From: Dudley Sharp

I look forward to seeing the documentary film, “Incendiary”, which concerns the forensics in the Cameron Todd Willingham case.

Both filmmakers, Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr., were very influenced by David Grann’s New Yorker article “Trial by Fire”.

I deconstructed “Trial by Fire” even BEFORE I had read the trial transcript and police reports (1). The article was that one sided and misleading. It appears that both Mims and Bailey were unaware of that. That may not bode well for the objectivity of “Incendiary”.

Evidently, neither Mims nor Bailey noticed the problems with fire expert Gerald Hurst (1), who is a major part of “Incendiary”. Too bad.

Nor did they notice the problems with the Innocence Project Arson Review Report (2), which fire expert John Lentini participated in. Lentini is, of course, another major player in “Incendiary”.

I have both written and collected a number of articles on the Willingham case, many dealing with some obvious misunderstandings of it (3).

I hope “Incendiary” is a true documentary and avoids many of the disasters from another alleged documentary “At the Death House Door” (4)

I think a documentary is supposed to be non fiction. Yes?

The number of false claims of the exonerated or innocent cases, by the anti death penalty folks, is a disturbing reality in the death penalty debate (5). I can hope “Incendiary” is not just jumping onto that unfortunate bandwagon.

For example:

“There can no longer be any doubt that an innocent person (Willingham) has been executed. The question now turns to how we can stop it from happening again,’ Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck says (6).

This claim is, of course, false. But Scheck and the Innocence Project refuse to take it down. Why? Maybe an anti death penalty agenda or other interests?

Of course, Scheck plays a leading role in the film, another strike against objectivity.

There is of course much doubt. The fire most certainly could have been arson and, if there was a flashover, as many have concluded, such would have destroyed the evidence of arson. This is very well known in fire forensics.

We could have an audio/video recording of Todd Willingham setting the fire and letting his children burn to death and we would, likely, still find the same complaints about the forensic reports from the time of the fire and at trial, even though arson/murder was definitive.

Can a documentary not lie and be totally misleading by omission? Of course. Is “Incendiary” truth or fiction? I’ll wait and see.

1) Cameron Todd Willingham: Media meltdown & the death penalty:”Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?”, by David Grann

2) Innocence Project Report: Cameron Todd Willingham
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/26/innocence-project-report-cameron-todd-willingham.aspx

3) “Cameron Todd Willingham: Another Media Meltdown”, A Collection of Articles
http://homicidesurvivors.com/categories/Cameron%20Todd%20Willingham.aspx

4) “At the Death House Door” Can Rev. Carroll Pickett be trusted?”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/01/30/fact-checking-is-very-welcome.aspx

5) a) “The Innocent Executed: Deception & Death Penalty Opponents”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/08/the-innocent-executed-deception–death-penalty-opponents–draft.aspx

b) The 130 (now 138) death row “innocents” scam
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/03/04/fact-checking-issues-on-innocence-and-the-death-penalty.aspx

c) Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean–the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx

6) News Release, Innocence Project
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/New_Report_Shows_that_Cameron_Todd_Willingham_Executed_in_Texas_in_2004_Was_Innocent.php

From: Dudley Sharp

I look forward to seeing the documentary film, “Incendiary”, which concerns the forensics in the Cameron Todd Willingham case.

Both filmmakers, Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr., were very influenced by David Grann’s New Yorker article “Trial by Fire”.

I deconstructed “Trial by Fire” even BEFORE I had read the trial transcript and police reports (1). The article was that one sided and misleading. It appears that both Mims and Bailey were unaware of that. That may not bode well for the objectivity of “Incendiary”.

Evidently, neither Mims nor Bailey noticed the problems with fire expert Gerald Hurst (1), who is a major part of “Incendiary”. Too bad.

Nor did they notice the problems with the Innocence Project Arson Review Report (2), which fire expert John Lentini participated in. Lentini is, of course, another major player in “Incendiary”.

I have both written and collected a number of articles on the Willingham case, many dealing with some obvious misunderstandings of it (3).

I hope “Incendiary” is a true documentary and avoids many of the disasters from another alleged documentary “At the Death House Door” (4)

I think a documentary is supposed to be non fiction. Yes?

The number of false claims of the exonerated or innocent cases, by the anti death penalty folks, is a disturbing reality in the death penalty debate (5). I can hope “Incendiary” is not just jumping onto that unfortunate bandwagon.

For example:

“There can no longer be any doubt that an innocent person (Willingham) has been executed. The question now turns to how we can stop it from happening again,’ Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck says (6).

This claim is, of course, false. But Scheck and the Innocence Project refuse to take it down. Why? Maybe an anti death penalty agenda or other interests?

Of course, Scheck plays a leading role in the film, another strike against objectivity.

There is of course much doubt. The fire most certainly could have been arson and, if there was a flashover, as many have concluded, such would have destroyed the evidence of arson. This is very well known in fire forensics.

We could have an audio/video recording of Todd Willingham setting the fire and letting his children burn to death and we would, likely, still find the same complaints about the forensic reports from the time of the fire and at trial, even though arson/murder was definitive.

Can a documentary not lie and be totally misleading by omission? Of course. Is “Incendiary” truth or fiction? I’ll wait and see.

1) Cameron Todd Willingham: Media meltdown & the death penalty:”Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?”, by David Grann

2) Innocence Project Report: Cameron Todd Willingham
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/26/innocence-project-report-cameron-todd-willingham.aspx

3) “Cameron Todd Willingham: Another Media Meltdown”, A Collection of Articles
http://homicidesurvivors.com/categories/Cameron%20Todd%20Willingham.aspx

4) “At the Death House Door” Can Rev. Carroll Pickett be trusted?”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/01/30/fact-checking-is-very-welcome.aspx

5) a) “The Innocent Executed: Deception & Death Penalty Opponents”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/08/the-innocent-executed-deception–death-penalty-opponents–draft.aspx

b) The 130 (now 138) death row “innocents” scam
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/03/04/fact-checking-issues-on-innocence-and-the-death-penalty.aspx

c) Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean–the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx

6) News Release, Innocence Project
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/New_Report_Shows_that_Cameron_Todd_Willingham_Executed_in_Texas_in_2004_Was_Innocent.php

From: Dudley Sharp

I look forward to seeing the documentary film, “Incendiary”, which concerns the forensics in the Cameron Todd Willingham case.

Both filmmakers, Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr., were very influenced by David Grann’s New Yorker article “Trial by Fire”.

I deconstructed “Trial by Fire” even BEFORE I had read the trial transcript and police reports (1). The article was that one sided and misleading. It appears that both Mims and Bailey were unaware of that. That may not bode well for the objectivity of “Incendiary”.

Evidently, neither Mims nor Bailey noticed the problems with fire expert Gerald Hurst (1), who is a major part of “Incendiary”. Too bad.

Nor did they notice the problems with the Innocence Project Arson Review Report (2), which fire expert John Lentini participated in. Lentini is, of course, another major player in “Incendiary”.

I have both written and collected a number of articles on the Willingham case, many dealing with some obvious misunderstandings of it (3).

I hope “Incendiary” is a true documentary and avoids many of the disasters from another alleged documentary “At the Death House Door” (4)

I think a documentary is supposed to be non fiction. Yes?

The number of false claims of the exonerated or innocent cases, by the anti death penalty folks, is a disturbing reality in the death penalty debate (5). I can hope “Incendiary” is not just jumping onto that unfortunate bandwagon.

For example:

“There can no longer be any doubt that an innocent person (Willingham) has been executed. The question now turns to how we can stop it from happening again,’ Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck says (6).

This claim is, of course, false. But Scheck and the Innocence Project refuse to take it down. Why? Maybe an anti death penalty agenda or other interests?

Of course, Scheck plays a leading role in the film, another strike against objectivity.

There is of course much doubt. The fire most certainly could have been arson and, if there was a flashover, as many have concluded, such would have destroyed the evidence of arson. This is very well known in fire forensics.

We could have an audio/video recording of Todd Willingham setting the fire and letting his children burn to death and we would, likely, still find the same complaints about the forensic reports from the time of the fire and at trial, even though arson/murder was definitive.

Can a documentary not lie and be totally misleading by omission? Of course. Is “Incendiary” truth or fiction? I’ll wait and see.

1) Cameron Todd Willingham: Media meltdown & the death penalty:”Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?”, by David Grann

2) Innocence Project Report: Cameron Todd Willingham
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/26/innocence-project-report-cameron-todd-willingham.aspx

3) “Cameron Todd Willingham: Another Media Meltdown”, A Collection of Articles
http://homicidesurvivors.com/categories/Cameron%20Todd%20Willingham.aspx

4) “At the Death House Door” Can Rev. Carroll Pickett be trusted?”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/01/30/fact-checking-is-very-welcome.aspx

5) a) “The Innocent Executed: Deception & Death Penalty Opponents”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/08/the-innocent-executed-deception–death-penalty-opponents–draft.aspx

b) The 130 (now 138) death row “innocents” scam
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/03/04/fact-checking-issues-on-innocence-and-the-death-penalty.aspx

c) Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean–the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx

6) News Release, Innocence Project
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/New_Report_Shows_that_Cameron_Todd_Willingham_Executed_in_Texas_in_2004_Was_Innocent.php

From: Dudley Sharp

I look forward to seeing the documentary film, “Incendiary”, which concerns the forensics in the Cameron Todd Willingham case.

Both filmmakers, Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr., were very influenced by David Grann’s New Yorker article “Trial by Fire”.

I deconstructed “Trial by Fire” even BEFORE I had read the trial transcript and police reports (1). The article was that one sided and misleading. It appears that both Mims and Bailey were unaware of that. That may not bode well for the objectivity of “Incendiary”.

Evidently, neither Mims nor Bailey noticed the problems with fire expert Gerald Hurst (1), who is a major part of “Incendiary”. Too bad.

Nor did they notice the problems with the Innocence Project Arson Review Report (2), which fire expert John Lentini participated in. Lentini is, of course, another major player in “Incendiary”.

I have both written and collected a number of articles on the Willingham case, many dealing with some obvious misunderstandings of it (3).

I hope “Incendiary” is a true documentary and avoids many of the disasters from another alleged documentary “At the Death House Door” (4)

I think a documentary is supposed to be non fiction. Yes?

The number of false claims of the exonerated or innocent cases, by the anti death penalty folks, is a disturbing reality in the death penalty debate (5). I can hope “Incendiary” is not just jumping onto that unfortunate bandwagon.

For example:

“There can no longer be any doubt that an innocent person (Willingham) has been executed. The question now turns to how we can stop it from happening again,’ Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck says (6).

This claim is, of course, false. But Scheck and the Innocence Project refuse to take it down. Why? Maybe an anti death penalty agenda or other interests?

Of course, Scheck plays a leading role in the film, another strike against objectivity.

There is of course much doubt. The fire most certainly could have been arson and, if there was a flashover, as many have concluded, such would have destroyed the evidence of arson. This is very well known in fire forensics.

We could have an audio/video recording of Todd Willingham setting the fire and letting his children burn to death and we would, likely, still find the same complaints about the forensic reports from the time of the fire and at trial, even though arson/murder was definitive.

Can a documentary not lie and be totally misleading by omission? Of course. Is “Incendiary” truth or fiction? I’ll wait and see.

1) Cameron Todd Willingham: Media meltdown & the death penalty:”Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?”, by David Grann

2) Innocence Project Report: Cameron Todd Willingham
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/26/innocence-project-report-cameron-todd-willingham.aspx

3) “Cameron Todd Willingham: Another Media Meltdown”, A Collection of Articles
http://homicidesurvivors.com/categories/Cameron%20Todd%20Willingham.aspx

4) “At the Death House Door” Can Rev. Carroll Pickett be trusted?”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/01/30/fact-checking-is-very-welcome.aspx

5) a) “The Innocent Executed: Deception & Death Penalty Opponents”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/08/the-innocent-executed-deception–death-penalty-opponents–draft.aspx

b) The 130 (now 138) death row “innocents” scam
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/03/04/fact-checking-issues-on-innocence-and-the-death-penalty.aspx

c) Sister Helen Prejean & the death penalty: A Critical Review”
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/05/04/sister-helen-prejean–the-death-penalty-a-critical-review.aspx

6) News Release, Innocence Project
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/New_Report_Shows_that_Cameron_Todd_Willingham_Executed_in_Texas_in_2004_Was_Innocent.php