Phones bugged. I cannot comment upon the quantitative status in evaluating his crime that his not being the actual perpetrator should have. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Investigators also found it troubling that a picture of Bart taken at the graduation dinner showed him giving the finger (although Id file that one in the kids like to make obscene gestures, no big deal folder). I hope so. House of horror. Abbott, a Republican in the U.S. state which carries out the most capital punishments, had a choice to reject or accept the board's vote. He simply understood that his friend was in trouble and needed his help. So he hired a hitman to kill his parents and brother, and to non-fatally injure him. Does a low-achieving prisoner deserve less consideration over a matter he has no control over (intellectual capacity)? Cliff Stanley had not cared about the possibility of a shooter or shooters still hiding out inside the Whitaker home. Kent came out with his own book about the shootings and their aftermath, and he travels around the country to speak about forgiveness. If I were a board member confident of my decisions Id be content to be answerable to the public, Helen: The Derek Severs ep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7geqiz8wb7I [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. WebIn the weeks following the murder, the police learned that the attack had been orchestrated by the son who survivedMr. He banned drones from flying over. 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. He described her as just a very, very sweet person.. Thanks Rebecca I love the way you write, and its great that you can follow-up on some of the information that we cant access in the UK (I always try to google what happened to people in the programme). 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. Where is he now? The murders were arranged by Bart Whitaker in an attempt to inherit the family's estate. He helped himself to $7,000 to $10,000 of his dads cash and fled to Mexico with the help of his friend Rudy Rios. It doesnt change what they did and what they have been judged on. WebBartlett Whitakers trial began in March 2007. [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. The recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and my action on it, ensures Mr. Whitaker will never be released from prison. The laudable desire to hear the victim must not become a means of outcome determination of the magnitude of life and death. But Bart also couldnt have the blood of his family on his own hands. I agree with every sentiment, especially family members having the deciding vote as to the Death Penalty or not. 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. [12][13][pageneeded][third-party source needed] Bart's father Kent survived the shooting in which his wife and son were killed. When they arrived, Bart remained outside to call his girlfriend while his mother, Trish, his father, Kent, and his brother, Kevin, all went to the front door. 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. Now! Brandon took off back to the house to make the call. Murdaugh is charged with killing 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh near kennels on the property on June 7, 2021. He hired two men to shoot and kill his mother, Tricia, younger brother, Kevin, and father, Kent. Abbott also said he took into account that Bart Whitaker voluntarily waived all claims for parole in exchange for a commutation. Was he a born a sociopath or did some kind of abuse taint and mold him? Along with his second wife, Tanya Youngling, Kent Whitaker visits Bart regularly, speaking to him from behind a glass partition. You missed something. He blatantly planned out his parents murder then he ran away in hiding. Cliff darted up from his wounded neighbor and bolted back toward his home. He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. As Rebecca describes, heres a privileged man who plotted a number of times to murder at least his parents, eventually achieving death for some of his apparently loving family, for money. [12][third-party source needed] Upon returning home, but before entering the house, Bart said that he needed to collect his cell phone from his parked Yukon[clarification needed], knowing that Brashear was armed and waiting inside to kill his family. Bart called 911, explaining that he was shot in the arm and had just chased the shooter out the back door. E: governor@state.tx.us, Pending Execution of Offender Thomas Whitaker, TDJC Number: 999522, date of birth: 12/31/1979. In 2003, Thomas Bart Whitaker plotted the murder of his family. 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". [4] His parents funded his academic pursuits. Someone had pried open his gun safe. But instead of fleeing, Cliff decided he needed some protection of his own. It was natural instinct. Office of the Governor Thats privileged white Justice. [22][non-primary source needed][21] The appeal was certiorari denied. On Dec. 10, 2003, after the Whitakers returned from a dinner to celebrate what Bart said was the completion of his final exams, an unknown gunman shot all four of them as they entered their house in Sugar Land, a wealthy suburb of Houston. His mother Tricia and brother Kevin died in the shootings on 10 Cliff and Darlene sat downstairs in the back of their comfortable home, on this particular night. It sounds like his parents were wonderful and he had all the trappings of a nice life. 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. 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. Mr. Popular. [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". It turned out the gun was registered to Kevin Whitaker. The authorities also directed Adam Tripp to try to get Bart to admit he planned his familys murder. 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. Although opposed to the death penalty, I thought him a proper candidate for it on the ground of consistency with those whose lives were taken for crimes no worse. 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. Bart's brother Kevin entered the family home first and reportedly smiled when he saw the masked Brashear. Tricia and Kevin sustained fatal chest wounds from the Glock pistol. Steve Champagne got out and stayed out. 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. [26][non-primary source needed] Board Chairman, David G. Gutirrez,[27] also met with Kent Whitaker for a half hour. "I don't always take X-rays of every organ.". All of New York loved it redemption by literature! After the dinner ended, the family returned to their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue the celebration. Miraculously, after being shot in the shoulder, Kent Whitaker survived his attacksomething that Bart hadnt anticipated. Help!. 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 v. Oliver J. On March 8, 2007, after deliberating for two hours, a jury found Bart Whitaker guilty of murder. Cliff was very fond of his new neighbors. Its telling that Bart offered no real excuse for arranging the murder of his family. If I were Governor I know I would be seeking reasons to offer clemency but I do not think I could find them in this case As an opposer of execution I would have to come to terms with that. He was convicted and eventually committed suicide in prison. Cops secretly tapped Brashears and Champagnes phones, but they never picked up any incriminating conversations. Cliff spotted Kent Whitaker sprawled out on the concrete front porch next door. Bart. I don't have the benefit of the materials you have," Crosby said. They handed him a death sentence. Convenient scapegoat. Bart had also said he always felt he couldnt live up to his parents expectations (a halfway decent explanation for lying about college, but way short of mitigating murder). 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. The field trip came as prosecutors made their closing arguments in the weekslong trial where Alex Murdaugh stands accused of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son Paul. Apparently he skipped a lot of classes, then stopped going entirely, and blew his tuition funds on some form or recreation; its not clear what kind. I argue, therefore, for an objective determination as to punishment that disregards the view of family, friends and even victim(s). In his haste to exit the scene, Brashear gathered up Barts cellphone instead of the gun. 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. [38][c] [46] Scholarly attention has been directed toward this PEN program, noting that while PEN was an esteemed human rights organization known for the defense of free speech rights, in particular of persecuted writers, the Prison Writing Program presented a distinct agenda, namely in a "[belief] in the restorative and rehabilitative power of writing." Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew on flight to space station, Prosecution wraps case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, FDA authorizes first at-home test for both COVID and flu, Couple accuses fertility clinic of implanting embryo with cancer genes, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Arguments conclude in Alex Murdaugh's murder trial, Evidence shown in Alex Murdaugh's trial for murder shows the Colleton County property where the Murdaughs lived, at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. True Crime. WebHey there freaky fam! Hes no longer listed with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles 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. Gullible is what I think you could call him. [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. WebA Father's Life 10 Years After An Unspeakable Tragedy. [41][needs update]. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. We did have one murder from the UK on MD/FF have you seen the one about Graham Backhouse? Finally, a year and a half after the shootings, Champagne admitted that Bart hired him to help kill his family. Cliff immediately headed in the direction of Kent Whitaker, his own safety not crossing his mind. The unfairness of the situation is, ironically, an argument against the penalty, illustrating unjustness in US criminal practice. WebThomas Bartlett "Bart" Whitaker had a loving family that he threw away the night he plotted to have them murdered. Alex Murdaugh discovered the bodies of wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, on June 7 near the dog kennels at their sprawling, 1,700-acre home. Abbott ruled that Bart Whitaker will now spend the rest of his life in jail for the "heinous crime". Brd. Bart Whitaker was eventually arrested in Mexico and accused of arranging the plot to inherite the family estate, which he estimated to be worth more than $1 million. The lack of consistency in sentencing is puzzling. Bart had admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for the murders and for roping his friends into the plans, they stressed. Prosecutors were against the visit, saying the scene looks different than it did in June 2021 as trees and vegetation has grown and no one has lived on the property since the killings. Cliff met Tricia the day he and his wife had moved in. Just how he thought hed get away with it I think underlines his feelings of superiority. Your objectivity impartiality nor fear no favour is applausable. Whitaker's father, Kent, was also injured in the attack by the actual gunman, Chris Brashear. True Crime Creepers The Whitaker family was in celebration mode - their oldest son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, had just finished his final Theres also the question of what turned Bart Whitaker into a homicidal fiend. [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. [44] Ira Wells, in particular, points to Whitaker's participation in the program to exemplify the questions, declaring Whitaker's prison writing powerful in its ability to "shock readers into a sensory appreciation of the radical strangeness of [his] life lived". The couple relaxed and watched television. [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. One of the problems with clemency is that the decision/reasoning is never in the public domain. As if, for me, the death penalty isnt capricious enough, cases like this make an utter tragic farce of it. Mailer regretted the whole affair. He decided it was best to put down his own weapon; however, he knew he had to do something. Yes! Steve Champagne got 15 years in exchange for testifying against Brashear and Bart. Bart didnt specifically refer to any plot, but a phone call recording caught him trying to bribe Adam to keep quiet in return for $20,000. Their mental highlight reel was probably playing footage of an 8-year-old Bart teaching his little brother how to ride a bike. Kent Whitaker survived his gunshot to the arm. Before the sentencing phase, both Kent Whitaker and Tricia Whitakers brother asked that Bart be spared the death penalty. [citation needed][43], Whitaker won prizes in PEN America's Prison Writing Program for his essay "Hell's Kitchen",[44][d] Bart Whitaker, it seems, was born rather than made a sociopath. Anyway greetings from the UK. Now, Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, 38, convicted in this case, is facing death by lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 22. Behind the door was an intruder wielding Kevins gun, and within seconds the family was ambushed. Let me see what I can do, Cliff attempted to calm his neighbor. Thomas Bartlett Whitaker (born December 31, 1979) is an American man convicted under the Texas Law of Parties of murdering two family members as a 24-year-old. He told AP: "As the greatest victim in this case, you don't have to convince me how awful this crime was.". A Young Heir Tries to Hasten His Fortune(Family Interrupted, Forensic Files). Last-minute reprieve. He shouldve got life for murder and causing severe, permanent harm to his unborn child but served just 18 years. WebTricia Whitaker, a retired teacher, and her 19-year-old son, Kevin, died from their injuries. After the dinner ended, the family returned to their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue th 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. 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. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices. Quite the opposite, his parents were kind and generous by all accounts. Just hang in there. [16][18] At the trial, Hipp stated that he had contacted the SugarLand Police Department with information about previous plots after he heard about the Whitaker family murders 2003; he was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying for the prosecution against Whitaker. Kents head was pointing back toward the Stanley house in an awkward position. [12][third-party source needed] Bart then ran inside and staged a struggle with Brashear, getting shot in his left arm to divert suspicion. WebJune 7, 2021: Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh found dead at the family hunting lodge. WebGetty. He and his wife, Darlene, had moved into the home just six months earlier. Next up, they focused on two of Barts co-workers from the Bentwater Yacht & Country Club near Lake Conroe. E: bpp_pio@tdcj.texas.gov. It will keep the blood from rushing out too fast, he ordered. He and Brandon headed for the front door to see if something was going on. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. Especially when it has been said that capital punishment is punishment for them that dont have the capital. In a statement, Abbott said that this is the first time he has granted commutation of a death sentence in the three years since he took up the role, allowing 30 executions to occur during the same period. It also held a glove that matched one left at the murder scene and a water bottle with Chris Brashears DNA sealed on the inside of the cap. He hired two men to shoot and kill his mother, Tricia, younger brother, Kevin, and father, Kent. I dont care how much perps have changed, repent, or are model prisoners: the worst crimes, like his, should mean whole-life because theyve earned the punishment they got (inc Whitaker). I see theres some pressure in South Africa for its return; thankfully there has never been here since Britain abolished it in the 60s. Police first checked out Adam Hipp himself as a suspect, but he had an alibi for the night of the shooting. [23], Whitaker's defense team lodged an appeal focused on the purity of drugs used in Texas executions in 20172018. Read on for an excerpt of Savage Son and then download the book. Champagne led police to the spot where he and Brashear threw a bag with the murder evidence into Lake Conroe. 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. He looked up from Tricia into the house, where he spotted someone who he thought was Kevin Whitaker. He succeeded in annihilating two-thirds of the other Whitakers but, instead of an office visit with an estate attorney, Bart got himself a trial with a judge and jury. The goal was to refute a defense expert who said moving an iPhone causes its backlight to come on. Rebecca I couldnt find it, but it would be great if you reviewed it! Apparently, Barts bloodlust had been brewing for even longer than originally thought. So why did Bart kill the people he supposedly loved? [47][48] The name of the blog references "the hour at which executions take place in Texas". Box 12428 Cliff was unsure how that person was doing; that is, until he heard a pitiful sound emanating from the victim. So he hired two men to shoot and kill his family his phone.... Attempted to calm his neighbor their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue the.. `` I do n't have the capital an excerpt of Savage son and then the... As to the spot where he spotted someone who he thought hed get away with it think... 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