After deliberation the Fort Bend County jury convicted Whitaker of capital murder,[11] under the Texas law of parties. Good for you for writing to a condemned prisoner. 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. Cliff was very fond of his new neighbors. "Manufacturing Anomie"[citation needed] and the essay "A Nothing Would Do as Well". Rios got Bart settled in the town of Cerralvo, where he soon found a girlfriend and got a job at a furniture store owned by her family, according to 48 Hours. P.O. / CBS/AP. While I am torn over the question whether one fewer execution is better than no fewer, I find that if execution is to remain the ultimate punishment it must be applied strictly impartially unless as a principle it is to collapse in disrepute. 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. Abbott ruled that Bart Whitaker will now spend the rest of his life in jail for the "heinous crime". Bart was close to 19-year-old Kevin, a college sophomore who looked up to him. Brandon Stanley followed directly behind his father. 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. Texas halted Barts execution within hours of his date with a gurney and syringe. I dont know how much MORE evil you can get (except by torturing them first, maybe?) You can help by adding to it. House of horror. He blatantly planned out his parents murder then he ran away in hiding. Little did Kent, Patricia, and Kevin Whitaker know that their life together was just a house of cards. He and his wife, Darlene, had moved into the home just six months earlier. That Mr Whitaker snr was himself an intended victim makes no material difference in my view: he is simply expressing what many parents in his situation would do, albeit that he has had to overcome the greatest of losses and provocation. WebMurder by Family chronicles Thomas Bartlett Whitaker 's attempts to have a hitman murder his parents and brother. In February 2018, each of the seven board members separately voted to commute Barts sentence, and the governor concurred. Maggie Murdaugh Facebook. [4] His parents funded his academic pursuits. He ripped off his T-shirt and placed it on Kents left shoulder. Kent had expressed how excited he and Trish were to attend Barts graduation that next Saturday, and how proud they were of their son. It will keep the blood from rushing out too fast, he ordered. Re my letter reproduced, at the time of the clemency hearing I was moved to write cos its so unfair that because an offender did well in prison and his (living) victim (father) forgave him and lobbied for him, he gets to live when many others whose instant crime in my book was less evil die. [47][48] The name of the blog references "the hour at which executions take place in Texas". got to do with justice (justice includes fair and equal treatment for all under law)? WebBart Whitaker: Relative Tragedy A Young Heir Tries to Hasten His Fortune (Family Interrupted, Forensic Files) Two years before a masked assailant shot them in their own If it is to make a difference there must be distinct characteristics of this case, which I cannot discern. https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/severs-roger.htm (dont know the FF title). On September 15, 2005, a capital murder warrant was issued against Whitaker. The authorities also directed Adam Tripp to try to get Bart to admit he planned his familys murder. Cliff spotted Kent Whitaker sprawled out on the concrete front porch next door. It doesnt change what they did and what they have been judged on. Abbott accepted the state parole boards rare clemency recommendation. He has pleaded not guilty. Thank God Bart is behind bars now, where he can be as lazy as the Texas prison system will allow and the rest of us are safe from him. The dog kennels and hangar at the Murdaugh family property on March 1, 2023, The entrance to the kennels at the Murdaugh family property on March 1, 2023, A bullet hole in the glass of a window at the Murdaugh family property in Islandton on March 1, 2023, The entrance to the house at the Murdaugh family's property in Islandton, March 1, 2023. True Crime Creepers The Whitaker family was in celebration mode - their oldest son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, had just finished his final He went through with it even after having two years to think about what his family meant to him following his first attempt to murder them. There was a light on in the foyer, which provided him with his only illumination. Your objectivity impartiality nor fear no favour is applausable. ", Kent Whitaker said he still loves his son despite what occurred, describing him as a changed person. remaining immediate family member. Was that on the TV? Brandon asked his parents. [8]:Ch.53[pageneeded] Whitaker denied prosecution claims regarding the insurance profit motive, arguing that the only life insurance policy the family had was for $50,000 on his father's life. On December 10, 2003, the Whitaker family was celebrating the college graduation of their eldest son, Thomas Bartlettknown as Bart, with dinner at a local seafood restaurant. We know little about the family due to the Whitakers secretive nature Divers recovered it. Hello Helen: Thanks so for your kind remarks and I wholly agree re Rebeccas posts! Brashear was the shooter, he said, and Bart had promised to cut both of his buddies in on a $1 million life insurance payout he would receive after his familys death. His mother and brother were murdered, and his father was seriously hurt. After the dinner ended, the family returned to their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue the celebration. The defense also used their experts to suggest there were two shooters, based in part on common sense that the victims stopped using their cellphones within seconds of each other. Cliff could sense that she was going downhill rapidly. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Bart's brother Kevin entered the family home first and reportedly smiled when he saw the masked Brashear. Just hang in there. After the dinner ended, the family returned to their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue th [42] He also contributed[clarification needed] to Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement. He was convicted and eventually committed suicide in prison. 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 for them inside. Whitaker had unknowingly forgiven his own son for Related: When Murder Runs in the Family: Frances Schreuder and the Killing of Franklin Bradshaw, Cliffs job as a vice president of a regional insurance marketing company was quite demanding and kept him very busy. He quickly moved back and leaned over Kent to see how he could help. This section needs expansion with: a relatively complete list, in chronological order, of all important works by the title subject, especially those referenced herein, for each giving their complete publication details, including date and publisher of its first appearance. https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/severs-roger.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7geqiz8wb7I, The Lindbergh Kidnapping: Forensic Files Lost Episode, Dawn Fehring: A Missionary Dies Too Young, Ron Gillette: An Air Force Man Who Didnt Exactly Aim High. [citation needed] For the latter, he appears to have presented a thesis in partial fulfillment of the degree, entitled "Who Fears Hell Runs Toward It", in summer2018. He also paid someone to drive the getaway car for the assailant, while Bart would stay on the scene and pretend as though he had fought the intruder off himself. Bart never paid his accomplices for their hit man services. Related: Guilt or Innocence: The Shocking Twists of the Sam Sheppard Case. Bart called 911, explaining that he was shot in the arm and had just chased the shooter out the back door. Unfortunately, everything was far from fine at the Whitaker household. Brd. The exact date and time of the jury trip has not been scheduled because it is dependent on how many witnesses the prosecution calls in its reply case. described a first Whitaker plan to set a lake house owned by his grandmother on fire "to kill his parents, brother and other relatives", a plan that never went beyond discussions, but one that included a ruse as an element the defendant's "com[ing] out of the blaze with burns so that it would appear he had narrowly escaped". They were also excited to have their eldest son, Brandon, home from college for the holidays. Champagne also drove the getaway car although, he claimed, he really didnt want to get involved with the homicide plot but felt trapped. 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. 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. Sack of evidence. You need to go. Marcus I always enjoy reading your reflection on Rebeccas updates and each episode. Adam had replicated a diagram of the houses layout and where the triggerman was to lie in wait. Related: Linda Wolfe: The Author Behind the Definitive Book on The Preppy Killer. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Read on for an excerpt of Savage Son and then download the book. WebJune 7, 2021: Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh found dead at the family hunting lodge. The Whitaker family was in celebration mode - their oldest son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, had just finished his final The feed room where Paul Murdaugh's body was found at the Moselle Road property, March 1, 2023. He was having a relaxing evening watching television. Whitaker's father, Kent, was also injured in the attack by the actual gunman, Chris Brashear. If the answer is wholly or mainly in the negative, that potential mitigation is removed. Barber said. He told the hitman where Kevin kept his gun and asked him to stage a robbery. And thanks Rebecca. Today, Bart resides in the William G. McConnell Unit, or McConnell for short, in Beeville, Texas. [41][needs update], Whitaker has contributed to Solitary Watch, where he wrote about the effects of solitary confinement on himself and other death row inmates. Cliff Stanley worked out of his home, so he became closer to Tricia, who was a stay-at-home mother at the time. Look toward those you are closest with in hopes that everything is fine with them. Kent was also hit in the upper body but survived, and Bart escaped with a wound to his upper arm. But he arrived to find a real firearm, not a paintball gun, on the scene and four people with one bullet wound each. Fred Felcman, the original prosecutor in the case, said the board made its decision purely because of the fathers forgiveness, and disregarded the large number of others affected by the murders. [22][non-primary source needed][21] The appeal was certiorari denied. Mailer regretted the whole affair. This page was last edited on 10 February 2023, at 01:00. She was moaning in pain, but still conscious. When asked about the race of the assailant he said, Maybe black I dont know.. Yes; perps have been executed for less egregious murder. ", "The Governor, the father, and the murderer", "Gov. [11] Brashear, dressed in black (including a ski mask), entered the Whitaker family home, took Kevin's gun and ammunition from a locked box in his room, staged a burglary, and then waited near the front door for the Whitaker family to return home. As the family started filing into their home, a masked intruder inside began shooting them one by one.This podcast is sponsored by BETTER HELP! Nice letter I think Laci Petersons husband is also a good candidate for carrying out the sentence. Additional factors make the decision more complex.". Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Alex Murdaughs Ego Pushed Him To Kill His Family Rather Than Lose His Good Reputation, Prosecutors Said During Closing Arguments, I Knew Something Bad Was Going On: Alex Murdaughs Brother Described The Phone Call He Got On The Night Of The Murders, Alex Murdaugh Was Days Away From Unraveling Because Of A Boat Crash Lawsuit, But The Killings Of His Wife And Son Changed Everything, Alex Murdaugh Sobbed As Jurors Saw A Snapchat Video From His Son Allegedly Placing Him At The Scene Of The Murders. A series of school robberies got him kicked out of high school, and after that a psychiatrist diagnosed him with delusional paranoid disorder. That is, if it is a scandal that anyone is judicially executed, it is so if some are and some are not merely given the contingency of special pleading. 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