Analysis of "Trial by Fire" by David Grann
In the article “Trial by Fire” by David Grann, the author raises the question of whether or not Texas
has executed an innocent man, named Todd Willingham, who was accused of murdering his three
girls in a house fire. On December 19, 1991, a fire broke out in the Willingham household, which
resulted in the death of three young children, and the survival of the father. Willingham was then
executed in 2004 for the murder of his kids by arson at the family home. Since then, this case has
raised a lot of question marks and controversy between people who are wondering if Willingham was
guilty or not. To this day, this case has yet to reach a conclusion.
David Grann sheds the light in the article that in 2005, it was discovered that investigators in the case
had no scientific evidence for claiming that the fire was arson. They ignored evidence that went
against their theory, relied on discredited folk history, had no understanding of fire dynamics, and
failed at considering alternative causes of the fire. Grann mentions in the article other cases where
people were wrongfully executed for crimes they did not commit. By mentioning these cases, and
highlighting the Willingham case, Grann raises awareness on how many innocent defendants have
been executed due to the lack of research and evidence. After reading the facts and evidence in
Grann’s article about the case, I personally believe that Willingham was an innocent man who was
wrongfully executed. It’s absolutely tragic and shocking to learn that Willingham was locked up in
isolation in a sixty-square-foot cell, twenty-three hours a day for the false accusation of murdering his
three little girls. Since Willingham was known between other inmates as “baby killer” it put him as a
target of attacks and rape.
When I put myself in his position, I don’t know how I would possibly last a day in such horrible and
horrifying living conditions. He lasted 12 years. This article opened up my eyes to the extremeinjustice
innocent defendants are facing. Imagine facing death penalty for a crime you did not commitbecause
no one around you believed you were innocent. Imagine the people who are supposed to be
defending you, working towards proving you were guilty instead of looking for evidence to prove your
innocence. In the year 2000, an investigation revealed that many inmates in Texas who were facing
the death penalty, were represented by lawyers appointed by the court, who at some point in their
careers, have been suspended or banned from practicing law, or placed on probation,. The way the
author describes life in prison for Willingham to the reader, appeals greatly to my emotions. It was gutwrenching reading Grann’s words about Willingham’s experience in prison. A specific line that got to
me, was when Grann mentioned how Willingham’s letters home became increasingly despairing over
the years. In one letter, Willingham wrote “They have [executed] at least one person every month I
have been here. It is senseless and brutal. . . You see, we are not living in here, we are only existing.”
(Page 12) This line made me think about and question the many tragic losses of innocent people to
the death penalty. It made me wonder, how did it feel for Willingham to know he was going to be next.
When he says “we are not living in here, we are only existing,” it shows how prison killed him before
the death penalty did.
This case connects with a recent story that was all over the news and grabbed the attention of many.
The inmate Alice Marie Johnson, who was recently freed by the help of the American reality television
personality Kim Kardashian. Alice, a 63-year-old grandmother, was given a life sentence in prison
without parole for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. Alice was found guilty in 1996 and was
sentenced to life in prison in 1997. She's spent more than two decades locked up. Her story was all
over the news, after an interview with her from federal prison was released. The news grabbed the
attention and sympathy of Kim Kardashian. Kim said she got involved in the case because “if you
think of a bad decision you made in your life and you get life without the possibility of parole for your
first-time nonviolent offense, there’s just something so wrong with that” “I think that she really
deserves a second chance at life. ” Seven months later, after an oval-office meeting between Kim
Kardashian and president Donald Trump, Alice was granted clemency and released from prison. This
case reminds me of Willingham because he too deserved a second chance at life. He deserved to
have people that believed he could have been innocent, and looked for ways to prove that. He
deserved to have people look more into the evidence and study the case several times to save him
from the death penalty. I personally relate to the connection of these stories, because I too would
want a second chance at life if anything like that happens to me. I would want people to support me,
not work against me.
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