I too am writing from UK (maybe you gathered). 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? The system worked for him today. On March 8, 2007, after deliberating for two hours, a jury found Bart Whitaker guilty of murder. He is to be admired. WebMurder by Family chronicles Thomas Bartlett Whitaker 's attempts to have a hitman murder his parents and brother. Trial The trial against Bart Whitaker began in March 2007 and was held in Fort Bend County. So, lets get going on the recap of Family Interrupted along with extra information drawn from internet research: Gathering place. But Bart also couldnt have the blood of his family on his own hands. Clifton, get out of there! she shouted frantically. [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. I understand that Mr Whitakers father is requesting your clemency. Prosecutors brought Crosby back to the stand to talk more aboutMurdaugh stealing millions of dollarsfrom his clients and the firm the Murdaugh family founded more than a century ago. Whitakers father insists that he would be victimized again if the state put to death the last remaining member of his immediate family, said Gov. After a tip came in from Barts high school friend claiming that Bart had plotted to kill his family a few years before, the police zeroed in on him as the mastermind behind the attack. ", Kent Whitaker said he still loves his son despite what occurred, describing him as a changed person. [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. Now, Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, 38, convicted in this case, is facing death by lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 22. 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. Cliff was unable to get to Kevin because Tricia was blocking the entrance to the front door. In this case the Texas parole board can make inconsistent decisions and swerve criticism by never giving their reasoning. The lack of consistency in sentencing is puzzling. 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. But what the Whitakers didnt know was that Bart wasnt going to graduate at all. 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. Brashear and Champagne were arrested almost two years after murders. Can it be fair and reasonable that one persons execution is applied because he happens not to have family/friends to lobby for him, a victim not ideologically opposed to execution and/or forgiving, etc but another is spared because he does have such representation and a victim differently-minded? 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. This must change. Blueprint for murder. Patricia was then also shot in the chest, also falling to the floor. Maggie Murdaugh's iPhone was found on the side of the road outside of the property, and the backlight came on nearly two minutes before GPS data showed Alex Murdaugh's SUV pass by. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Kent spent lots of time with his sons. WebHey there freaky fam! Jail records indicate that Buzzard was arrested on Aug. 25, 2021. He went to get his shotgun. 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 [16][17][b] Abbott ruled that Bart Whitaker will now spend the rest of his life in jail for the "heinous crime". I am South African. (Kent also said he forgave shooter Chris Brashear.). Greg Abbott. The hangar and dog kennels where the bodies of Paul and Maggie were found, pictured on March 1, 2023, A hose in the dog kennels at the Murdaugh family property, March 1, 2023, The dog kennels at the Murdaugh property in Islandton, March 1, 2023. In his haste to exit the scene, Brashear gathered up Barts cellphone instead of the gun. Read on for an excerpt of Savage Son and then download the book. But Rudy Rios couldnt resist a $10,000 reward offered for information on Barts whereabouts. [23], Whitaker's defense team lodged an appeal focused on the purity of drugs used in Texas executions in 20172018. 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 story takes you WebMurder in the Family: 'I Wanted Them Dead' Investigators Question Burglary Theory. The unfurling of this sons web of lies led him to hatch a devious murder plot. Bart opening up his graduation gift from his parents on the night of the murders. Behind the door was an intruder wielding Kevins gun, and within seconds the family was ambushed. This episode does not seem to be shown that often, so I really appreciated the reminder of this case and the update. Bart is still one very lucky man. [citation needed][clarification needed], Kent Whitaker had already forgiven his son and his co-conspirators for their parts in the murders (reported on as early as 2007),[20] and had tried at the time of his son's trial, years earlier, to persuade the jury not to deliver a death sentence. Chris Brashear and Steven Champagne denied any involvement in the homicides and provided DNA samples and scent-test specimens. It sounds like his parents were wonderful and he had all the trappings of a nice life. [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. It was natural instinct. [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". 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. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices. 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. 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. But instead of fleeing, Cliff decided he needed some protection of his own. It irrevocably denies any possibility of rehabilitation; it eviscerates hope entirely. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Sugar Land had a practically nonexistent murder rate and Kent would later recall that, when he saw the armed intruder, he figured it was one of his kids friends playing a prank with a paintball gun. For [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. Bart is definitely a bad seed. Whitaker's parents had bought him several luxury vehicles. Write all you want, Bart, but youre a true sociopath just playing all the angles, and youre never, ever getting out. WebBart Whitaker was convicted of capital murder for the shooting deaths of his mother, Tricia Whitaker, and his younger brother, Kevin Whitaker, in an attack he devised at the family's Bart told first responders that he thought the gunman was black, in order to divert suspicion away from Brashear. "[16] The trial judge's[who?] 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. [41][needs update]. Nor am I moved by a persons progress in prison. Okay, buddy. Yes; perps have been executed for less egregious murder. Look toward those you are closest with in hopes that everything is fine with them. 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. [47][48] The name of the blog references "the hour at which executions take place in Texas". The person who fired the gun that killed the victims did not receive the death penalty, but Mr. Whitaker, who did not fire the gun, did get the death penalty. Thanks, Rebecca. WebThe Whitaker Family Murders True Crime Creepers. Cliff could sense that she was going downhill rapidly. [14], Whitaker was refused a plea bargain by the District Attorney[who?] 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. His mother Tricia and brother Kevin died in the shootings on 10 The whole scenario took less than ten minutes. Prosecutors also called back to the stand the pathologist who did the autopsies on the victims and their expert who studied the crime scene. You need to go. [1] He spent years on death row at the Polunsky Unit near Livingston, Texas, before the commutation of his sentence. WebIn this book, Kent Whitaker describes the true story of the murder of his wife and younger son, a trail of events which had been arranged by his older son. Thanks, Monica so glad you liked the piece! Cliff bent his head and said a silent prayer for Kevin. WebWhitaker family murders: Crime scene location and resting place. He looked at Kent and asked, What happened?, Kent looked at his friend with pleading eyes and reiterated, Im bleeding, Cliff.. If they pull up, she said in reference to police officers, and they see you with that shotgun, theyll probably shoot you, too. WebEvidence shown in Alex Murdaugh's trial for murder shows the Colleton County, South Carolina, property, known as Moselle. Cliff thought Kevin was a special kid.. This was the first commutation of such a sentence from Abbott, and the first from a Texas Governor since 2007. I respectfully submit that in terms of what is public knowledge, at least, Mr Whitakers crime should merit execution to respect fairness that those who plead for clemency have nothing substantive to claim. 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. Just hold on tight.. Kent rushed in and was shot in the shoulder with the bullet shattering his humerus. 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. 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