The innocent man we executed

Cameron Todd Willingham was executed by the State of Texas in 2004. He was accused of killing his three daughters by an act of arson. A new report shows that the scientific evidence used to convict him was false. The evidence that was shown to prove that the fire was arson was wholly consistant with an accidental fire. So not only was Willingham not guilty of the crime, there was no crime at all.

Chicago Tribune Article

This is why we must eliminate the death penalty. An innocent man is now the fourth victim of a tragic fire, but this is the victim we killed.

The erroneous conviction was not the result of malice or conspiracy, but the result of well meaning people without adequate training, who made honest mistakes. The arson investigators followed their training. Their training hadn't kept up with science.

 If Cameron Todd Willingham received life imprisonment, he'd be trying to rebuild his life now. But Cameron Todd Willingham is now dead. And we are all responsible.