Rebuttal: The film "Trial by Fire"
Dudley Sharp, Independent researcher, death penalty expert, former opponent, 832-439-2113, CV at bottom
This was sent out to every film reviewer of the film and to every film festival that presented it, as well as all of those at bottom
WHEN "TRUE" FILMS ARE A SCAM, DOES ANYONE HAVE RESPONSIBILITY TO, PUBLICLY, CORRECT?
The most accurate review, so far.
"The real trial by fire with Zwick’s film is its viewers’ ability to believe almost anything about it." Joshua Ray, The Lens, 5/23/19
To: Since August, 2017
All Major Film Critic Associations & Film Festivals
Entertainment Reporters and Sites & Crime Reporters
See recipients at bottom
Rebuttal: "Trial By Fire" - The Guilt of Todd Willingham
from: Dudley Sharp, 832-439-2113, give me a call.
The wisdom of skepticism of "true" films/articles doesn't get nearly enough consideration and is a constant failure by movie reviewers, film festivals and entertainment and print editors and reporters.
I am an expert on this case, as is the film's director, Zwick.
All original sources, statements and fire forensics reports are included, herein, within the links. All of my statements are, easily, verified by original documents.
First, the movie:
Preface: 15 years, ago, based upon facts and reason, Stacy changed her mind and concluded that Todd murdered their 3 children. All knowledgeable parties are well aware.
These are just a few of the movie's deceptions.
1) The film: The fire "experts" in Texas use folklore.
Reality: A partnership of The Innocence Project and the Texas State Fire Marshall's Office, reviewed a thousand arson cases where there was a criminal conviction for that arson.
One of those cases (0.1%), resulted in a reversal of the conviction, based upon inaccurate fire forensics . . . . 0.1%. This was known years before the film production began.
2) The film: The 3 girls were burned to death in the fire.
Reality: Untrue. Amber, the two year old was found, alive, by a firefighter, in Todd's bed. She was face down, tucked in and the bottoms of her feet were burned. The fire, never, entered that room.
Todd said he was in that room, in that bed, when he became aware of the fire, giving multiple, conflicting statements about his interactions with Amber, as well as many other issues, with one constant - he kept changing his story, repeatedly and critically, as documented.
The conflicts, with Todd's statements, are crucial and many, as documented. He lied and then he lied, as no one could doubt, having read his documented statements, as included.
There were entrances and exits into that master bedroom,, aware from the fire, the entire time. Amber died at the hospital, from smoke inhalation.
Todd confessed to several people that he, never, made any effort to save the children and that he lied within all his statements that he did try to save them, as documented.
On at least two occasions, Todd opines that injuries to the girls may give officials reason to suspect him of being the arsonist, as documented.
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A Complete Compilation:
Cameron Todd Willingham: Media Meltdown & the Death Penalty
When Media & Anti-death Penalty Advocates Are the Same
and
A Repudiation of Journalism, by Journalists?
The Society of Professional Journalists & The Sigma Delta Chi Award:
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3) The film: The gas heater was not examined, by the original investigators, as a fire source.
Reality: Only willful idiocy would allow anyone to believe that.
The gas heater was excluded, by those investigators, as the source of the fire and . . . . had to be . . . the gas had been turned off at the meter, so no gas, as documented.
4) The film: Gov Perry stopped the commission from completing their investigation into this case.
Reality: Untrue. Never happened.
The commission's final report came out in 2011, 6 years before film production. Perry was governor until 2015, four years later.
Only one arson marker, of many, were excluded from the investigators original assessment of arson, as documented, in that report, included.
5) The film: It was inferred that prosecutor Jackson paid off a snitch to lie about Willingham's guilt.
Reality: Jackson was put on trial, found not guilty, with a number of defense attorneys, including the Innocent Project, defending Jackson's integrity.
All of this occurred prior to the beginning of production for the film, as Zwick well knows.
Criminal defense counsel Kerri Anderson Donica “I’ve never known a man with more integrity than John Jackson. I said in my testimony if they needed to take his law license, they could take mine too. I believe in him that much . . .”
Robert Hinton, Innocence Project said snitch Webb’s testimony was a “sociopathic story,” and Jackson is a man of “high character.”
All, of course, left out of the film.
6) The film: The exculpatory evidence was ignored, prior to the execution.
Reality: This deals with forensic fire expert Hurst's report, which did not and could not negate arson. Hurst, himself, stated that he could, never, exclude arson from a fire. It's an idiotic statement, but Hurst made it.
In addition, Hurst excluded all the eyewitness testimony, when he knew it is a required foundation, within forensics, when available, and was, incredibly, important in the Willingham case, as documented within Paragraph 2, and throughout the case, as included.
All the courts, Gov. Perry and staff, the 9 members of the parole board and staff, the Attorney General and staff and prosecutors and staff all saw that Hurst left that out, on purpose, as he had to, if advocating for Willingham, which Hurst was.
Commutation and delay were, unanimously, denied, as they had to be. The vote was 31-0, which is two votes against both commutation and reprieve, for the 15 member Board, plus the governor not allowing for a 90 day stay.
All the state and federal courts denied a stay, based upon that same information.
Contrary to the film's idiocy, there is no political price to pay, by delaying an execution. It happens all the time. NOTE: Texas executes about 0.7% of her murderers, after an average 14 years of appeals, with constant delays, inclusive of some cases 20-30 years old.
It would be idiotic, political suicide for a Governor to, knowingly, allow an innocent to be executed and everyone knows it --- not to mention the moral/ethical horror which Gov. Perry and staff, the 9 members of the parole board and staff, the Attorney General and staff and prosecutors and staff -- and all the courts, judges and staff -- would all have to agree to endure for such a sick conspiracy to go forward.
It's, obvious, nonsense that such is what occurred and no evidence, factual or political, supports it, as detailed.
All the state and federal courts, also, denied a stay, based upon that same information.
7) In an interview, Zwick stated that there was violence on both sides, meaning from Stacy and Todd, both.
This is a grotesque allegation, against Stacy. Todd was, constantly, violent, acknowledged by everyone. Stacy was not.
The only known violence from Stacy was self defense.
Two weeks, prior to the fire, Todd had beaten Stacy with a telephone, to the point of near unconsciousness. She bit his arm and wouldn't let go, as a means of protecting herself. She was in the process of calling 911 to report his battering her, which is why the phone. This was the first time he beat her while she was holding one of their children. As a result of that incident, Stacy told Todd that she was getting a divorce. Her thinking was that if he beats me while holding our child, it will not be long before he starts beating the children.
That was two weeks before the fire. The day before the fire, December 22, Stacy reiterated that she was divorcing him, after Christmas.
Not sure if Zwick's statements will sit well with the "Me Too" folks. Zwick is just horrendous on so many levels.
8) The film left out Todd's real last words, detailed below. Had they been included it would have defined how, truly, foul, Todd was. Therefore, Zwick/Grann had to leave them out, just as the New Yorker article did. Very dishonest and expected.
9) The film depicted that defense counsel did not cross examine the fire expert. Of course, that was untrue, as well.
Get the picture?
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT THE MOVIE MAY BE MORE DECEPTIVE THAN THE NEW YORKER ARTICLE, REVIEWED BELOW:
Rebuttal: "Trial by Fire" - The Guilt Of Todd Willingham
Summary
There was zero suppression of evidence, except that within the movie and article "Trial By Fire", as detailed.
In the Willingham triple murder/arson case, a review of the The Texas Forensic Science Commission report detailes that that all fire forensic markers for arson, save one, may have been accurate, as determined by the original fire investigators (3)."
"None of the many conclusions for arson, with the exception of crazed glass, could be excluded from the assessments of the original Texas fire experts, the only investigators who examined the physical evidence (3)."
"The later assessments, critical of the original investigation, had no access to any of the physical evidence from the fire, overlooked critical eyewitness testimony, as well as additional fact details, and could not exclude arson (3)."
"Combining the forensic fire evidence with eyewitness testimony, inclusive of that by Todd Willingham, the case for arson is solid (3)."
The Innocence Project and the Texas State Fire Marshal’s office, together, reviewed over 1,000 Texas arson cases in which someone was held criminally responsible (1).
The findings, through 5/2019: 1 case out of that 1000 has resulted in an exoneration based upon flawed forensics (2).
0.1%. Keep that in mind.
We, now, know, that Willingham wasn't stopping to save the twins. Why not save Amber? His intention was to murder her and them, not save anyone. That's the only credible explanation, confirmed by the statements of eyewitnesses, including Todd.
After Willingham left the house, he had plenty of time and plenty of doors and windows, for reentry, away from the fire, to save Amber. He had no intention of doing so. How do we know? Because he had every opportunity to do so and didn't and he told us so.
Complete review:
A Complete Compilation:
Cameron Todd Willingham: Media Meltdown & the Death Penalty
When Media & Anti-death Penalty Advocates Are the Same
and
A Repudiation of Journalism, by Journalists?
The Society of Professional Journalists & The Sigma Delta Chi Award:
Sent To: since 8/2017, with continuous updates
(I have been sending out versions of this since October 2009, to Grann, The New Yorker, The Polk awards folks and countless others)
To: All Major Film Critic Associations & Film Festivals
Entertainment Reporters and Sites & Crime Reporters
Edward Zwick and his Bedford Falls Production
Roadside Attractions, distributor
Flashlight Films' Allyn Stewart & Kipp Nelson
Kathryn Dean and Marshall Herskovitz, executive producers
The New Yorker & David Grann
Actors Jack O’Connell and Laura Dern
Screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher
Vickie Thomas Casting
George Polk Award Committee &
Long Island U - Brooklyn, Faculty, Directors, Deans & Chairs of Journalism & Communications
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600+ pro death penalty quotes from murder victim's families &
3300+ from some of the greatest thinkers in history
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Victim Services
Victims' Voices
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Research, w/sources, w/fact checking/vetting & critical thinking, as required in a public policy debate
The Death Penalty: Justice & Saving More Innocents
and
Students, Academics & Journalists: Death Penalty Research
(7 pro-death penalty experts, herein)
