On October 19, PBS’s FRONTLINE will air Death by Fire, a documentary closely examining the evidence used to convict Cameron Todd Willingham of the arson deaths of his three children. The documentary will focus on a critical finding that was revealed just weeks before Willingham’s execution — that fire investigators apparently relied on outdated arson science to determine that Willingham had set the fire that killed his children. Gerald Hurst, a forensic arson expert, reviewed the evidence based on modern arson science and concluded it was a classic accidental fire. Death by Fire also features writer Elizabeth Gilbert, who corresponded with Willingham in prison and first began to question his guilt. Willingham’s case is also being examined by the Texas Forensic Science Commission and a special Court of Inquiry that may determine that Texas executed an innocent man.
(Frontline, “Death by Fire,”; PBS, forthcoming October 19, 2010). Visit FRONTLINE for more information. Read more about Cameron Todd Willingham. See also Innocence.
