Perry says Corsicana man a ‘monster'

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry defended his actions today in the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, calling Willingham a “monster” and a “bad man” who murdered his children.

Perry has been besieged by accusations that he has tried to block an investigation into the possibility that Willingham may have been a victim of bad forensic science that led to his conviction in the 1991 Corsicana arson deaths of his three children, and subsequently his 2004 execution.

Perry told reporters today he is convinced that Willingham was guilty of his crime.

“Willingham was a monster,” Perry said. “Here's a guy who murdered his three children, who tried to beat his wife into an abortion so he wouldn't have those kids. Person after person has stood up and testified to facts of this case that, quite frankly, you all are not covering.”

Perry said Willingham showed how bad he was on the day of his execution.

“This is a bad man. This is a guy who in the death chamber in his last breath spews an obscenity-laced (tirade) against his wife,” Perry said.

The controversy recently took on a new life when Perry replaced criminal defense lawyer Sam Bassett as chairman of the state Forensic Science Commission that was investigating whether Willingham may have been convicted based on bad science.

Bassett has said he felt pressured by Perry's staff to back off of the investigation earlier this year and was told that spending money on a scientific report was not worth the money.

“If somebody felt like they got pressured, that's his call, not ours. My folks don't feel that way at all,” Perry said.

Perry said he did not replace Bassett and others on the commission to halt the investigation. He said the term of office for people on the commission was up and he decided to replace them.

But the governor also attacked the report that Craig Beyler produced for the commission that was a scathing review of the original arson investigation. Perry said even Willingham's criminal defense lawyer does not believe that report.

“He (the defense lawyer) will tell you that this man was a monster. He has come to clearly believe in his guilt,” Perry said. “He said that study that Mr. Beyler came forward with is nothing more than propaganda by the anti-death penalty people across this country.”

Perry added that Willingham had adequate criminal justice review before his execution.

“How many courts looked at this? There were nine federal courts that looked at this case. Nine federal courts. It was before the Supreme Court of the United States four times. Now surely you're not saying the Supreme Court of the United States fouled up four times?” Perry said.

“We have a system in this state that has followed the procedures and they found this man guilty at every step of the way. You have one piece of study that everyone is glomming onto and saying, ‘Ah-ha!.'”

Source: Houston Chronicle, Oct. 14, 2009; Pictures: Texas Governor Rick Perry (R); The house where Cameron Todd Willingham's three children died in a December 1991 fire in Corsicana, Texas. Willingham maintained until the end that he was innocent of setting the fire that killed his three small children two days before Christmas in 1991.