Governor Perry Had Arson Report Prior To Replacing Commission Members

The Owl's Nest has confirmed that copies of the arson report fire expert Craig Beyler completed in August had been distributed to the Texas Science Forensic Commission (TSFC) members as well as Gov. Perry in advance of the abrupt replacement of TSFC Chairman Sam Bassett, and TSFC members Alan Levy, and Aliece Watts.


All members of the TSFC who had read the pre-released report, more than just the three replaced, accepted the conclusions: no evidence of arson was found. Cameron Todd Willingham did not commit arson.

Additionally, when Bassett, Levy and Watts were let go, the aide to the governor who called to tell them they had been released, thanked them, then added “The governor is going in a different direction.”

While unclear in it’s meaning, this statement was taken by certain members of the TSFC that the governor wasn’t happy with the findings of the arson report. One member of the commission added off the record: “He clearly doesn’t want to be the first governor in American history to have been proven to have executed an innocent man, especially in an election year.” Governor Perry faces a primary election in March, 2010.

All three members of the commission had asked the governor to remain on the commission for another term, or “at least long enough to finish the [Willingham] investigation.” The Governor ignored their requests.

It has been confirmed that the arson report to be discussed at the meeting was to show that there was no evidence of any arson involved in the fire of December 23, 1991 that killed Cameron Todd Willingham's three daughters, two-year-old Amber Louise Kuykendall and one-year-old twins Karmon Diane Willingham and Kameron Marie Willingham. Willingham himself escaped the home with only minor burns. Stacy Kuykendall, Willingham's then-wife and the mother of his three daughters, was out shopping and not home at the time of the fire. The claim of arson was instrumental in seeking and getting the death penalty.

With the possibility of a US Department of Justice probe into Gov. Perry's alleged violation of USC 18.1001, which states it is a crime for anyone "in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States" to "falsify, conceal, or cover up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact.", the question of whether or not Gov. Perry will spare himself the investigation by allowing the hearing to take place before the end of the year remains open.

Given that Texas accepts help with the state’s judicial costs in the form of federal funds from Uncle Sam, Perry and others implicated in the apparent cover-up could be prosecuted under federal law.

A source close to the US Department of Justice stated that the "timing and manner of Gov. Perry's replacement of commission members is suspicious given that exonerating evidence was to be presented within 72 hours of the action". Officially, the Justice Department will neither confirm nor deny whether a possible probe will take place, or if an investigation is under way.

The Governor’s office has yet to issue a formal statement concerning the possibility of a federal probe, but is looking into the potentiality. The press office today stated they were unaware of any federal probe into the allegations, but "would look into the matter".

Additional inquires into whether or not John Bradley, newly appointed chair of the TSFC, is being investigated for possibly engaging in an alleged conspiracy with Perry to withhold evidence from public scrutiny in this case could not be verified.

However, a copy of fire expert Craig Beyler’s report, “Analysis of the Fire Investigation Methods and Procedures Used in the Criminal Arson Cases Against Ernest Ray Willis and Cameron Todd Willingham” has been obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and is available online.