The Texas Forensic Science Commission is not going to debate the death penalty or decide the guilt or innocence of individual cases, said John Bradley, the head of the Texas Forensics Commission when he spoke Tuesday to the Texas Senate Committee for Criminal Justice in Austin.
Bradley, a Williamson County District Attorney, was appointed head of the commission at the beginning of October, just days before the commission was to hear a report on the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, a Corsicana man executed in 2004 for murdering his three daughters in a house fire.
The Innocence Project has challenged the forensics of the case, saying it used faulty science. The fire took place in 1991, and the trial was in 1992. Willingham’s various appeals and pleas for clemency were rejected over the course of his 12 years on death row.
In mid-August 2009, a report by Craig Beyler, a Baltimore fire expert, stated that arson could not be proven in the Willingham case. Opponents of the death penalty have said it’s proof that Willingham was innocent and unjustly executed.
Bradley said he considered it inappropriate for him to talk about pending cases, or express an opinion on a case before it’s heard by the commission.
“Will we proceed with the Willingham case?” he said. “I think I’ve made it clear in my editorial statements that absolutely we will.”
Bradley asked the senators for more resources, including more staff and funding, although he stopped short of requesting subpoena powers for the commission.
Senators told Bradley that they wanted the commission to look into forensics labs that were neglecting duties or producing false reports, and they wanted transparency in the investigations. Several senators also expressed concerns that the commission would become a political pawn in the upcoming governor’s race.
Bradley said he did not see his sudden appointment as a political ploy by Governor Rick Perry.
“It’s not my job here to defend any political party or any particular public official,” he said, adding that he was glad to see in the audience gubernatorial candidates who have “an interest in forensic science.”
He also said that he is not friends with Perry, nor has he discussed with Perry or the governor’s staff, what the commission should or should not do.
“Certainly, it’s without question that the timing of the appointments of this commission did seem to interrupt the process,” Bradley said. “I think that was inevitable, though, given the way the legislation structured the commission.”
Sen. John Whitmire, chairman of the senate committee on criminal justice, said the timing could have been a good thing, since it could result in a stronger commission with better results.
“The circumstances, the timing of those appointments could be a blessing,” Whitmire said.
He went on to challenge Bradley to make the commission a worthwhile organization that renews confidence in the Texas justice system. He pointed out that Houston’s crime lab has 4,000 unopened rape kits, and 1,000 pending rape cases.
“That’s a challenge to you, a charge,” Whitmire said.
Democrats on the senate committee asked repeatedly when the commission would resume its work examining the Willingham case.
“If I had a set of rules, I could tell you a timetable for the commission work,” Bradley responded. “I can tell you we’ll work diligently and give you an opinion when it’s ready.”
Bradley said the Beyler report would be one part of the process, but would not be the last word in the case.
“It’s interesting because different people have grabbed that report and announced that it means certain things,” Bradley said. “I keep reading that it means the state of Texas has executed an innocent man. I’m pretty sure that’s nowhere in the report.”
As the hearing wound down, Sen. Dan Patrick cautioned Bradley not to allow the external forces to overwhelm the duties of the commission.
“Don’t be bullied into letting this one case overshadow” what it needs to do,” Patrick said.
—————
Click here to e-mail Janet Jacobs.
Click here to Soundoff on this story.
The Willingham Files
November 10, 2009
(11-10-09) Forensic panel chair offers plans
Bradley says Willingham probe will go on
- The Willingham Files
-
-
Science panel suggests review of arson convictions
A Texas commission no longer allowed to investigate a case where death penalty opponents say a man may have been executed based on a faulty arson investigation recommended Friday that all cases involving people locked up on arson convictions be reviewed.
-
Thompson honored for Willingham work
Lowell Thompson, Navarro County District Attorney, was honored by his peers at the Texas District and County Attorneys Association conference last week in Corpus Christi with the Lone Star Award for his work on the Willingham case.
- Willingham not on science panel agenda DALLAS (AP) — A state science panel looking into a possible wrongful conviction in a Texas death penalty case is meeting for the first time since Gov. Rick Perry removed several members, but the execution case is not on the agenda.
- (12-14-09) Tarrant County medical examiner appointed to forensic commission Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Tarrant County's medical examiner to the Texas Forensic Science Commission, a group shaken up this fall when Perry replaced several members.
-
(12-02-09) Jurors defend verdict that led to Texas execution
David Martin is sickened by the suggestion that Texas executed an innocent man when Cameron Todd Willingham was put to death for setting a fire that killed his three children.
- (11-10-09) Forensic panel chair offers plans The Texas Forensic Science Commission is not going to debate the death penalty or decide the guilt or innocence of individual cases, said John Bradley
- (11-08-09) GUEST COMMENTARY: A work in progress I am John Bradley, the elected District Attorney in Williamson County and the new presiding officer of the nine-member Texas Forensic Science Commission. I am writing to introduce myself, explain the purpose of the Commission and inform you about the work the Commission now faces.
- (10-27-09) Texas Forensic Science Commission questioned The City of Corsicana is questioning the Texas Forensic Science Commission’s ability to look at the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, since it happened 14 years before the commission was created.
- (10-26-09) Report: Willingham's former wife, 'He confessed' In a story on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's online newspaper today, Stacey Kykendall, the former wife of executed Cameron Todd Willingham, says he confessed to her before his execution.
-
Death penalty opponents rally at Texas Capitol
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Death penalty opponents, convinced an innocent man was executed in 2004, staged a rally Saturday at the Texas Capitol to call for a moratorium on capital punishment and to highlight the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham.
- More The Willingham Files Headlines
-
Science panel suggests review of arson convictions
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51
Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe
Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7
Dolce and Gabbana Convicted of Tax Evasion
Paris, Prince Depositions Used in Jackson Trial
Coiffed Cattle Get Their Close-up
In Berlin, Obama Channels Cold War Activism
Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day
Fed Suggests Bond Purchases Could Slow
AP: DOJ Broke Own Rules Seizing Phone Records
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
