On the night of December 23, 1991, an uncontrollable blaze engulfed the Willingham's house in Corsicana, Texas, claiming the lives of one-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron Willingham, as well as two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall Willingham. "I was the only person at home and that was their way of thinking," he said of the charges against him. "The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit," Cameron Willingham said. 2915, 115 L.Ed.2d 1078 (1991). Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Petitioner further objected to the Magistrate Judge's findings that evidence admitted during the punishment phase of Petitioner's trial did not violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, that Texas's appellate review of death penalty convictions is constitutional, and that Petitioner was not entitled to a jury instruction on parole. Despite a request from Willingham, Kuykendall said she refused to write a letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles to request that Willinghams sentenced be changed to life in prison. But she shifted her outlook shortly before his 2004 execution, proclaiming that . Date of Offense: 12/23/91 Willingham, who did not testify in his own defense, disputed the comments. An investigation, however, revealed that it was intentionally setwith a flammable liquid. The fire marshal "seems to be wholly without any realistic understanding of fires and how fire injuries are created," he wrote. In the end, Johnny Webbs testimony was what the state used to execute Willingham. Monday's setting of an execution date for Willingham was the first such proceeding in the district court since October 2001 when Gary Sterling, convicted for the May 1988 capital murder of a 72-year-old Navarro County man, was given a death date in early December 2001. Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Executed Offenders (Cameron Willingham) It was while the fire department was in the mop-up stages of that North 36th Street fire that firefighters got the call to go to the Willingham fire in the 1200 block of West 11th Avenue. Amber, age two, and twins Karmon and Kameron, age 1, died of acute carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of smoke inhalation, according to autopsy reports. "I can't think of a more horrible case," said Pat Batchelor, who was district attorney in Navarro County when Willingham was the lone survivor of the blaze Dec. 23, 1991. Last week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted 15-0 to deny a clemency request. A fire fighter also testified that appellant was upset that his dart board was burned. There is a problem with your email/password. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied. But Jackson had recused himself, citing his ties with the Willingham case. "Guys that normally joke around, take things in stride well, that day was real solemn," Palos said. Punishment: probation, placed in a Nonviolent Intermediate Offender Act He took my kids away from me. He expressed love to someone named Gabby and then addressed his ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, who was watching about 8 feet away through a window. and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, She declined to speak to reporters. He also spent time at a boot camp in Oklahoma. Appellant's neighbors testified that when the fire "blew out" the windows, appellant "hollered about his car" and ran to move it away from the fire to avoid its being damaged. "I was a sorry husband, a piece of crap as husbands go," he acknowledged from death row. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites He was asleep late in the morning when the 2-year-old woke him with her cry for him. The FSC found that the original finding had relied on folklore and myths. Willingham had acknowledged he was a lousy husband but insisted he wasn't responsible for the blaze in Corsicana that killed his daughters 2-year-old Amber and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron. According to a psychologist for testifying for the state, Willingham fits the profile of a sociopath whose conduct becomes more violent over time, and who lacks a conscience. Punishment: Probation orders from April 1987 Grand Larceny conviction and November 1988 DUI conviction vacated, sent to a special boot camp program, then given a two year sentence with all but 74 days suspended on the condition he 1) complete a substance abuse treatment program, 2) attend at least one AA or NA meeting per week, and 3) take part in a urinalysis every week and a half. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sons, Andrew Lee . He then attempted to maneuver his hand, strapped at the wrist, into an obscene gesture. Eye Color: Brown Willingham was charged with setting the blaze that killed the 3 youngsters, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. "At 11:51 a.m., Dec. 23, 1991. That document was dated Nov. 3 of this year. Date of Birth: 1/9/68 Moose was a native and lifelong resident of Haywood County and a son of the late Delmer and Lela Stewart Kuykendall. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. The three children -- Amber Louise Kuykendall, 2, and 1-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham -- died in a fire at their home in the 1200 block of West 11th Street in Corsicana. Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Executed Offenders (Cameron Willingham). The application was denied on February 17, 2003. Willingham then filed a state writ of habeas corpus on which the trial court recommended denying relief. Mr. Willingham was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m., seven minutes after the lethal dose began flowing through his veins. Willingham's three children -- 2-year-old Amber Kuykendall and 1-year-old twins Karmon and Kameron Willingham, died of smoke inhalation. The mood back at the firehouse, after the Willingham fire, was different than most after-action gatherings. Recently, however, she told a reporter that she no longer believes his account of the events that killed her children. The U.S. Supreme Court in November refused to review his case, and a late appeal Tuesday was rejected by the same court. Maria Tassie Malowney, an Assistant District Attorney for Carter County, Oklahoma, listed the felonies and misdemeanors with which appellant has been charged and/or convicted. Please contact Gov. Cameron Willingham, TX - Feb. 17, 6 PM CST (Direct Appeal) There are no volunteers for this cemetery. James Grigson also testified in the case of Randall Adams. I gotta go, Road Dog." (December 30, 2003). "I've been a town administrator for the past 17 years, in . Indian Springs - River. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. 37.071 2(b)(1) and 2(e) and following the jury's verdict of guilty, the trial court sentenced appellant to death. Then 22 years old, Willingham told authorities that the fire started while he and the children were asleep. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, "I can remember what I was doing that day, what was going on," Palos said. Stacy Kuykendall initially supported her husband and testified on his behalf at his trial. "Either that or someone came in with the intent to kill me and the children," he said. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Petitioner's petition for a writ of habeas corpus should be DENIED. Willingham said he tried to get to the twins' room, couldn't get past the flames and ran to get help. You can even leave 'virtual flowers' on the memorials you visit to complete the online cemetery experience. A friend of Willinghams testified that Willingham once bragged about brutally killing a dog. For example, 10 years ago Georgia introduced life without parole. "In my opinion, Willingham was an utterly sociopathic individual," said Jackson, the former Navarro County district attorney and now a state district judge. Inside, Willingham's 3 young children -- 2-year-old Amber, and 1-year-old twins, Karmon Diane and Kameron Marie -- were dying. They just didn't want to pursue what really happened." 320th murderer executed in Texas since 1976 "I can remember it just like it was yesterday." Circuit Court of Appeals. In fact, Willingham openly admitted to a fellow inmate that he purposely started this fire to conceal evidence that the children had been abused. Amber, age two, and twins Karmon and Kameron, age 1, died of acute carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of smoke inhalation, according to autopsy reports. was innocent at an anti-death penalty march on Saturday. Malowney testified that the felonies of which appellant was convicted are as follows: 1) May 1986: Second Degree Burglary Since 1976 All they're going to do is kill an innocent man for something he didn't do. Trial testimony showed he expressed no grief over the loss of the children. He explained that a person with this degree of sociopathy commonly has no regard for other peoples property or for other human beings. 2 year old Amber Louise Kuykendall . The evidence provided at the trial showed that on December 23, 1991, Willingham poured a combustible liquid on the floor throughout his home and intentionally set the house on fire, resulting in the death of his three children. TX The deefendant told authorities that the fire started while he and his children were asleep. 2) May 1986: Entering a Building with Unlawful Intent and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor (supplying paint for sniffing to a twelve-year- old child) 1) April 1986: Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Public Intoxication Upon de novo review of the Magistrate Judge's findings and conclusions to which these objections pertain, it is fairly apparent that the objections regarding self-representation on appeal, the alleged conflict of interest, jury selection procedures, the expert's opinion testimony, the defense witness's impeachment, evidence admitted during the punishment phase of trial, Texas's death penalty appellate review, and the lack of a jury instruction on parole are without merit and should be overruled without further discussion. His house had no phone. Kills Three Children In a withering critique, a nationally known fire scientist has told a state commission on forensics that Texas fire investigators had no basis to rule a deadly house fire was an arson -- a finding that led to the murder conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. I gotta go, Road Dog." The piece, which was carried in The Washington Post, detailed how then state prosecutor John H Jackson had coerced Webb into testifying, promising him the help of a local businessman, who backed Webb with tens of thousands of dollars. She declined to speak to reporters. At the same time Texas is the leader in executions, and has been responsible for over one-third of the men and women executed since 1976. The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Cameron Willingham, a white man, Feb. 17 for the 1991 murders of his three children Amber, 2, and twins Kameron and Karmon, 1, in Navarro county. His execution was set for Tuesday night. Samuel Bassett, an attorney who is the chairman of the commission, said the panel will seek a response from the state fire marshal and then write its own report. Sterling was granted a stay of execution in November 2001. 320th murderer executed in Texas since 1976 In a withering critique, a nationally known fire scientist has told a state commission on forensics that Texas fire investigators had no basis to rule a deadly house fire was an arson -- a finding that led to the murder conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. Select this result to view Louis E Kuykendall Jr's phone number, address, and more.