WebBartlett Whitakers trial began in March 2007. Then, Brashear entered a getaway car driven by Champagne, and they dumped the bag with the murder items in the water. [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. In 2007, he admitted he was "100 percent guilty" and that he hated his parents and brother at the time. Divers recovered it. Finally, a year and a half after the shootings, Champagne admitted that Bart hired him to help kill his family. 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). Brashear shot Kevin once through his chest, and Kevin fell to the floor. 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 Money tangled. Whitaker's father, Kent, was also injured in the attack by the actual gunman, Chris Brashear. This week, Savannah details how Bart hired a hitman to kill his family as soon as they set foot inside, how he was found out, and the miraculous survival of his father, Kent Whitaker. "The decision of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is supported by the totality of circumstances in this case. "I don't always take X-rays of every organ.". Abbott accepted the state parole boards rare clemency recommendation. [3], Alongside the legal submission from the Whitaker legal team an 18-page document from Whitaker lawyers Keith S. Hampton and James Rytting (the latter at Hilder & Associates),[25][non-primary source needed] Whitaker's father, Kent, also appealed, cooperating with the legal team's submission and writing a letter in the public forum of the Houston Chronicle on January 18, 2018, asking that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles "spare my son". Bart Whitaker was found guilty of capital murder that occurred on Dec. 10, 2003, when an assailant entered the Whitaker home in the Sugar Lakes subdivision and killed Barts mother, Trisha, 56 years old, and his brother, Kevin, 19. Stanley could tell that Tricia was very excited and happy about the impending ceremony. The killers might still be inside their house! She was frightened to tears and was determined that her husband not join the list of fatalities. [5][6][a], Whitaker attended Clements High School where in 1997 as a 17-year-old he received a criminal conviction for a series of seven burglaries that he had "meticulous[ly]" planned, leading other young friends in the spree. True Crime Creepers The Whitaker family was in celebration mode - their oldest son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, had just finished his final As far as an epilogue on Barts accomplices, Chris Alan Brashear occupies a cell in the Eastham Unit and will reach parole eligibility in 2035, when hes 53. Over here in the UK, CBS Reality shows these episodes as Medical Detectives, and seem to show the same ones quite regularly. The dad, Kent, survived as did their son, Bart. 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. Hes no longer listed with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The whole scenario took less than ten minutes. "So, you're alone in your office, throwing the phone around, taking no measurements, recording nothing over the weekend, and you come in here and testify as an expert as to what the phone would do?" The Stanleys and Whitakers developed a quick, pleasant friendship. Bart also reportedly told them his mother was a prostitute and he was essentially an orphan. [2][3] Abbott cited the fact that Whitaker did not fire the gun and that his father, Kent, "insists that he would be victimized again if the state put to death his last remaining immediate family member", as the reasons for the commutation. 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. Just how he thought hed get away with it I think underlines his feelings of superiority. Besides, he could tell that Kevin was very close to dead. She was in a kneeling position with her head on the front porch, near the slight step leading into the house. [16] After closing arguments, the case went to the jury. scheduled closing arguments for the morning of March 5. 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? In 2003, Thomas Bart Whitaker plotted the murder of his family. Thank you for supporting our partners, who make it possible for The Lineup to continue publishing the horror stories you love. I swear I heard a shooting outside.. Instead, Cliff began to pray. WebMiraculously, after being shot in the shoulder, Kent Whitaker survived his attacksomething that Bart hadnt anticipated. Related: Murder in Little Egypt: John Cavaness, the Small-Town Doctor Who Killed His Son in Cold Blood. He and his wife, Darlene, had moved into the home just six months earlier. 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 Marcus I always enjoy reading your reflection on Rebeccas updates and each episode. Anyway greetings from the UK. 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. 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. [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. Kent, hold on to this. Chris Brashear pleaded guilty in 2007 and received life with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Now! Brandon took off back to the house to make the call. I respectfully wish to express my agreement with Mr Whitakers scheduled execution next month, which I do with a heavy heart. Cliff was very fond of his new neighbors. But investigators couldnt help but notice that the drawers were all neatly pulled out to the exact same length and nothing had been removed from them. Cliff and Darlene looked at one another quizzically. [11], Whitaker appealed his death sentence, suggesting nine points of error. Rebecca I couldnt find it, but it would be great if you reviewed it! [14][15][verification needed] The acquaintance who had assisted Whitaker to flee became aware of reward money that had been offered for his arrest,[clarification needed] and communicated Whitaker's whereabouts to the police. On September 15, 2005, a capital murder warrant was issued against Whitaker. And thanks Rebecca. I understand that Mr Whitakers father is requesting your clemency. [44], In 2007, Whitaker founded an inmate blog, originally created with the assistance of his father, now maintained by volunteers, entitled Minutes Before Six; it has published his work and trial records, and articles, poetry, and art from inmates held in prisons in the United States. I decided to write to Travis Runnels #999505, who was executed by the state of Texas 11 December. Bart needed a way to ensure his family didn't attend that graduation. He always thought a lot of the youngest son who had returned from his first semester in college at Texas A&M University. The Stanleys were watching a family show. I too am writing from UK (maybe you gathered). Try Sundance Now free for 30 days by going to SundanceNow.com and use promo code killerListen to The Generation Why Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or you can listen ad-free by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app!If you have any thoughts on this case or any other case, or just want to get in touch with Savannah about the show, email her at killerinstinctpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks, Rebecca. ", Kent Whitaker said he still loves his son despite what occurred, describing him as a changed person. And in another twist, mere minutes before Bart was set to executed, he got a call from the governor commuting his sentence instead to life in prison. "But you can't walk around with anger.". Cliff immediately headed in the direction of Kent Whitaker, his own safety not crossing his mind. His lawyer Keith Hampton urged the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to remember the Old Testament story of Cain, who killed his brother but was himself spared by God. I see theres some pressure in South Africa for its return; thankfully there has never been here since Britain abolished it in the 60s. I am South African. Regardless, he continued holding the temporary bandage on Kents gushing wound. Adam had replicated a diagram of the houses layout and where the triggerman was to lie in wait. 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 Your objectivity impartiality nor fear no favour is applausable. We need more like you! Thus, he enjoyed the little time he was able to spend with Kent and Tricia Whitaker. The bullet hit Kent nearly six inches from his heart.. Prosecutors also called back to the stand the pathologist who did the autopsies on the victims and their expert who studied the crime scene. handling of the prosecution's use of a phone recording between Hipp and Whitaker would become an element of the defense's later appeal of the verdict. 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. and a Fort Bend County jury. Hes probably hoping this is his ticket to salvation, a la Jack Henry Abbott, another eloquent killer. Whitaker, 38, planned the murders of his family with his roommate, Chris Brashear, who shot the murder victims and Whitakers father, Kent, as they all came home from dinner one evening. He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. 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. The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to commute the sentence. Bart's brother Kevin entered the family home first and reportedly smiled when he saw the masked Brashear. Tricia Whitaker continued to moan in agony. Visit BetterHelp.com/CREEPERS today to get 10% off your first month.Sources:ArticlesTexas District & County Attorney's Association | A Most Unusual Suspect (Jeff Strange) CBS News | Texas Man Targeted by a Hitman Fights for the Life of the Person Who Ordered the Murder His Son (Peter Van Sant)ABC News | Murder in the Family: 'I Wanted Them Dead' (Harry Phillips & Elissa Stohler)Forensic Files Now | Bart Whitaker: Relative TragedyABC News | 'Murder by Family': Read Shocking ExcerptThe Houston Chronicle | Whitaker Lawyer Attacks Credibility of Witness (Eric Hansen)ABC News | 'Sugar Land' Culprit Made New Life in Mexico (Denise Martinez-Ramundo & Harry Phillips)Wikipedia | Thomas Bartlett WhitakerMedium | The Whitaker Family Murders of Sugar Land, TexasVideoYouTube | 911: The Sugar Land ConspiracyLearn more about your ad choices. Way to ensure his family did n't attend that graduation that graduation back to the stand the pathologist who the! 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