A Goshen family re-lives the death of a child in a fire... as the father on death row denies his guilt. Today an appeals court stopped Michael Webb's February execution... but not because of his claims of innocence. A federal judge stopped the execution because of the debate over how executions are carried out.
Meanwhile, Webb is waiting for word on his bid for clemency. His attorneys argue he should be freed because a mysterious man in red set the fire. Local 12's Deborah Dixon shows us why the evidence doesn't seem to back that up.
The morning of November 21st, 1990 was a nightmare for the Webb family of Goshen. Two sisters, their stepmother and toddler brother ran out or were rescued from their burning home. Three year old Mikey didn't make it out. "I woke up and gasoline was poured on my bed."
Investigators found gasoline poured all over the house and on everyone's beds, including Mikey's. "He went to bed with his bunny. I said I love you, don't let the bed bugs bite."
That was ten at night. 8 hours later father was pouring gasoline on his bed. The jury that convicted Mike Webb believed he set the fire to kill his family for insurance money and because he was having an affair. Now his attorneys are trying to say a mysterious man wearing red might have set the fire.
Webb's stories aren't making sense. In the yard, police found a matchbook with his bloody thumbprint. "The linchpin of the case are those matchbooks."
Detectives laid it out at the clemency hearing...it's believed he used this matchbook to start the initial fire. The matchbook is from a Gatlinburg motel where the family stayed. It was found in the toilet because Webb broke out the bathroom window to escape. A similar matchbook with his bloody thumbprint was found outside. "He said he was on the ground pounding because he couldn't save his family. Then he saw the matchbook and picked it up."
But the bloody thumbprint is in a weird place. It matches the unusual way Webb lights a match.
White showed the clemency board something else-a letter Webb wrote to one daughter with instructions on how to frame her sister for the crime. "Who but the killer would try to frame somebody else?"
If the execution happens, Mikey Webb's mother Susan will be a witness. There is something she wants Webb to see before he dies. "I'm going to hold a picture of Mikey on my."
The parole board should decide on Webb's clemency request next week. The U.S. Supreme Court should decide on questions around lethal injection in the next couple of months.
