology, even though its too late. As incomprehensible as it seems, Scheidegger wrote, we know that some fathers do kill their young children, and anger at the mother is one common reason.. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The film stars Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern, Emily Meade, Jeff Perry and Jade Pettyjohn.. Trial by Fire had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018 and was released on May 17, 2019, by . He is fixing to find out some deep things that are real. Is Granns report the truth? I'm sorry, and I really mean that, it's not just words. Karla Faye Tucker Executed 2/3/98"Yes sir, I would like to say to all of you the Thornton family and Jerry Deans family that I am so sorry. Take me home. Cameron Todd Willingham, 23 at the time, told fire investigators he woke up as his wife was leaving shortly after 9 a.m., and heard their 1-year-old twins, Karmon and Kameron, crying. Read more about the TFSC and download key documents relating to the panel here. I got to go sister, I love you. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Michelle Lyons has witnessed more than 300 people being executed, The first person she watched be killed was murderer Javier Cruz, Cameron Todd Willingham, delivered a foul-mouthed tirade directed at his ex-wife, Some inmates on death row refused to die quietly, Woman who watched 300 executions says prisoner told victims family I hope you die as she reveals their final words, Inside sinister rise of pink cocaine sweeping UK nightclubs as warring cartels battle to control 'Coca Cola of drugs', We live on Britain's WORST street - it's rife with drug addicts, crime & prostitutes we're terrified for our lives, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. I grew up in New Jersey. You know? So now, lets find out where she is, shall we? From God's dust I came and to dust I will return so the earth shall become my throne. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 1. He said, The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. ", I saved myself from Royal life, Harry says & insists 'sharing's an act of service', Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, Coronation Street fans horrified as Amy Barlow is raped in disturbing scenes, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Harold, I love you. Case creates controversy as governor resists and arson experts are challenged. Some may choose to apologise for their crimes, others take their own route, she also explained. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited.
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