Burleson scientist says she's 'suspicious' of Perry's motives in overhauling forensics panel


Posted Thursday, Oct. 01, 2009
BY DAVE MONTGOMERY
dmontgomery@star-telegram.com

AUSTIN — Three ousted members of the Texas Forensic Science 
Commission said Thursday that their abrupt removal by Gov. Rick Perry 
this week could slow the panel’s efforts to determine if a flawed 
arson investigation led to the execution of an innocent man five 
years ago.

But Perry said the commission’s inquiry will continue, telling 
reporters that his decision to replace the three commission members 
was part of the normal appointments process. Their terms expired 
Sept. 1.

Perry removed Chairman Sam Bassett and commission members Alan Levy 
and Aliece Watts on Wednesday, two days before the obscure panel was 
scheduled to discuss a forensic report challenging the arson findings 
that that led to Cameron Todd Willingham’s execution in 2004.

Willingham, of Corsicana, was found guilty in the deaths of his three 
daughters in a 1991 fire. Willingham said that he was asleep in his 
house when the fire started and denied that he deliberately killed 
his daughters.

In telephone interviews, the commission members who got the boot said 
they were surprised and disappointed with Perry’s decision to replace 
them and expressed concern that the shake-up could disrupt or at 
least slow the pace of the panel’s inquiry. Levy is a top prosecutor 
in the Tarrant County district attorney’s office. Watts, who lives in 
Burleson, is a forensic scientist at Integrated Forensic Laboratories 
in Euless. Bassett is an Austin attorney.

The panel had been scheduled to meet today in Irving to hear expert 
Craig Beyler, who authored the report challenging the conclusions of 
the arson investigation. The meeting was canceled after the dismissals.

"I was shocked and extremely disappointed," Watts said. "The 
commission had done a tremendous amount of work, and I just would 
have preferred to have completed the task."

Watts said she had been led to believe that she would be reappointed 
but was notified of her dismissal by a staff member from Perry’s 
appointments office.

The only explanation for her removal, she said, was that the governor 
"was going in a different direction."

"In canceling the meeting, it’s definitely delaying the 
investigation," she said.

Later in the interview, Watts declared: "I’m just suspicious of the 
motives."

Levy, a chief prosecutor in the criminal division of the district 
attorney’s office, agreed that the shake-up will slow the Willingham 
investigation, although he predicted that the reconstituted panel 
"will press ahead, no matter what."

"The commission had worked together for some time as a unit and we 
were ready to go the next step," Levy said. "And now they have to 
start from ground zero again because they have new people.

"I don’t like quitting a job in the middle of it," he said.

Bassett described the timing of the membership change as "very 
unfortunate," adding that it "will certainly slow down if not cripple 
the commission for a while."

"I have no idea why he did it," said the Austin lawyer. "No 
explanation was given to me."

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