Shortly before the execution, Willingham's lawyers sent the governor and parole board a report from Gerald Hurst, another arson investigator, detailing multiple flaws in the first investigation.

处决前不久，威廉汉姆的律师像州长和假释委员会递送了另一位纵火调查人杰拉尔德·哈斯特的报告，报告详述了首次调查中的多项漏洞。