Our newspaper has a Sunday feature in the Points section called Point Person. It’s a question-and-answer session with a person in the news or a person with an interesting perspective on life or current events. This week my bosses asked me if I’d see about doing the Q&A with Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley, who chairs the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The subject would bethe commission’s handling of the Cameron Todd Willingham case. Bottom line: no dice. I’m appending below 1) the questions I sent along, 2) Mr. Bradley’s response, 3) my response to his response. The questions: 1.Continue readingQ&A rejected by John Bradley | TEXAS DEATH PENALTY Blog | dallasnews.com

Below are videos shot by Texas Moratorium Network of the entire discussion on the agenda item dealing with the Todd Willingham case at the Texas Forensic Science Commission on Friday, July 23, 2010 in Houston. The discussion lasted more than an hour. It is divided into seven parts because YouTube limits videos to ten minutes. There are also two shorter videos of Barry Scheck and Patricia Willingham Cox delivering their public comments at the end of the meeting. Texas Forensic Science Commission Discussion of Todd Willingham Case July 23, 2010 Part 1/7 Texas Forensic Science Commission Discussion of Todd WillinghamContinue readingVideo of Entire Hour-Plus Long Discussion of Todd Willingham Case at Texas Forensic Science Commission Meeting July 23, 2010

Below is a video of The Innocence Project’s Barry Scheck speaking to Texas Forensic Science Commission in Houston on July 23, 2010. Video was shot by Texas Moratorium Network. Watch the whole video to understand Barry Scheck’s objections to the Commission’s tentative findings. Click here to watch the video on YouTube or click here to watch it on TMN’s Facebook page. The final report is not yet complete, so the Commission could still take into account Scheck’s objections. Around the 3:35 minute is when the fireworks start after John Bradley motions to his assistant that she should tell Scheck thatContinue readingVideo of Barry Scheck Speaking to Texas Forensic Science Commission

Texas Moratorium Network shot this video of Todd Willingham’s cousin Patricia Willingham Cox speaking at the meeting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission in Houston on July 23, 2010. Click here to watch the video on YouTube. Or click here to watch it on the TMN Facebook page. Todd’s stepmother Eugenia Willingham is sitting beside Patricia while she speaks. Normally, when a family member speaks at a hearing, for instance at a committee hearing at the Legislature, the person chairing the hearing is very nice and thanks the person for coming and maybe even offers some words of comfort toContinue readingVideo of Todd Willingham’s Family at Meeting of Texas Forensic Science Commission

This is best article we have seen covering the July 23, 2010 meeting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. From the Houston Chronicle: Members of the state commission investigating a controversial Corsicana arson case in which three children died — and for which their father was executed — acknowledged on Friday that state and local arson investigators used “flawed science” in determining the blaze had been deliberately set. But the Texas Forensic Science Commission panel heading the inquiry also found insufficient evidence to prove that state Deputy Fire Marshal Manuel Vasquez and Corsicana Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Fogg were negligentContinue readingTexas Forensic Science Commission cites ‘flawed science’ in arson case

Here is a link to the live stream of the Forensic Science Meeting.   View the meeting agenda. Eugenia Willingham and Patricia Willingham Cox will probably make public comments to the commission at the end of the meeting. The are pictured below with TMN’s Scott Cobb.

The Texas Forensic Science Commission has posted its agenda for its meeting in Houston on July 23, 2010 at the Doubletree Houston Intercontinental Airport, 15747 JFK Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032 (Map and directions). The meeting starts at 9:30 AM, but is expected to last all day and the public comment period will be at the end of the meeting. Forensic panel must resist chair’s efforts at sabotage By BARRY SCHECK and PATRICIA WILLINGHAM COX, INNOCENCE PROJECT: This Friday, the Texas Forensic Science Commission (TFSC) is meeting in Houston to discuss, among other things, the status of its inquiry into whether arsonContinue readingTexas Forensic Science Commission Meeting Friday in Houston; Scheck and Todd Willingham’s Cousin Say Panel Must Resist Chair’s Efforts at Sabotage

Todd Willingham’s Lawyer Walter Reaves on What to Expect at Fridays Meeting of the Forensic Science Commission: They will “avoid actually doing anything” Todd Willingham’s last lawyer, Walter Reaves, has written a blog post on what he expects at Friday’s meeting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission in Houston: I was going to talk about the ridiculousness about the recent memo from the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Basically, the memo says they don’t have jurisdiction to do anything. They concluded that they do not have “discretion or power to investigate any and every complainant alleging professional negligence or misconduct involving a forensicContinue readingTexas Moratorium Network: Todd Willingham’s Lawyer Walter Reaves on What to Expect at Fridays Meeting of the Forensic Science Commission: They will “avoid actually doing anything”