http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/witness-executed-dad-prosecutors-bribed-article-1.2145222

 

The key witness against a convicted killer executed in 2004 says he testified in a deal with the prosecutor, who bribed him with the promise of an early parole and threatened him with a longer prison sentence.

 

The State Bar of Texas could pursue misconduct charges against prosecutor John H. Jackson, who convinced a jury that Cameron Todd Willingham killed his three daughters when he set his Corsicana house on fire in 1991. A lawyer for Jackson said he will ask to have such charges heard by a jury, the Marshall Project reported.

 

The possible charges stem from a previously undisclosed letter from Jackson’s key witness, Johnny E. Webb, who was serving a prison sentence for robbery.

 

In the 1996 letter, Webb pleaded with Jackson to make good on his end of their pre-arranged deal: Webb would testify against Willingham if Jackson downgraded Webb’s conviction. He threatened to make the promise public if Jackson did not “take care of it on (his) own.”

 

Days later, Jackson secured a court order that made Webb immediately eligible for parole.

 

The Texas Bar began investigating Jackson after Webb admitted that he lied when he told a jury that Willingham confessed to intentionally setting his home on fire.

 

The two were held in the Navarro County jail together — Webb for robbery and Willingham for suspected arson — when the dad of three told his cellmate he killed the girls to cover up his wife’s abuse of one of them.

 

Webb recanted his story before the 2004 execution, too — but the withdrawn statement was virtually ignored. Willingham maintained his innocence until he was executed by lethal injection in February 2004.

 

Webb later told the Marshall Project that Jackson forced him into testifying by threating to give him a life sentence for robbery.

 

“I lied on the man because I was being forced by John Jackson to do so,” Webb said. “I succumbed to pressure when I shouldn’t have. In the end, I was told, ‘You’re either going to get a life sentence or you’re going to testify.’ He coerced me to do it.”

 

He continued: “I did not want to see Willingham go to death row and die for something I damn well knew was a lie and something I didn’t initiate,” Webb said.

 

Jackson has long denied any deal with or threats against Webb. The prosecutor said he was fixing an administrative error: Webb was convicted of robbery, but his court records included the penal code for aggravated robbery.

 

Jackson also said he helped free Webb when he did because the prison-bound robber was threatened by Willingham sympathizers after the trial.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/witness-executed-dad-prosecutors-bribed-article-1.2145222

 

The key witness against a convicted killer executed in 2004 says he testified in a deal with the prosecutor, who bribed him with the promise of an early parole and threatened him with a longer prison sentence.

 

The State Bar of Texas could pursue misconduct charges against prosecutor John H. Jackson, who convinced a jury that Cameron Todd Willingham killed his three daughters when he set his Corsicana house on fire in 1991. A lawyer for Jackson said he will ask to have such charges heard by a jury, the Marshall Project reported.

 

The possible charges stem from a previously undisclosed letter from Jackson’s key witness, Johnny E. Webb, who was serving a prison sentence for robbery.

 

In the 1996 letter, Webb pleaded with Jackson to make good on his end of their pre-arranged deal: Webb would testify against Willingham if Jackson downgraded Webb’s conviction. He threatened to make the promise public if Jackson did not “take care of it on (his) own.”

 

Days later, Jackson secured a court order that made Webb immediately eligible for parole.

 

The Texas Bar began investigating Jackson after Webb admitted that he lied when he told a jury that Willingham confessed to intentionally setting his home on fire.

 

The two were held in the Navarro County jail together — Webb for robbery and Willingham for suspected arson — when the dad of three told his cellmate he killed the girls to cover up his wife’s abuse of one of them.

 

Webb recanted his story before the 2004 execution, too — but the withdrawn statement was virtually ignored. Willingham maintained his innocence until he was executed by lethal injection in February 2004.

 

Webb later told the Marshall Project that Jackson forced him into testifying by threating to give him a life sentence for robbery.

 

“I lied on the man because I was being forced by John Jackson to do so,” Webb said. “I succumbed to pressure when I shouldn’t have. In the end, I was told, ‘You’re either going to get a life sentence or you’re going to testify.’ He coerced me to do it.”

 

He continued: “I did not want to see Willingham go to death row and die for something I damn well knew was a lie and something I didn’t initiate,” Webb said.

 

Jackson has long denied any deal with or threats against Webb. The prosecutor said he was fixing an administrative error: Webb was convicted of robbery, but his court records included the penal code for aggravated robbery.

 

Jackson also said he helped free Webb when he did because the prison-bound robber was threatened by Willingham sympathizers after the trial.

 

...and this is one of the reasons I am against the death penalty...

 

I don't know if this guy killed his daughters or not, but you should not have a dishonest DA putting a man to death like this...and I bet this kind of thing goes on a lot in the justice system

Not being able to correct mistakes is why I am generally against the death penalty too.

Example 499939399821 of why we can't have the DP.

I'm in favor of the death penalty, but do think it is overused. When your key witness has something to gain by lying as blatant as it appears here, then you shouldn't have the death penalty on the table.

 

Texas law has reformed a bit recently because of incidents like this. Kerry Max Cook's "Chasing Justice" is a book about a guy in a similar situation. Prosecutor withheld exculpatory evidence and it kept him behind bars for decades that he won't have back. Despite the reforms, I still think the death penalty is overused and should only be there when someone is 100% guilty and there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever about that.

Example 499939399821 of why we can't have the DP.

 

I'm against it at times too, right up until I read about the 20 year old mother from Cincy that decapitated her 3 moth old. If they killed her right this second I'd be good with it.

Execute the prosecutor and this behavior will curb.

Execute the prosecutor and this behavior will curb.

 

Now THAT would be a true deterrent.

Execute the prosecutor and this behavior will curb.

 

And the witness who gave the false testimony.