Prosecutors Drop Arson Charges Against Williams In Deadly House Fire:

David Williams

Charges have been dropped against the man accused of starting a house fire last month that killed his fiance's three children.

Dan Patterson, the chief assistant for the Greene County prosecutors office, says he was contacted after business hours Thursday April 21st by a fire investigator who told him that the evidence used to charge David Williams was questionable at best. "The cause and certainty of the origin of the fire could not be determined at this time," said Patterson.

Prosecutors charged Williams after an accelerant-sniffing dog, Ashes, "hit" on accelerant on Williams jeans and at several places within the house as well.

It was a sensational story....how could a man who acted as the father to three children set a fire that would kill them? Williams fiance,Violet Watson, steadfastly maintained his innocence, however the court of public opinion had already convicted Williams as a baby killer. The public outcry was deafening.

The Sentinel raised the question of the possibility of flashover to prosecutors last month after we learned that lab evidence showed no trace of accelerants in any of the evidence taken to the crime lab. Patterson now says, "There is insufficient evidence to proceed at this time." He also notes that the investigation is ongoing.

In December of 1991 a similar fire took place in Corsicana, Texas. Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted of starting a fire that killed his three children. Arson investigators testified that their were "char patterns" and accelerants used to start that fire and that Willingham was responsible for the fire that claimed his children's lives.

Prosecutors offered Willingham a plea deal, if he would plead guilty they would take the death penalty off the table and offer him a life sentence. Willingham, who maintained his innocence, rejected the state's offer and took his chances with the jury. It was a gamble that ultimately cost him his life.

In August of 1992, after deliberating less than an hour, the jury convicted Willingham of three counts of capital murder. In January of 2004, Willingham was scheduled to be put to death, Dr. Gerald Hurst, a scientist and fire investigator, who has been successful in helping overturn numerous arson convictions was contacted by friends and relatives of Willingham.

Hurst agreed to have a look at the case pro bono. Hurst concluded that the Willingham fire was accidental and that the burn patterns and accelerant found at the scene was the result of flashover.  Lawyers for Willingham filed Hurst's findings with the Texas Board of Pardon and Parole. Attorney's say the board received the findings, but never reviewed them before denying Willingham's plea for clemency. He was executed on February 17, 2004.
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Watson children killed in fire
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During his 37 day incarceration, Williams had asked to be allowed attend the funeral of Alexis, Devin and Kelsey. Judge Mark Powell granted that request, but Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott said he did not have enough manpower to transport Williams' to attend and make sure he had no physical contact with anyone at the service.




Sheriff Jim Arnott

Last month Williams attorney, Andy Hosmer said, "An innocent man in Texas was executed for a similar situation. We don't want to see an innocent man go to jail here for something he didn't do."

Hosmer says, "In a rush to judgement, prosecutors charged an innocent man. My client is relieved to be out of jail, and happy to be home with his family. We are weighing all of our options at this point. I'm not sure how we will proceed."
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Hosmer says a civil case is not out of the question.




****Dave Warren contributed to this story

Wiiliams Granted Furlough To Attend Private Funeral Service For Fire Victims; Sheriff Says Not Enough Staff To Transport:

David A. Williams

The man who police say started a house fire that killed three children on Monday will be let out of jail to attend a private service for the kids on Sunday, if Greene County deputies have the manpower to transport him.

David Alan Williams, 26, Springfield, was formally arraigned on first-degree arson with injury or death charges Thursday via video link from the Greene County jail. Williams pleaded not guilty to the charges, then asked Judge Mark Powell to either lower his $250,000 bond, or let him out of lockup long enough to attend the funerals of his fiances children.

Part of the conditions of Williams temporary release from jail is that he have no physical contact with anyone and that he be immediately returned to the county jail following the one hour furlough. His bond will remain in place.

Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott issued the following statement this afternoon:

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office will not have adequate staffing onSunday, March 21st, to facilitate the transport of inmate David Williams to a private funeral service. Associate Circuit Judge Mark Powell ruled Williams could attend the private service if the Sheriff’s Office had enough staff to transport Williams to and from the service while notallowing contact with anyone other than law enforcement.


There will be no further comments regarding this by the Sheriff’s Office.




Alexis M. Watson, 7, and Devin L. Watson, 4, died Monday morning at St. John's hospital. Terry Watson Sr., remains in a burn unit there. Kelsey Watson died Monday evening after doctors declared her brain dead and her mother had to make the excruciating decision to remove her from life support.

The children's mother, Violet Watson, says in a raw interview that she does not believe that the man she loves had any involvement in the fire that claimed their lives. She says Williams was the best father they ever knew.

Public funeral services for the Watson children are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at Klinger-Cope funeral home in Springfield. Terrie Watson Sr.'s condition has been upgraded to serious. He remains hospitalized in the burn unit at St. John's.


Williams preliminary hearing has been set for May 3rd at 10 a.m.

UPDATED: Man Charged With Arson In Deadly House Fire; ATF Joins Investigation:

David A. Williams

The site of an early morning house fire Monday (03-15-10) that left three children dead and left their grandfather clinging to life with critical injuries is now a crime scene.

David Williams, 26, the fiance of the mother of the three children killed in the blaze, was charged Wednesday with first-degree arson with injury or death.

House fire image courtesy of KSPR

Springfield police Lt. David Millsap says that the state fire marshal, the Springfield Fire Department and police are investigating the fire. Millsap says that a search warrant was to be served to collect suspicious evidence from inside and outside the home Monday afternoon and an accelerant dog, Ashes, was brought into to assist investigators. On Tuesday, investigators with the ATF joined the investigation at the request of the Springfield PD. That agency has the resources available to help investigators reconstruct the blaze.

Alexis M. Watson, 7, and Devin L. Watson, 4, died Monday morning at St. John's hospital. Terry Watson Sr., remains in a burn unit there. Kelsey Watson died Monday evening from injuries sustained in the blaze.

Millsap says firefighters found something suspicious while rescuing the victims about 4:30 a.m. at 1711 W. Olive.

The probable cause statement filed with the charges says that firefighters "observed suspicious burn patterns which led them to believe the fire was intentionally set through the use of an accelerant and not accidental."

State Fire Marshal Investigator Chris Thompson says that his trained accelerant dog alerted to three different locations within the house to the presence of accelerants. There is no word, at this point, as to whether or not the burn patterns or presence of accelerant could have actually been caused by flashover. Flashover is the point at which radiant heat causes a fire in a room to become a room on fire.

Investigators say Williams was alerted to the fire by Terrie Watson. Williams told investigators that he and Terrie Watson went back into the burning home in an attempt to save the children from the second floor but the heat from the fire and the tremendous smoke associated with it drove him out of the burning home.

Prosecutors say that Williams is lying. The fire marshal and arson investigators say there was no soot the man's clothing or skin, and no one smelled smoke on him. However, they do say that Ashes alerted to the smell of accelerants on the jeans that Williams was wearing, which he said he put on after the fire started.

Firefighters used thermal imaging equipment, which an anonymous citizen donated to the department, to locate the three kids and their grandfather on the second floor of the house that the family moved into just a few weeks ago. The children's mother, Violet Watson, and Williams were on the first floor and escaped. The home is a total loss and a house next door sustained heavy damage to it's siding from the fire.

Springfield Fire Chief David Hall says, "It was one of the most difficult calls for for my firefighters to deal with, even for my seasoned firefighters, because of the ages and numbers of victims of the fire. They all need specialized help and attention immediately.

Springfield Fire Chief David Hall

Hall says that his office conducts "Critical Incident Stress Debriefing after every fire. The first level is peer assessment. We check on their well being immediately after a fire, and again at the beginning of their next shift. The second level is help from a mental health professional if needed. We're a tight brotherhood and we want to be there for each other."

Violet Watson issued a statement late Tuesday, "Nobody knows what I am going through. I am the one that just lost three children. "

Watson is standing by her fiance saying that Williams would never hurt her children and that he was the best father they ever knew.

Funeral services for the children well be held on Monday March 22nd at 2 p.m. at Klinger-Cope Funeral Home.

Williams is a registered sex offender, he was convicted of statutory rape in 2003. The probable cause statement indicates he was 17 years-old when he was charged and 18 years-old when he pleaded guilty to having consensual sex with a 13 year-old girl. He served 5 years in prison at the Farmington Correctional Facility for the crime before he was released in 2008.

A fund has been set up to help the victims of the fire. Donations can be made to Victims of Olive Street Fire at any Springfield Commerce Bank location.