Since her ex-husband's execution, Stacy Kuykendall has remained completely under the radar. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The provider is registered . The opinions of a state fire official in the case were "nothing more than a collection of personal beliefs that have nothing to do with science-based fire investigation," Beyler wrote. All rights reserved. The industrial takeover of Freeports East End, a historically Black community, is almost complete. "And in this case, they shoveled out the bedroom in the Willingham case before examining the electrical evidence, so you can't rule that out as a cause.". In January that year, Attorney General Greg Abbott released an opinion stating that posthumous pardons can be granted. "Todd murdered Amber, Karmon and Kameron." New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Who Is Stacy Kuykendall? From the start, prosecutors were quick to argue that the fire had been deliberately started by the father in an attempt to kill his children and destroy evidence of prolonged abuse. But authorities in Corsicana have stood by the conviction, insisting that other evidence showed Willingham was responsible for the fatal blaze. You have permission to edit this article. But Willingham never publicly. Update: David Grann at the New Yorker also casts doubt on Willinghams supposed confession. Partners must notify. Beyler testified Friday that the 1991 fire should not have been ruled an arson until all other causes were ruled out, KVUE said. "The investigators had poor understandings of fire science and failed to acknowledge or apply the contemporaneous understanding of the limitations of fire indicators," it concluded. At the time of the fire, Kuykendall and Willingham were newlyweds. Site made in collaboration with CMYK. Throughout his trial later that year, he was offered life imprisonment in exchange for a guilty plea. Up until the day of his death at 36-years-old, he maintained his innocence and fought to appeal his conviction. We rely on the generosity of our readers who believe that this work is important. Dave Mann has been with the Observer since 2003. Thirty years later, they are trying to dismiss my daughters lives.. (Which is what likely happened in the Willingham case.). As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. The surviving relatives of Cameron Todd Willingham gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday after sending an application to clear his name, eight years after his execution for a 1991 fire that killed his three young children. In October, Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, said Willingham had confessed to her in the days before his execution that he had started the fatal fire. She reached the quarterfinals in the singles event of the French Open in 1976 which she lost in three sets to Florena Mihai. It was also later suggested that Webb had been offered a reduced prison sentence in exchange for his testimony against Cameron Willingham, although this was consistently denied by both Webb and the prosecution team. In July 2014, The Innocence Project filed a complaint against prosecutor John Jackson, stating he: violated core principles of the legal profession, and did so with terrible consequences the execution of an innocent man.. He let me know the reason.. "Caterpillar," Liza Mandelups recent documentary, unearths the humanity in cosmetic surgery. On Sunday, Stacy Kuykendall the ex-wife of Cameron Todd Willingham gave her first public statement in years. Low 56F. Beyler's report was commissioned by the Forensic Science Commission and delivered in August 2009. However, against the advice of his defence team, Willingham firmly upheld his innocence and rejected the offer. Although bizarre to others, psychologists have pointed out that this behaviour is typical of flight or fight reflexes, as well as the fact that grief can manifest itself in a variety of ways. David Grann at the New Yorker has an even more detailed breakdown. Speaking to reporters in 2010, she said: My ex-husband murdered my daughters And just before he was executed, he told me he did it.. "Todd murdered Amber, Karmon and Kameron." As a heavy metal enthusiast, Willinghams music taste was also called into question during the trial, as psychologists were consulted to analyse the image of a fist punching through a skull on his Iron Maiden poster, as well as his Led Zeppelin poster depicting a fallen angel. I spent years not knowing, but Todd gave me that. Stacy Kuykendall said she believed for over a decade her husband, Cameron Todd Willingham, didnt deliberately start the house fire that killed their three daughters. "Looking back at people with a lack of information can be dangerous," he said, KVUE reported. These are the people who can still be helped. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. He said that he woke up to her cry of Daddy, Daddy. Willingham said he woke up and saw smoke hovering a few feet above him, then jumped up from the bed where Ambers body would later be found, put on his pants and ran to the kids room where all he could see was fire. "The basics of (this) investigation is such that you could not come to the conclusion that there were arsons, they are undetermined," Beyler, a Maryland-based fire science expert, told the Texas Forensic Science Commission on Friday, according to CNN affiliate KVUE. Kuykendall voice began quavering early in her statement, as she noted her oldest daughter would be 21 and her twins would be 19. That is the closest to justice my daughters will ever get.". . Select this result to view Stacy Nicole Kuykendall's phone number, address, and more. Goldstein, who works with the Innocence Project, said the New York-based organization is looking at 26 cases of arson for possible wrongful convictions. Rick Perry in what many viewed as a political move to bury new evidence that cast doubt on Willingham's guilt. She will also appear on the very first episode of Talking Evil, a new Evil Lives Here after show on the Discovery+ network. Is that correct? At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. 2021 The Texas Observer. Archived post. Willingham's daughters -- 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron -- died in the December 1991 blaze in Corsicana, south of Dallas. The Corsicana Daily Sun yesterday ran a story that made similar claims: Two affidavits have been released by the City of Corsicana that seem to dispute the declarations in the national media that Cameron Todd Willingham was innocent when he was executed in 2004 for murdering his three daughters.. and our Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley, named by Perry as chairman of the commission during the 2009 shakeup, said that re-examining the case could amount to dangerous second-guessing. View the profiles of people named Stacy Kuykendall. The only man exonerated from Texas death row in an arson case, Ernest Willis, also spoke to reporters, having driven from his home in Mississippi. The prosecution also called upon Willinghams fellow inmate, Johnny Webb, who testified that while in their shared cell Cameron had confessed to starting the fire as a means of hiding injuries inflicted upon the girls. But its hard to trust what shes saying now. He admitted he did it and told me why, she said. Kathy Kuykendall (born November 23, 1956) is a former American tennis player. "My ex-husband murdered my daughters, and just before he was executed, he told me he did it," Kuykendall said. Kuykendall said she kept a low profile during the debate over his execution but now she is speaking out, and shes speaking loud. Do you think free access to journalism like this is important? Cameron Todd Willingham, shown with his then-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, and their daughters, was executed in 2004. Kuykendall is telling her story in her own words on the Sunday, Feb. 14 season premier of the series Evil Lives Here on the Investigation Discovery channel. He said that Stacy, who had divorced Willingham while he was on Death Row, had recently visited him, then gathered the family to say that he had confessed. The New York-based nonprofit has pushed policy reforms aimed at exonerating people it believes were wrongfully convicted of crimes, and recently helped secure the freedom of another Texas convict who had spent 30 years behind bars for robbery before DNA evidence exonerated him. Webb himself later accepted that he may have been mistaken due to the concoction of medication he had been taking to treat bipolar disorder. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. For instance, according to a witness at the scene of the fire, his behaviour fluctuated between frantic and calm. Video image from KVUE-TV Stacy Kuykendall, at right, tells reporters in Austin Wednesday that ex-husband Cameron Willingham confessed to setting the 1991 fire that killed the couple's three. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The arson finding that led to his 1992 conviction has been disputed by numerous fire experts. Stacy Kuykendall is known for Evil Lives Here (2016). However, there had been no prior involvement of social services, and Stacy herself was quick to defend her husband. Also known as Stacy G Markcum, Stacey Markum, Stacy Gail Brown, Stacy Kuykendall, Markcum Stacey. But a few days before that meeting, Perry removed three members of the commission and appointed Bradley, a conservative ally, as its chairman. "Someone is going to be held accountable for Todd's death, and well they should," she told CNN on Thursday. The appellate court found the judge should have either stepped aside or referred the matter to the district court's presiding judge for a decision, halting proceedings until a new judge can be picked. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, Travis County DA Garza to Defend Daniel Perry Conviction at Parole Board, Diane Wilson on Fighting Plastic Pollution, Losing Everything, and Gaining Her Soul, Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Doubles Down on Transphobic Dress Code. 2021 The Texas Observer. But its a waste of time. "He admitted to me he burnt them, and he was executed for his crime. The supposed confession is highly problematic. Although Mr Willingham had been known to display violent behaviour in the past, she also confirmed there had been no arguments between the two of them leading up to the incident, which would rule out any impulsive motives. ), The Fox reporter didnt mention, say, the new understanding of flashover. Navarro College, cheer coach respond to allegations, Bill requires prayer, Ten Commandment display in public schools, GC Softball: Lady Tigers burst into playoffs. The crux of the case against Cameron Todd Willinghamwhich led him to be executed for committing arson and causing the death of his three daughterswas forensic evidence that has since been called into question by some of the nations leading fire scientists, as I explained in the magazine last month. Unfortunately, only two people know what was said that day. "And they want to make Willingham that poster boy. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Stacy Kuykendall is on Facebook. 4 overall pick in the . He thinks border collies are the worlds greatest dogs, and believes in the nourishing powers of pickup basketball. Other family members and trial officials will also have an opportunity to provide input. Willingham's family has also asked a judge to posthumously declare Willingham innocent based on the evidence amassed since his trial. The other keeps changing her account. If granted, it would be the first time an official agency in Texas recognized that an innocent person had been executed. Fire Chief here in Corsicana and in the room with us is Manuel Vasquez, state Fire Marshall'Police Department. In 2010, District Judge Charlie Baird held a hearing to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to hold a court of inquiry regarding a possible wrongful execution. Evidence that had been used to prove arson at the trial, he explained, was simply evidence present in any fire scene. Doctor Profile. All rights reserved. Join Facebook to connect with Stacy Kuykendall and others you may know. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Some article text below. Yesterday, Willingham's former wife, Stacy Kuykendall, released a statement to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram saying that he secretly confessed to killing their three daughters, who died in a. Burned material samples also turned up evidence of recently used lighter fluids. I never met the people who made the movie, no one ever contacted me, but Im a main character and they made me into a horrible person, she said. But she never once mentioned a confession. Neighbours who witnessed the blaze allegedly encouraged Cameron to return back into the building to save his children, but apparently he refused and instead sat on the lawn to watch the house burn.