Arson experts finally scheduled to testify in Willingham inquiry tomorrow

The Forensic Science Commission tomorrow will (finally) meet to hear testimony from arson experts on the Todd Willingham case. Chuck Lindell at the Austin Statesman has a preview post up describing the experts scheduled to testify. They are:

• Assistant State Fire Marshal Ed Salazar, second in command at the office that helps investigate suspicious fires statewide. One of the office’s investigators was instrumental in the 1992 conviction of Willingham, and the office recently stood by that investigation despite criticism from every modern, outside fire investigator to re-examine its conclusions.
• John DeHaan, one of the nation’s leading fire experts who has spent more than 35 years investigating fires. DeHaan wrote five editions of “Kirk’s Fire Investigation,” the most widely used textbook in the field, and co-wrote a companion text, “Forensic Fire Scene Reconstruction.” He is a frequent expert witness at arson trials, often testifying for the prosecution.
• Craig Beyler, president of the International Association of Fire Safety Science, is also one of the nation’s top fire investigators. Beyler was hired by the commission to analyze the Willingham fire and wrote a 2009 report that disputed every conclusion used to rule the fire an arson.
• Thomas Wood, a senior investigator with the Houston Fire Department. In a 2010 letter to the science commission, Wood said Willingham investigators could not be considered negligent because their arson conclusions were based on investigative standards common to that era.

The Innocence Project of New York emailed out these documents related to the case:

• Report on the Peer Review of the Expert Testimony in the Cases of State of Texas v. Cameron Todd Willingham and State of Texas v. Ernest Ray Willis
• Gerald Hurst report on Willingham
• Gerald Hurst report on Willis
• John Lentini and Innocence Project Court of Inquiry

The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in Room 402 of the Central Services Building, 1711 San Jacinto Blvd., in Austin. For more background on the Willingham case, see here. Once the meeting begins, you can watch live video on the Innocence Project’s website here.