1st Edition
Twice Burned A Fire Scientist’s Adventures in Overturning and Preventing Wrongful Arson Convictions
Introduction
Part I Learning
Chapter 1 A Twist of Fate
Chapter 2 The Arson Years—Catching Bad Guys
Chapter 3 Branching Out—Figuring Out Accidental Fires
Chapter 4 The Lime Street Fire—A Major Turning Point
Chapter 5 The Black Holes of Oakland—Unlearning the Myths
Part II Case Studies
Chapter 6 Arizona vs. Ray Girdler—Working for the Judge
Chapter 7 Pennsylvania vs. Han-Tak Lee—21 Years to Correct a Miscarriage
Chapter 8 Pennsylvania vs. Louis DiNicola—When the Data Doesn’t Fit, Change the Data
Chapter 9 Georgia vs. Weldon Wayne Carr—Making the Data Match the Narrative
Chapter 10 Georgia vs. John Metcalf and Kimberly Post—The Lost Guitar
Chapter 11 Maynard Clark vs. Auto Owners Insurance—Lightning? What Lightning?
Chapter 12 Pennsylvania vs. Paul Camiolo—Innocent Gasoline
Chapter 13 Texas vs. Cameron Todd Willingham—Trouble in Texas
Chapter 14 Tennessee vs. Claude Garrett—He Died Free but Just Barely
Chapter 15 Tennessee vs. Terry Jackson—How the Hacks Almost Got Him Executed
Chapter 16 Texas vs. Sonia Cacy—More Trouble in Texas
Chapter 17 U.S. vs. Kenneth and Ricky Daniels—Flawed Logic and Lies
Chapter 18 California vs. George Souliotes—The Shoes Don’t Tell the Tale
Chapter 19 Michigan vs. David Lee Gavitt—Thrice Burned
Chapter 20 Pennsylvania vs. Michele Black—How an Unusual Electrical
Fire Became a Train Wreck
Chapter 21 Indiana vs. Kristine Bunch—Opening a Cascade of Brady Violations
Chapter 22 Georgia vs. Linda and Scott Dahlman—Taking Absence of Motive to New Lows
Chapter 23 Wisconsin vs. Joseph Awe—New Science Equals New Evidence
Chapter 24 Maryland vs. Eshyna Young—Explaining Away Contradictory Data
Part III Epilogue
Chapter 25 Where Do We Go from Here?
Biography
John Lentini is a certified fire investigator and has been at the center of most of the important developments in fire investigation for the past 45 years. He began his career at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Laboratory in 1974. He is the author of more than 50 publications, and has been recognized by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), who named him “Person of the Year” in 2015 for his work in correcting and preventing wrongful arson convictions. He now provides training and fire investigation consulting, through his company Scientific Fire Analysis.
"For decades John Lentini has exposed the myths, investigative failures, and bad actors responsible for wrongful arson convictions, freeing innocent people and restoring ruined reputations along the way. Twice Burned is a fascinating glimpse into a career spent confronting the myriad, terrifying ways in which so-called fire experts get things wrong—and the maddening legal fights required to correct their mistakes. Combining wry humor with simmering outrage at the travesties he has seen, Lentini shares crucial lessons to help prevent future miscarriages of justice. It is both a righteous memoir and vital teaching tool by an author whose refusal to stay silent has made him a powerful voice in defense of science and truth". - Liliana Segura, Investigative Journalist, The Intercept
"In his latest book, Twice Burned, John Lentini presents cautionary case studies that illustrate the human cost of fire investigations that did not always meet the highest standards of the profession. By presenting his experiences with these incidents, Mr. Lentini not only unapologetically exposes the technical errors, cognitive biases and, sometimes, misfeasance that led to errors in a fire’s origin, cause and attribution, but provides corrective actions to prevent future occurrences. Every investigator dedicated to finding truth in fire origin and cause investigations should read this book and apply the lessons to inch ever closer to the goal of getting it right every time". - Steven J. Avato, IAAI-CFI, ATF Supervisory Special Agent (Retired), Fire Investigations Captain (Retired)
"John Lentini’s Twice Burned is a compelling exploration of the evolving field of fire science and its impact on arson investigations. As a renowned expert in fire science, Lentini presents a series of case histories where advancements in its understanding came too late, resulting in wrongful arson convictions. Lentini’s artful recounting of these cases, and how they were eventually overturned, underscores the critical importance of continuous learning and skepticism in our field.
Twice Burned, like his earlier books, is an essential read for all fire investigators. It’s a call to action for our profession to embrace the spirit of scientific advancement, reminding us that what we don’t know can have profound consequences on people’s lives and liberties." - Steve Carman, ATF CFI, retired
“Twice Burned is an essential memoir by one of the most, if not the most, consequential arson investigators in American history. Lentini's storytelling of his most significant cases is first-rate narrative non-fiction, and the education the reader gets on the role junk science plays in convicting the innocent is on point, delivered in unsparing prose that pulls no punches, even when looking in the mirror. Put simply, John Lentini is a hero to the innocence movement, responsible for bringing a measure of justice to countless wrongfully convicted men and women, and his book chronicling his historic 45-year career in fire science is a long-overdue must read.” - M. Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation, Innocence Project
“If you know John (and you should), you’ll recognize how clearly his voice comes through here: sharp, unsparing, but never cruel. He writes with the perspective of someone who has shoveled out more fire scenes than most investigators will ever see, and who has stood in courtrooms watching prosecutors build arguments on bad science. The cases he recounts, such as the Lime Street fire, the Cameron Todd Willingham trial, Claude Garrett’s long fight for exoneration, aren’t just stories of flawed investigations. They’re warnings about what happens when belief outruns evidence and when institutions cling to precedent over truth ... what elevates Twice Burned beyond memoir is John’s candor. He admits to once believing some of the same myths he later dismantled: that honesty matters. Forensic science changes, if at all, not because it is perfect, but because practitioners are willing to admit when it is not.” - Max M. Houck, Author and Professor of Forensic Science
