Bart Whitaker is currently on death row in the Polunsky Unit, a notorious prison in Texas for the murders. Steven testified, and the prosecution stated that Bart tried to put such a plan in motion several times in the past. 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. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker pleased guilty to plotting the 2003 murders of his family, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. [citation needed] In addition, they purchased a lakeside townhouse in Willis, Texas, for his use, and a $4,000 Rolex watch was given to him as a college graduation present hours before the murders. "But you can't walk around with anger.". The Whitaker family was in celebration mode - their oldest son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, had just finished his final exam at Sam Houston State University, he'd soon be walking the stage, and his parents, Tricia and Kent, and brother, Kevin, were so excited for him. Patricia was then also shot in the chest, also falling to the floor. In 2003, Thomas Bart Whitaker plotted the murder of his family. 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. 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. And thanks Rebecca. Little did Kent, Patricia, and Kevin Whitaker know that their life together was just a house of cards. He banned drones from flying over. Ive been troubled for many years by the death penalty, in a country (US) in which justice (equality before the law) sometimes appears to be bought, or which otherwise privileges the white middle-class. Something like FF/MD based on UK cases would be very good here (a few of the FF/MD cases have been) but its a sad fact (for the US) that the murder rate is much higher than UK so we might be a bit short of subjects! [16] Randy McDonald, attorney for the defense, rested their case on the same day, without calling witnesses, and the judge[who?] [8]:ch.50[pageneeded], On December 10, 2003, Thomas Bartlett "Bart" Whitaker falsely told his family that he had just taken his final university exams and would soon be graduating from SHSU. WebThe Whitaker family from Odd, West Virginia, is arguably the most famous inbred family in the United States. Im curious to find how the community in and around the familys home in Sugar Land, Texas, reacted when the justice system bared the id of the respectable-seeming young man in their midst. The story takes you He always thought a lot of the youngest son who had returned from his first semester in college at Texas A&M University. The shooter, Brashear, also was convicted and received life prison sentence. [16] Evidence was presented that Whitaker had recruited two individuals, Steve Champagne and Chris Brashear, ages24 and 25 at the time of the 2007 trial, respectively,[16][11] Champagne to be the getaway car driver and Brashear to carry out the shootings in Whitaker's plan to murder his immediate family. No, it wasnt on this TV, Cliff replied. He described her as just a very, very sweet person.. 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. It was natural instinct. Then, Brashear entered a getaway car driven by Champagne, and they dumped the bag with the murder items in the water. All of New York loved it redemption by literature! Thank you for such an excellent letter with such thoughtfulness. Theres also the question of what turned Bart Whitaker into a homicidal fiend. Related: 32 Most Horrifying Serial Killer Books. 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. "Any punishment that I would have or will receive is just, but my dad did nothing wrong. Cliff Stanley had not cared about the possibility of a shooter or shooters still hiding out inside the Whitaker home. Perhaps it should, and has. Thomas Bartlett Whitaker was born on Dec. 31, 1979, to Kent Whitaker, a comptroller for a family-owned construction business, and Patricia, known as Tricia, who gave up a career as an elementary school teacher to stay at home with Bart and his younger brother, Kevin. They were also excited to have their eldest son, Brandon, home from college for the holidays. But Bart also couldnt have the blood of his family on his own hands. He has pleaded not guilty. She was moaning in pain, but still conscious. :https://killerinstinct.supercast.tech/Get 10% Off by visitingBetterHelp.com/instinct!Go stamps.com, click the microphone at the top of the page, and enter code KILLER for a special offer that includes a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale. In 2003, Thomas Bart Whitaker plotted the murder of his family. Brd. He said testimony from psychiatrists and the familys investigators who [had stated that] Bart was manipulative was disregarded. Directly next door to the Whitakers home on the east side, their relatively new neighbor, Clifton Cliff Stanley, sat in his recliner in his familys living room. He argues that he is to be re-made a victim if his son is executed. [verification needed] The State of Texas executes by overdosing the condemned with pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy, and Whitaker's defense lawyers had claimed the state's first two executions of 2018 were botched because of old lethal injection drugs. 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. In return, Bart agreed to give up any rights to parole. As if, for me, the death penalty isnt capricious enough, cases like this make an utter tragic farce of it. WebThe tour of the crime scene happened before jurors were to head back to court in Walterboro to hear closing arguments in the closely watched murder trial. [35], Thomas Whitaker and other inmates initiated an unsuccessful class action against the State of Texas, addressing the conditions on its death row,[36][non-primary source needed] where inmates are kept in solitary confinement for 23hours a day. [31][non-primary source needed][32][non-primary source needed], Whitaker responded to the commutation of his sentence by saying, "I am thankful for this decision, not for me but for my dad. [26][non-primary source needed] Board Chairman, David G. Gutirrez,[27] also met with Kent Whitaker for a half hour. Thomas Whitaker and Christopher Wilkins, et al. I think this needs to change because in matters of life and death the public has a right to know why, when X has been adjudged by a jury as deserving of death, a panel not unanswerable to the public makes a private decision to overturn. The intellectual capacity to succeed in academics, as Mr Whitaker apparently has, is neither here nor there morally, so would be a quite improper citation to mitigation. Convenient scapegoat. Cliff bent his head and said a silent prayer for Kevin. 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. Murdaugh is awaiting trial on about 100 other charges including financial crimes. But that is not the question. Bart opening up his graduation gift from his parents on the night of the murders. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Instead, Cliff began to pray. After receiving the news he has been spared execution, Bart Whitaker told prison officials: "I'm thankful not for me but for my dad," reports the Associated Press. [4][11], Chris Brashear received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years for his role in the murders, in a plea bargain worked out with prosecutors; Steven Champagne received 15 years after serving as the main witness for the prosecution. If the answer is wholly or mainly in the negative, that potential mitigation is removed. He hired two men to shoot and kill his mother, Tricia, younger brother, Kevin, and father, Kent. We know little about the family due to the Whitakers secretive nature WebMurder by Family chronicles Thomas Bartlett Whitaker 's attempts to have a hitman murder his parents and brother. [38][c] [citation needed] Whitaker had enlisted an individual named Chris Brashear to carry out the shootings, and a Steven Champagne to be the getaway driver for Brashear. Decisions, as in US, were private, but limited information about decisions will be made public. Next up, they focused on two of Barts co-workers from the Bentwater Yacht & Country Club near Lake Conroe. Okay, buddy. The story takes you through the sequence of events from the moment the family return home from a celebratory meal, through the shooting and the eventual trial of his one remaining son. WebJurors in the trial of accused killer Alex Murdaughs toured Moselle, the family property where prosecutors say the 54-year-old former lawyer gunned down his wife and son in 2021. Both victims appeared to be surprised with their hands down. 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). He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. Bell, Members of the Tx. He had dropped out of Sam Houston State University as a freshman, and had been lying to his family about being a student there for three years. Well known that the USs neighbour, Canada, has a much lower rate 1.6 raising the question why. [42] He also contributed[clarification needed] to Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement. (Murderers like to tell war stories, whether they happened or not Michael Peterson and John Boyle.). The defense expert suggested a blast with the weapon's barrel would have stunned the shooter with bone fragments, blood and other gore, delaying the time the shooter could have gone after Maggie Murdaugh. Cliff Stanley knew the Whitakers were in for a big weekend. Incredibly, Kent has since forgiven his son for orchestrating the killing of his son Kevin Whitaker and wife Patricia Whitaker, and has even visited him regularly while he was on death row. Yes! You can watch the entire 48 Hours episode about the case online on a CBS news site. 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. He told the police that he would forgive the man who shot his As an NBC account later quoted a Whitaker lawyer: He watched his son Kevin walk into the house, heard the first and fatal shot, and saw his sons fallen body in their darkened home. The Whitakers had the cool house to be at and Kent and Tricia were the second parents to so many people, according to Kevins friend Brittany Barnhill, who appeared on the 48 Hours episode The Sugar Land Conspiracy.. Does a low-achieving prisoner deserve less consideration over a matter he has no control over (intellectual capacity)? Marcus I always enjoy reading your reflection on Rebeccas updates and each episode. 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