Claude Garrett, who spent more than 30 years behind bars for an arson/murder that never happened, passed away Sunday less than 6 months after being exonerated.

He was scheduled to address the AL IAAI this week at its annual training conference in Orange Beach. You can read about his exoneration here.

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or here:

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I spoke to Claude a week after he got out and he was not bitter but he was determined to hold the people who robbed him of 30 years accountable. Sadly, that will not happen.

Claude did prepare a message for the fire investigation community which I have reproduced below.

AN OFFERING TO FIRE INVESTIGATORS EVERYWHERE FROM CLAUDE FRANCES GARRETT, EXONERATED FROM A 1993/2003 WRONGFUL ARSON/MURDER CONVICTION ON MAY 10,2022

Greetings!

My family and I would like to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Stuart Bayne, Gary Haun Jr. and the multitude of fire scientists and investigators who have worked tirelessly to defeat the miscarriage of justice which began in this case on February 24, 1992. With the assistance of the Tennessee Innocence project, the Federal public defenders of Nashville. Tennessee and countless others, the nightmare of physical incarceration for a crime that never occurred ended on May I 0, 2022 after nearly thirty years.

The people responsible for bringing me home to my family are those rare individuals rarely seen or heard of until something like this tragedy happens, and many go for decades unrecognized for their honorable efforts and sacrifices. These people are much more than fire investigators and fire scientists. They are those professionals who have dedicated their lives and careers to "Getting it right" in each and every fire they are tasked with solving. These investigators will accept nothing less than an honest review of each and every fire they process, applying the scientific method at every step.

If I could share but one personal thought concerning those individuals who currently work as fire investigators, and those considering a career in the field, that would be a question more than a thought. Ask yourself this one question: If, God forbid, a fire occurred at your family member's home and the investigator working the fire raised questions regarding the origin and cause of the fire based on investigative techniques passed down from former investigators rather than ones learned through NFPA 921 and modem methodologies, would you be willing to stake your family members life on that person's outdated conclusions? Or, do you want the fire processed by professionals using the very best methods known to mankind?

Be the investigator that you and everyone's family member deserve to represent them.

Be well and be safe!

John J. Lentini, CFI
Scientific Fire Analysis
Islamorada, FL
www.firescientist.com
scientific.fire@yahoo.com