Film Analysis: Death By Fire

Reaction Essay "Death By Fire" 6/17/2013

I watched the PBS Frontline documentary "Death By Fire," directed and produced by Jessie Deeter and co-produced and written by Mike Wiser and Michael Kirk. Todd Willingham, the father of three little girls, was ultimately charged, tried, and convicted of murdering his daughters by means of arson. The date of the fire was December 23, 1991, and he was finally executed by lethal injection on Feb 17, 2004. The circumstances surrounding this case were and still are controversial to this day. Opponents on both sides continue to voice their opinions on whether or not the state of Texas executed a man for a crime that they could not prove was a crime. As a father of two daughters myself,
and after digesting all the information provided in the video, I feel that this man was guilty and received a punishment that fit his crime.
I feel that based upon all the evidence that was collected, to include eyewitness accounts about Todd Willingham's demeanor and odd actions following the house fire, he was guilty of arson.
The mere thought of losing a child is every parent's nightmare; each person may grieve differently. However, as a father myself, I could not imagine going out to a bar to play darts the night after my children were killed in a fire. This does not seem to be the actions of a man in mourning. Add with this multiple accounts of witnesses at the dart tournament recalling Todd making statements such as "money was not a problem" because he expected to receive money from charity following this tragedy. Moreover, his failure to even attempt to go into the burning house to save his girls is unthinkable to me. Had this been me, nothing could have kept me from trying to save my children, even if it meant giving my own life in my
attempt.
In addition, the forensic evidence collected by the Arson investigator showed twenty indicators of arson. Included in these indicators was evidence that an accelerant was used to spread the fire faster. The assistant fire chief, Douglas Fogg also testified that based on the extreme heat and flame engulfed house, it would have been nearly impossible for Willingham to escape with just a few minor burns on his shoulder. Additionally when he came out of the burning house, he was bare foot, yet there was no possible way for him to escape that fire without sustaining burns to his feet. During his statement to the police during questioning, interviewer Jimmie Hensley stated that he seemed to show no remorse at all. Only when he was showed pictures of his dead children, did he cry or show emotion. Hensley asserted that this was more of a reaction to his being treated as a suspect rather than showing emotion over the loss of his three children.
Also, Willingham's own defense attorney, David Martin, claimed his own client's was guilty.
After the trial, he stated, "Of course I thought he was guilty." Although I do not think it is appropriate for an attorney to make a statement like this because it could be perceived his attorney did not fight for him as he should have based on his personal feelings, my feeling is that his attorney's statement reinforces his guilt. Martin was sure his client was guilty and would be found guilty, which is never a beneficial when a defendant is fighting for his life. The state did offer Willingham a chance to plea guilty and be spared the death penalty; however, he refused this despite his attorney's advice to accept
it.
There were other factors that were brought into discussion at the trial that shed a bad light on Willingham. His wife, who had been shopping at the time of the fire, testified about domestic violence abuse towards her, to include times when she was pregnant. These incidents showed he was a violent person in the past. Also at the trial, which only lasted three days, his cellmate, Johnny Webb, testified that while sharing a cell with Willingham, he confessed to setting the fire that killed his daughters. Skeptics will argue that Webb made this testimony in exchange for an early release, but compiled with the other evidence, this testimony was huge.
I could not disagree more with Elizabeth Gilbert, the woman who started out as Willingham's pen pal, and later went on to meet him in person and write a book based on his story. In the video, she describes herself as someone who just recently out of a relationship and was looking for something to do. She also goes on to describe Willingham as a young, good looking, well spoken man. For me, at that moment, I questioned her mental stability. Obviously she was attracted to Willingham, and from the start, she had a biased opinion of who he really was. Her book was not objective at all and, for me, was not relevant.
To add to the suspicion, Willingham had a reputation for being a "ladies man." This in itself does not implicate him as a murderer, however; it does make him look like a man who may have wanted out of his current situation. Perhaps taking care of 3 little girls, while maintaining a facade that you are in love with the mother of your children, was a burden for him. One other woman in particular, a next door neighbor who was interviewed, called Willingham the love of her life, her "soulmate." Residents of the city who knew Willingham conceded that he loved this woman, and it was possible that he committed the murder of his children to escape his current relationship and leave his wife Stacy.
The trial took three days, and the jury returned a verdict within one hour after deliberating. The prosecution portrayed Willingham as a psychopath and sociopath based upon expert testimony by Dr. James Griggson, a renowned expert who had testified in over hundred death penalty cases. Willingham had many brushes with the law through his teenage and adolescent years and was no stranger to the criminal justice system. In my opinion, this was an open and shut case in which there was not much doubt in his guilt.
As I previously stated, am a father of two daughters. Although it is easy to say what you would do in a situation, the biggest problem I have with this man is he did not attempt to save his children. If nothing else, it makes him a coward and a pathetic father. I truly believe it is a primal instinct in us to leap to the rescue of offspring who are in danger, without any pause or hesitation about endangering oneself. A majority of men would have given their lives to save their children. Combine this abnormal and unfathomable behavior with his lack of character and the lack of evidence that he was in the fire, and it all leads to his guilt.
Overall, this case made me feel a bit angry, yet I was glad that Willingham received the death penalty and was ultimately put to death by lethal injection. Although I can understand those who strongly believe an innocent man was put to death, after close review, I am confident that justice was served in this case. Nothing can bring back those little girls who perished in the fire, but as a supporter of the death penalty, I am glad to see a case that brought a man to judgment for a heinous and unthinkable act. Todd Willingham was a murderer, and each day he lived beyond the day he murdered his three daughters was a gift. He was guilty, and the justice system did its job correctly in this case.