DEATH PENALTY

Texas Family Seeks ‘Posthumous Pardon’

Eight years after son was executed.

Has Texas executed an innocent person? The long-discussed question could have a definitive answer if the surviving relatives of Cameron Todd Willingham have their way. Teaming up with the Innocence Project, among other groups, the Willinghams are applying for a “posthumous pardon” in order to clear their son’s name eight years after he was executed for a fire that killed his three children. They say his conviction was based on flawed investigative methods. If the Board of Pardons and Paroles approves the appeal, it will be the first time an official Texas agency admitted that an innocent person was executed in the state.