", Kent Whitaker said he still loves his son despite what occurred, describing him as a changed person. (Photo: Inside Story) On December 10, 2003 the entire Whitaker family Kent, his wife Tricia, and sons Bart and Kevin were gunned down inside their home in Sugarland, Texas, by a masked man who had been waiting inside for them. Cliff Stanley had not cared about the possibility of a shooter or shooters still hiding out inside the Whitaker home. Behind the door was an intruder wielding Kevins gun, and within seconds the family was ambushed. Of course, someone rich enough to post $3m bail can afford good representation, buying relative lenience. Faithful father. It turned out the gun was registered to Kevin Whitaker. He had a good start better than most prisoners. Just how he thought hed get away with it I think underlines his feelings of superiority. Once the jury leaves, one reporter, photographer and videographer will be able to see the property. True Crime. [12][verification needed][third-party source needed] The trial had lasted six days in total; the "jury deliberat[ed] for 2hours, and sentenced Whitaker to death". [4] He lived there under the false name for over a year. It will keep the blood from rushing out too fast, he ordered. Corey Mitchells true crime book, Savage Son, tells the tragic story of the Whitaker family murders. Abbott ruled that Bart Whitaker will now spend the rest of his life in jail for the "heinous crime". He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. Cliff was unsure how that person was doing; that is, until he heard a pitiful sound emanating from the victim. They bought him a townhouse to live in while he was supposed to be attending college and gave him a Rolex for his faux graduation. Yes! I feel for him, as I am sure very many do. [18][non-primary source needed], In other early testimony, Steve Champagne described Whitaker recruiting him to be the getaway driver for Whitaker's eventual 2003 plan to murder his immediate family,[11] and his testimony included the detail that Whitaker's gunshot wound was a ploy to make it look like he was a victim, too. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott ruled that Thomas "Bart" Whitaker should instead spend the rest of life in jail for masterminding the murders of his mother Tricia, 51, and brother Kevin, 19, at the the family's suburban home in Houston, Texas, in 2003. "You're trying to take me somewhere you probably don't want to," Crosby said, starting a tense exchange between the attorneys. But that is not the question. Champagne also drove the getaway car although, he claimed, he really didnt want to get involved with the homicide plot but felt trapped. How horribly absurd and why the death penalty must go, PS Relative homicide rate, UK v US: 1 to 4.7 per 100,000 (with southern states generally higher). Maggie Murdaugh Facebook. It was conducted before a judge[who?] He then heard the front door to his house open and saw his wife, Darlene, stick her head outside. He ripped off his T-shirt and placed it on Kents left shoulder. Friend starts singing. Definitely, the guy needs to stay where he is. Cliff rose up to take a look. Brashear and Champagne were arrested almost two years after murders. [16][17][b] The shooter, Brashear, also was convicted and received life prison sentence. Look toward those you are closest with in hopes that everything is fine with them. House of horror. You can watch the entire 48 Hours episode about the case online on a CBS news site. Want to keep reading? [14], Whitaker was refused a plea bargain by the District Attorney[who?] Okay, buddy. Police first checked out Adam Hipp himself as a suspect, but he had an alibi for the night of the shooting. Kent rushed in and was shot in the shoulder with the bullet shattering his humerus. [11] Early evidence was presented that Whitaker had previously recruited others in abortive plots to murder his family, plots involving a co-conspirator named Adam Hipp, who had attended Clements High School with Whitaker. v. Oliver J. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. They handed him a death sentence. Then, a buddy of Barts named Adam Hipp came forward five days after the murders and told police that Bart had tried to enlist him to shoot Barts parents two years earlier. Tricia and Kevin sustained fatal chest wounds from the Glock pistol. Bart would later tell ABCs 20/20 that he never felt as though he fit in. Cliff could sense that she was going downhill rapidly. While testifying on the stand last week, Alex admitted to lying repeatedly to investigators, family, and law partners about his whereabouts the night of the killings, but denied ever harming Maggie and Paul. I swear I heard a shooting outside.. I argue, therefore, for an objective determination as to punishment that disregards the view of family, friends and even victim(s). On June 7, 2021, He banned drones from flying over. Police believe that while the Whitakers were out celebrating, Brashear entered the house, pried open the safe, and made an attempt at giving the master bedroom a ransacked look. WebGetty. [8]:Ch.50[pageneeded] Whitaker began attending Baylor University in 2001, transferring from there to Sam Houston State University (SHSU), where he was thought by his parents to be in attendance in late 2003, and from which he was expected to graduate. He is to be admired. Two years before a masked assailant shot them in their own house, Kent and Patricia Whitaker found out that their son had formulated a plan to kill them. *This particularly an awful crime. I do not support the death penalty but given that it exists in the State, that due process appears to have been followed, and that the offence is in my view and that of the jury egregious, it seems to me gravely important that this punishment execution is applied consistently if it must be applied at all. [citation needed][24] Whitaker withdrew his appeal pertaining to the purity of the drug used, pending at the Supreme Court of the United States, just before a decision by the Texas Governor to grant clemency and commute his sentence. She had previously taught at nearby Lakeview Elementary School and was acting as a volunteer there on occasion. Murdaugh, who has been disbarred, admitted to the thefts, which could carry decades in prison,on the stand last week. Web(Mark Sims for Fox News Digital) Prosecutors have argued that Alex Murdaugh used a shotgun to kill his son, Paul, 22, and a rifle to execute his wife, Maggie, 52, near the property's dog [citation needed] He was named a 2018-2019 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow,[45] a program that aims to support creation of "written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate". commutes death sentence for man convicted of masterminding murder of mother, brother", "Driver in SugarLand murder plot gets 15years", "Testimony ends in Whitaker's murder trial", "Reprieve for man who plotted own family's murder", "Father forgives son who had mom, brother killed", "Man condemned in family murder plot loses high court appeal", "Judge sets execution date for SugarLand man who had family killed for $1million inheritance", "Texas Prison System stalls release of public information on executions", "Before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles / Request for Commutation of Death Sentence to a Lesser Penalty", "A father's plea: Spare my son [Friday letters]", "Members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles David G. Gutirrez, Chair", "Texas Parole Board Recommends Killer Be Spared From Death", "Texas Governor Weighs Parole Board's Advice on Inmate's Fate", "Governor Abbott commutes death sentence of Thomas Bartlett Whitaker", "[Commutation of death sentence of Thomas Bartlett Whitaker]", "Bart Whitaker talks about eventual execution", "Convicted killer accused of writing, selling book while in prison", "Voices from Solitary: The war of all against all", "Writing for Justice Fellowship 2018-2019", "Death row bloggers get help from victims", "Letters from death row: Faith behind bars", "Works of justice: An interview with Writing for Justice fellow Thomas Bartlett Whitaker", "Buried alive: Stories from inside solitary confinement", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Bartlett_Whitaker&oldid=1138499579, Recipients of American gubernatorial clemency, California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2022, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from January 2022, Articles with incomplete citations from January 2022, Articles lacking reliable references from January 2022, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from January 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing expert attention from January 2022, Articles needing cleanup from January 2022, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from January 2022, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from January 2022, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Pages using infobox criminal with motive parameter, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from January 2022, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2022, Articles to be expanded from January 2022, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from January 2022, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from January 2022, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from January 2022, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. I think his father was partly responsible for the death of his wife and son by buying Barts story the first time and not protecting them from him. Compare his with another Texas case that ended in death one in which the perp was encouraged by another to kill her parents (no excuse, but not under his OWN initiative, unlike Whitaker), in which there was no significant, repeated premeditation, unlike of Whitaker, where the initiator the daughter didnt get the death penalty, and where this offender is widely considered to have exhibited genuine remorse: https://murderpedia.org/male.D/d1/dillingham-jeffrey.htm, One lives; one dies. He hired two men to shoot and kill his mother, Tricia, younger brother, Kevin, and father, Kent. If it is so considered, my question would be: insofar as there are similar crimes, has this fact materially distinguished execution from life imprisonment in some of those cases? But Rudy Rios couldnt resist a $10,000 reward offered for information on Barts whereabouts. Although no one knows whether Barts remorse was genuine, his polite, cooperative behavior behind razor wire impressed the guards so much that several of them wrote letters asking for clemency for Bart, according to the LA Times. Bart. The bullet hit Kent nearly six inches from his heart.. WebThe Whitaker family from Odd, West Virginia, is arguably the most famous inbred family in the United States. Want more true crime books? Good for you for writing to a condemned prisoner. Bart had admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for the murders and for roping his friends into the plans, they stressed. Read on for an excerpt of Savage Son and then download the book. He told the hitman where Kevin kept his gun and asked him to stage a robbery. Serious needling. I consider it profoundly wrong that the victim may determine the difference between life (imprisonment) and death, as if the law is not a public entity, answerable to the many, as consistent, proportionate and impartial, not an indirect instrument for the vagaries of passions: anger, revenge, mercy, forgiveness, etc. [2][3] As of September 2021, Whitaker resided in the McConnell Unit in Beeville, Texas. Prosecutors have pounded Murdaugh for various inconsistencies and lies, including not saying he was at the kennels the night of the killing when he could be heard heard on video recorded by his son. Related: Guilt or Innocence: The Shocking Twists of the Sam Sheppard Case. You are a good candidate for governor of Texas. The lack of consistency in sentencing is puzzling. Harpootlian then asked Crosby if he thought Murdaugh killed his wife and son. remaining immediate family member. Now, Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, 38, convicted in this case, is facing death by lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 22. Hello Helen: Thanks so for your kind remarks and I wholly agree re Rebeccas posts! The state reduced his sentence to life. [9][4] He had lied to his parents about his continued status in college; varying reports had him dropping out of SHSU months before,[10] or being present there as a freshman on academic probation. / CBS/AP. The dad, Kent, survived as did their son, Bart. In December 2003, Whitaker's mother Tricia Whitaker, brother Kevin Whitaker, and father Kent Whitaker were ambushed by a masked gunman as they walked in the front door of their Sugar Land home after a night out. It irrevocably denies any possibility of rehabilitation; it eviscerates hope entirely. [8]:Ch.10[pageneeded], The early testimony from Hipp[when?] Cliff tore out of his house and returned to the Whitakers. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier/AP. In a jailhouse interview with Lisa Ling in 2014, Bart said he committed the murders because he felt inadequate and thought his parents didnt love him. Box 13401 Learn how and when to remove this template message, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, reliable, independent, third-party sources, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement, "Triggerman in SugarLand slayings pleads guilty", "Clemency rare for death row convicts in Texas", "In rare move, Texas Parole Board recommends clemency for death row inmate Thomas Whitaker", "Is Bartlett Whitaker dead or alive? While out having a celebratory dinner, no one in his family could've imagined the horror that waited for them when they got back home. Steve Champagne got 15 years in exchange for testifying against Brashear and Bart. [12][third-party source needed] Bart then ran inside and staged a struggle with Brashear, getting shot in his left arm to divert suspicion. [22][non-primary source needed][21] The appeal was certiorari denied. McManigal said he tested a similar iPhone in his office last week and determined the backlight comes on with a gentle movement, but not as often with a violet movement. A Young Heir Tries to Hasten His Fortune(Family Interrupted, Forensic Files). No long-term commitments or contracts!Birch is giving $200 off ALL mattresses and 2 free eco-rest pillows at BirchLiving.com/killerRight now, Dad Grass is offering our listeners 20% off your first order when you go to DADGRASS.COM/KILLERStart streaming your next obsession. "I have had anger with him, extreme anger, Mr. Harpootlian, because what he did with my law firm, my partners, his clients, our clients what he did to his family. Stanley could tell that Tricia was very excited and happy about the impending ceremony. Testimony ended Tuesday in the South Carolina double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, as the court prepared to bring jurors on Wednesday to the scene where Murdaugh's wife and son were fatally shot in 2021. scheduled closing arguments for the morning of March 5. Murdaugh is awaiting trial on about 100 other charges including financial crimes. Dirty Deeds [citation needed] At trial, it was noted that Whitaker had access to an $80,000trust fund from his grandparents, although he testified that he did not know he could access it. Although Texas very rarely commutes to life-imprisonment for capital sentences there are surely more meritorious than his case. Its a very interesting case. The kind-hearted Kent Whitaker forgave Bart and fought for years to stave off his looming execution. You need to go. Blueprint for murder. Examples of the prison writing of the title subject, with dates of their first publication, include: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As he came upon him, Cliff looked up and saw Tricia directly in front of the entryway to the house, about six feet away from Kent. Featured image of Kevin, Tricia, and Bart enjoy food and laughs at Pappadeaux Seafood Restaurant to celebrate Barts impending college graduation: Kent Whitaker. Jurors on Wednesday visited the family hunting lodge where Alex Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, and son Paul were killed as prosecutors made their closing arguments in the weekslong murder trial against the South Carolina lawyer.. Judge Clifton Newman ruled earlier this week that the jury would be allowed to visit the scene of the June 2021 killings after On February 22, 2018, about 40minutes before his scheduled 6:00P.M. execution, Whitaker had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment without parole by Governor Greg Abbott, the first such commutation by Abbott and the first in the state since 2007. Tricia Whitaker looked up at him, pale and bedraggled, and said, Someone shot us. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The This post is sponsored by Open Road Media. I respectfully wish to express my agreement with Mr Whitakers scheduled execution next month, which I do with a heavy heart. I knew about death row on TV whilst watching the mind of a murderer by Dr Michelle Ward. Waking nightmare. From how the plan was hatched to Barts trial, sentence, and the stunning new development in the case, this book provides all the details. Office of the Governor Anyway greetings from the UK. [1] He spent years on death row at the Polunsky Unit near Livingston, Texas, before the commutation of his sentence. Would-be Waco whackers. Suddenly Cliff saw his friend lurch sideways and mutter something. Kent, hold on to this. K: How kind but Im a Brit, so havent a cat in hells chance of being Governator (wasnt that Arnie of California?) It is for this reason that I would never sign for it, even if that were the only way to evade a return to death row. Finally, a year and a half after the shootings, Champagne admitted that Bart hired him to help kill his family. Past posts on this blog have briefly touched on the Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but a deeper dive seems in order. Besides, he could tell that Kevin was very close to dead. The hurting of the innocent in executing their loved ones is one consideration in the legitimacy of capital punishment but it cannot arbitrarily apply to this case and not so many others that it has not done, nor will do. According to a Houston Chronicle account, after an emotional, contentious 12 hours during which some jurors at first disagreed about whether Bart constituted a continuing threat to society, Bart got a sentence of death by lethal injection. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. In this case the Texas parole board can make inconsistent decisions and swerve criticism by never giving their reasoning. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter and get our recommended reads delivered straight to your inbox. [12][13][pageneeded][third-party source needed] Bart's father Kent survived the shooting in which his wife and son were killed. Abbott added that Bart Whitaker's father, who "passionately opposes" the execution of his son, would be "victimized again" if the state sentenced his last surviving immediate family member to death. WebMurder by Family chronicles Thomas Bartlett Whitaker 's attempts to have a hitman murder his parents and brother. 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