She denied him his wish, later telling a reporter, He took my kids away fromme.. I hope you will accept my apology, even though its too late. After a trial of more than two weeks, a Texas jury on Wednesday found that former state prosecutor John Jackson had not committed misconduct in the 1992 death penalty trial of Cameron Todd Willingham. That is it. He asked Stacy if his tombstone could be erected next to their childrens graves. 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. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has kept a record of these statements since 1982, when the state resumed the use of the death penalty. "He directed so much vitriol towards her that the warden actually started the execution as he was talking to make him stop.". 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. Saying that Willingham is guilty is not new for Kuykendall, but it's a 180-degree change from the early years of the case. Since the pair had been together for about four years and had tied the knot just months before, when Stacy told officers that Cameron would never hurt their children and that they hadnt been fighting, she wasnt challenged. From God's dust I came and to dust I will return so the earth shall become my throne. "I hope y'all don't have a wreck and kill yourselves. Two weeks before Willingham's execution date in 2004, famed arson analyst Gerald Hurst took a fresh look at the case. I miss them so much.. 36-year-old Willingham flicked a middle finger at his wife, Stacy Kuykendall, as he was strapped down to the gurney for his execution in 2004. I gotta go, road dog. Ardmore, Oklahoma (CNN) Cameron Todd Willingham's family here . Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Take care. Investigation Discoverys Evil Lives Here: What If He Was Innocent? examines one of the most fascinating tales in American true-crime history by putting the focus on Cameron Todd Willingham once again. "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, she added. Unaware of Hursts report, she had determined that Willingham was guilty. Cause He is the only one that can give you the strength that you need. He was known as an American man who was convicted and executed after he murdered three young children by arson at the family home in Corsicana, Texas, on the 23rd of . Warden. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. 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. To all of the racist white folks in America that hate black folks and to all of the black folks in America that hate themselves, she claimed he said, while tied to an electric chair. If the citizens dont do away with the death penalty, Texas wont be a safe place to be. (Download the full trial transcripts here.). 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. Willingham, who said he was home napping at the time . In 2009, an arson . Might Willingham have been guilty after all? I stole two lives and I know it was precious to ya'll. In the days following the devastation, a full investigation would take place. I don't know what to say. I hope you f***ing rot in hell. Willingham was executed in 2004. ", 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'. Cameron Todd Willingham. Fade to black. 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. My wife had nothing to do with it. The current DA, R. Lowell Thompson, told HuffPost he doesn't plan to challenge the pardon request. He reasserts his innocence, and his very last words are religious. 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'. There is a central room and two witnesss rooms divided by a wall, ensuring the two groups never meet. But others she admits are very hard to forget as she recalled the horrific final words of one inmate. 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. The witness believed the bitch in question was Willinghams ex-wife Stacy, the mother of his daughters. Willingham, who was asleep when the fire started, survived. Michelle, who has revealed all in her fascinating memoir Death Row: The Final Minutes, told the Daily Mirror: "His last statement was the worst that I had ever seen. Here are 10 instances where executed prisoners were later found out to be innocent. The observations of a neighbor who was at the scene, but for . Im sorry and my head wasnt on straight. That poignant end reads almost like a Hollywood script, doesnt it? Is Granns report the truth? 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. "I read that Todds stepmom and cousin are asking the governor for a pardon. Willingham's ex-wife said that he . 1763 Words8 Pages. 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. You don't have to. He is fixing to find out some deep things that are real. 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. I love you Gabby. "Eugenia loved Todd, and I understand why she does not want to face the facts of what he did to our girls," Kuykendall said. I gotta go, road dog. You bitch; I hope you fucking rot, cunt. The Fire That Started & Ended It All. The tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was sentenced to death in Texas for killing his three children even after scientific evidence and expert testimony bolstered his claims of innocence. "I gotta go, road dog. Rick Perry replaced key members of the panel, delayed the investigation for months. God is real. To be out there and see what really did exist, now his name is written down on the Death Row list. And piranha, and electric eels and anacondas and poisonous insects that attack your eyes and maggots that fester under your skin and toothpick-sized parasite catfish that swim up your penis through your urethra, lodge themselves there with sharp spines, and kill you. The former journalist said: "You do have some that would just do outlandish stuff. "He directed so much vitriol towards her that the warden actually started the execution as he was talking to make him stop," Lyons said. Dad loves you. By an 11-to-1 vote, a Navarro County jury rejected claims by the State Bar of Texas that Jackson made false statements . I, I never was right after that incident happened. 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 . If I was y'all, I would have killed me. The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. By Maurice Possley. Thanks for coming Jack. "It . Granns story establishes that, after years of supporting Willingham as he waited on death row, Stacy had lost her faith. Her words could hinder the latest attempts by Willingham's stepmother Eugenia Willingham and cousin Patricia Willingham Cox to alter his record. That poignant end reads almost like a Hollywood script, doesnt it? He was 36 years old. Days before the expert was set to testify, however, Gov. I have been persecuted for twelve years for something I did not do. And piranha, and electric eels and anacondas and poisonous insects that attack your eyes and maggots that fester under your skin and toothpick-sized parasite catfish that swim up your penis through your urethra, lodge themselves there with sharp spines, and kill you. I have no revenge because hate wont solve anything. ", Raymond Kinnamon Executed 12/11/94"guys like them got tied up in something like this. It was vulgar, it was hateful. Some say Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully convicted, and the court put an innocent man to death. Documents obtained by the Innocence Project show that state officials received that report but apparently did not act on it. Well, Grann doesnt actually say those words are the very last, but that is certainly the picture the reader gets. I never knew I would take a life and commit a crime. Unaware of Hursts report, she had determined that Willingham was guilty. Trial by Fire: Directed by Edward Zwick. 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.. He said, the only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime. 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. Last Statement: Yeah. 3. They had died in the blaze. From Gods dust I came and to dust I will return, so the Earth shall become my throne.. Usually, the warden will allow them to talk for about two minutes. At Willinghams 1992 trial, prosecutors claimed he intentionally set fire to his home in order to kill his own children. The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. Cameron Todd Willingham Last Words. Stacy Kuykendall said she believed for over a decade her husband, Cameron Todd Willingham, didn't deliberately start the house fire that killed their three daughters. Willingham, 23, the children's father, and the only . I pray Lord, please forgive me. 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. Faulty investigative techniques, redundant fire science, and swinging witness testimonies resulted in his . (That blog is a project of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which describes itself as the only public interest law foundation in the nation working full time to strengthen law enforcements ability to assure that crime does not pay. Its advisers include Edwin Meese III, who is also associated with the Heritage Foundation.).