Trial by Fire - 16445 Words

[pic] Trial by Fire Did Texas execute an innocent man? by David Grann September 7, 2009 [pic] Cameron Todd Willingham in his cell on death row, in 1994. He insisted upon his innocence in the deaths of his children and refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. Photograph by Ken Light. Related Links Audio: Grann on the Texas execution that may change the death penalty debate. Video: David Grann discusses the flaws of the Cameron Todd Willingham investigation. Ask the Author: Live chat with Grann Wednesday, September 2 at 3 P.M. E.T. The fire moved quickly through the house, a one-story wood-frame structure in a working-class neighborhood of Corsicana, in northeast Texas. Flames spread along the†¦show more content†¦Upon opening the back door, Vasquez observed that there was just enough space to squeeze past the refrigerator blocking the exit. The air smelled of burned rubber and melted wires; a damp ash covered the ground, sticking to their boots. In the kitchen, Vasquez and Fogg discerned only smoke and heat damage—a sign that the fire had not originated there—and so they pushed deeper into the nine-hundred-and-seventy-five-square-foot building. A central corridor led past a utility room and the master bedroom, then past a small living room, on the left, and the children’s bedroom, on the right, ending at the front door, which opened onto the porch. Vasquez tried to take in everything, a process that he compared to entering one’s mother-in-law’s house for the first ti me: â€Å"I have the same curiosity.† In the utility room, he noticed on the wall pictures of skulls and what he later described as an image of â€Å"the Grim Reaper.† Then he turned into the master bedroom, where Amber’s body had been found. Most of the damage there was also from smoke and heat, suggesting that the fire had started farther down the hallway, and he headed that way, stepping over debris and ducking under insulation and wiring that hung down from the exposed ceiling. As he and Fogg removed some of the clutter, they noticed deep charring along the base of the walls. Because gases become buoyant when heated, flames ordinarily burn upward. But Vasquez and Fogg observed that the fire had burned extremely lowShow MoreRelatedTrial by Fire16438 Words   |  66 Pages[pic] Trial by Fire Did Texas execute an innocent man? by David Grann September 7, 2009 [pic] Cameron Todd Willingham in his cell on death row, in 1994. He insisted upon his innocence in the deaths of his children and refused an offer to plead guilty in return for a life sentence. Photograph by Ken Light. Related Links Audio: Grann on the Texas execution that may change the death penalty debate. Video: David Grann discusses the flaws of the Cameron Todd WillinghamRead MoreTrial By Fire, By David Grann2184 Words   |  9 Pagest commit? How can you prove your innocence if you’re found guilty? Unfortunately Cameron Todd Willingham fell victim to this irreversible verdict. According to David Grann in his 2009 article, Trial by Fire, in The New Yorker magazine, Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for allegedly setting a fire to his home in hopes to murder his three young daughters 13 years prior. From arrest to conviction, he had always declared his innocence, and the arson investigation used to convict Willingham wasRead MoreTrial By Fire : The Forging Of Modern Physics3319 Words   |  14 PagesTrial By Fire: The Forging of Modern Physics (DRAFT EDITION) Most often, great minds are few and far between. It is an unusual circumstance for a collection of brilliant thinkers to exist at the same time, and even more strange for them to collaborate or clash. Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz are a spectacular demonstration of this phenomenon. Throughout their careers in mathematics and physics, the two often found themselves at arms over everything from credit for discoveries to the natureRead MoreI Am The Paragon Of Test, Tribulation, And Trial By Fire1267 Words   |  6 PagesI am the paragon of test, tribulation, and trial by fire. Yet, I have not been broken†¦ A conversation after learning about the condemning words of a 1st grade teacher. â€Å"I do not understand your concern. Most children DO NOT start learning how to read until third grade. And he’s not even a gifted student,† said the principal to my mother. The principal’s remarks left my mother despondent. I vividly remember sitting in a class of 1st graders encamped around the teacher as she read; eager to learnRead MorePeople V. Atkins Case Brief Essay1037 Words   |  5 PagesCalifornia 2. Year: 2001 3. Appellant Respondent: Atkins 4. Respondent Appellant: People of California 5. Charge: Arson to forest land, Arson to property, Unlawfully causing a fire forest, Misdemeanor unlawfully causing a fire of property 6. Issue on appeal: Have Atkins met the necessities of the arson which is identified by the trial court with reference to CALJIC No. 14.80? 7. Substantive Facts: †¢ The defendant said to his friends that because of he disliked Orville Figgs, he was thinking that he wouldRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Symbolism Essay744 Words   |  3 PagesIn Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the fire in chapter 8 symbolizes a form of prejudice as it burns down the snowman. A lot of the symbolism in this book stems from the prejudice taking place against the black population in Indiana. Some of this is issued when it snows for the first time since 1885. The children make a snowman out of leftover snow and some dirt. This represents the teamwork between the Finch family and the black community. The snow brings out the innocence of children.Read More Triangle: The Fire that Changed America Essay1615 Words   |  7 Pagescrusaders† (Von Drehle 86). Even before it happen, the Forward predicted the terrible disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that occurred one year, one month, and seventeen days later (86). Triangle: The Fire th at Changed America, by David Von Drehle tells the story of the horrible fire. David Von Drehle is a journalist for The Washington Post. Von Drehle put a tremendous amount of work into writing Triangle. All of his work paid off because Von Drehle received many awards for Triangle. SomeRead MoreThe Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: A Case Study908 Words   |  4 PagesVon Drehle (2004) outlines the Triangle Shirtwaist fire as a tragedy of the gilded age. The fire occurred in New York in 1911, and 146 people perished. The fire broke out in a shirtwaist or blouse factory in Greenwich Village. The workers inside, most of them Jewish women, worked in sweatshop conditions common to the industry at the time. They worked in the factory to support their families, and often had no other means of support. They had little or no say over their working conditions, whichRead MoreEssay on Kennedy V. State, 323 S.E.2d 169 (Ga. App. 1984)1600 Words   |  7 PagesTitle: Kennedy v. State, 323 S.E.2d 169 (Ga. App. 1984) Facts: A fire was evolved on September 23, 1981 in a log cabin due to a hot plate. The hot plate was left on with an accelerant and kerosene near by. The owner of the cabin, Henry Xavier Kennedy was convicted of Arson as he obtained an insurance policy for $40K on the cabin five days prior to this fire and police found evidence that the construction business owned by Mr. Kennedy was losing money, and Mr. Kennedys alibi was insufficient toRead MoreEssay on What Really Happened in the Boston Massacre?915 Words   |  4 Pages This chapter provided information from the trial of Captain Thomas Preston. The chapter asked the question, â€Å"What really happened in the Boston Massacre†. Chapter four focused on the overall event of the Massacre and trying to determine if Captain Preston had given the order to fire at Boston citizens. The chapter provides background information and evidence from Preston’s trial to leave the reader answering the question the chapter presents. A lthough, after looking through all the witnesses’ testimonies