Who is Stacey Willingham from Trial By Fire?

Adapted from a script by Geoffrey S. Fletcher, Trial by Fire is a biographical drama film directed by Edward Zwick. It is based on the 2009 essay "Trial By Fire" by David Grann in The New Yorker.

The movie recounts the events leading up to Cameron Todd Willingham's conviction in the Willingham v. State of Texas case. After his three young daughters perished in a house fire from which he escaped, he was charged with triple homicide. His then-wife, Stacey Willingham, was played by Emily Meade in the film.

Stacey initially supported Cameron's plea but later became a strict advocate of his guilt. She has publicly accused her ex-husband of being responsible for her daughters' death and is vocal about it on social media.

Before going on general release on May 17, 2019, the movie had its Telluride Film Festival premiere on August 31, 2018. It is presently available for streaming on Netflix and has notable performances by Jeff Perry, Emily Meade, Laura Dern, Jack O'Connell, and Jade Pettyjohn.

---

Stacey Willingham's three daughters died in a fire

Trial By Fire is based on the events leading up to the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham on February 17, 2004, who was convicted of the triple homicide of his three little girls, Amber, Karmen, and Kameron Willingham.

On December 23, 1991, a fire broke out at Stacey and Cameron's house in Corsicana, Texas. The couple tragically lost their three daughters, two-year-old Amber and one-year-old twins Karmen and Kameron. Stacey was not home at the time, and Cameron managed to escape the fire with only minor burns.

Cameron was arrested by the police and charged with deliberately setting the fire and killing the children to hide the abuse of the children and wife. Stacey refused any sort of abuse of the children but revealed that she was physically abused by her husband.

---

Stacey Willingham from Trial By Fire was eventually convinced of her husband's guilt

Despite the conviction, no clear motive was found for Cameron to set his house on fire and kill his daughters. Stacey denied the accusations and insisted that her husband loved their daughters and would never do such a thing. In a campaign to release him, she wrote to the governor of Texas that read,

"I know him in ways that no one else does when it comes to our children. Therefore, I believe that there is no way he could have possibly committed this crime."

However, by the time of his execution, Stacey started believing in Cameron's guilt. In an interview with The Huffington Post, she said,

"Todd is guilty, the criminal justice system and the courts confirmed his guilt, and he should not be pardoned for his crimes."

Stacey was present at the time of Cameron's execution by lethal injection. However, from her social media posts and interviews, it is evident that she doesn't believe in his innocence, despite Gerald Hurst's conclusion that there was no foul play involved in the fire. In a December 11, 2019, Instagram post, she wrote,

"My daughters are the only Victims! If you feel differently I will be standing right in front of you tell what todd did that morning on December 23rd 1991 all because a woman was divorcing a monster."

---

About Trial By Fire

Trial By Fire uses David Grann's 2009 article, which was published in The New Yorker, as a reference point. The film begins with Cameron trying to save his daughters as his house is getting frighteningly ablaze.

The remainder of the film is centered around Cameron's case, which went on for 12 years. A sympathetic playwright, Elizabeth Gilbert, tries to prove his innocence with the help of a forensic scientist, Dr. Hurst, but is unsuccessful. The film is available for streaming on Netflix. Here's how the platform describes its plot:

"A woman who develops a close relationship with a man on death row sets out to prove that he was wrongfully convicted of killing his children in a fire."

---

Stay tuned for more news and updates about Trial By Fire and other films and TV shows on Netflix as the year unfolds.