What happened? he asked her. 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. Thanks, Rebecca. WebBart Whitaker was convicted of hiring a hit man to target his own family. Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/KillerInstinctYTDont forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: http://bit.ly/KillerInstinctPodcastIf you like the show, telling a friend about it would be helpful! Whitakers father, Kent, also was shot in the 2003 plot at the familys suburban Houston home but survived and led the effort to save his son from execution. Cliff was unable to get to Kevin because Tricia was blocking the entrance to the front door. During cross-examination, Harpootlian asked Crosby, who often represents accident victims, if going through trauma can cause people to forget details or get times wrong. The recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and my action on it, ensures Mr. Whitaker will never be released from prison. [16] Hipp, who admitted on cross-examination that his participation in Whitaker's schemes had been "motivated by money" police testified that Whitaker stood to inherit the family estate, valued at $1million further testified that in December2000, prior to the murders of which he stood accused, Whitaker had made another preempted plan, this time to "ambush his parents and brother as they entered their home after a dinner outing", a plan noted by the Houston Chronicle to be "virtually identical to the one [Champagne would soon testify] was actually carried out three years later. Bring me something so we can bandage Kent up! He waited as long as he could, but his son never came out with anything to staunch the flow of blood. "Manufacturing Anomie"[citation needed] and the essay "A Nothing Would Do as Well". The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to commute the sentence. Where is he now? But instead of fleeing, Cliff decided he needed some protection of his own. Hipp said that Kent and Tricia had heard about the plot, but didnt take it seriously. Bell, Members of the Tx. With that penalty at stake, we must be concerned that justice really is so as much as reasonably possible. All to cover up another web of lies.Love Killer Instincts but hate the ads? [42] He also contributed[clarification needed] to Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement. Write all you want, Bart, but youre a true sociopath just playing all the angles, and youre never, ever getting out. The Whitakers cash, jewelry, and computer equipment remained untouched. In 2003, Thomas Bart Whitaker plotted the murder of his family. Compare his with another Texas case that ended in death one in which the perp was encouraged by another to kill her parents (no excuse, but not under his OWN initiative, unlike Whitaker), in which there was no significant, repeated premeditation, unlike of Whitaker, where the initiator the daughter didnt get the death penalty, and where this offender is widely considered to have exhibited genuine remorse: https://murderpedia.org/male.D/d1/dillingham-jeffrey.htm, One lives; one dies. [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. Bart had a troubled high school experience, which was why his family was so thrilled that he made it to college graduation. The nineteen-year-old son of Tricia and Kent Whitaker stopped breathing. 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. Defense attorney Phillip Barber asked if McManigal took any notes or videotaped his experiments. 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. Mr Whitaker premeditatedly arranged the murder of three family members, including his own injury to throw suspicion from him. Whitaker's parents had bought him several luxury vehicles. [22][21] On November 1, 2017, his death warrant was signed, scheduling his execution for February 22, 2018. 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). The authorities also directed Adam Tripp to try to get Bart to admit he planned his familys murder. Tricia and Kevin died from their gunshot wounds, but Kent survived. The whole scenario took less than ten minutes. [11], Whitaker left for Mexico in June2004, using $3000 to persuade an acquaintance to assist him; he assumed the name "Rudy Rios", found work in a furniture shop in Cerralvo, Mexico, developed a relationship with a woman, and concocted a story of service in Afghanistan to explain his gunshot wound. Tricia Whitaker continued to moan in agony. Bart, then a wholesome-looking 22-year-old with a Princess Diana complexion, came up with a new plot to wipe out his mother, father, and brother, and get his hands on all of the familys assets, worth $1 million to $1.5 million. Sack of evidence. Police attempted to arrest her wife, Naria Jenna Whitaker, 33, later that the same day at the couple's home in Marion, Indiana, but Whitaker died by suicide, shooting herself shortly after police arrived, the Outlook reported. 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. 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. Want more true crime books? Cliff met Tricia the day he and his wife had moved in. 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. Cliff knew his wife was right. It turned out the gun was registered to Kevin Whitaker. Brandon Stanley followed directly behind his father. Mr. Corey Mitchells true crime book, Savage Son, tells the tragic story of the Whitaker family murders. As he came upon him, Cliff looked up and saw Tricia directly in front of the entryway to the house, about six feet away from Kent. The unfurling of this sons web of lies led him to hatch a devious murder plot. He couldnt tell whether he was dead or alive. 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. Kinsey testified his opinion was also based on being certain the fatal shotgun wound to Paul Murdaugh was fired from down low and headed up through the head instead of downward with the gun pressed against his head. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices. [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. Cliff turned his attention back to the bleeding Whitaker parents. Nice letter I think Laci Petersons husband is also a good candidate for carrying out the sentence. 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! E: bpp_pio@tdcj.texas.gov. Steve Champagne got 15 years in exchange for testifying against Brashear and Bart. "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?" She was very hopeful, very upbeat and optimistic for [Barts] future.. It was difficult to tell if it was actually Kevin or Bart, since it was dark inside the house. Thank you for supporting our partners, who make it possible for The Lineup to continue publishing the horror stories you love. This seems to me the only potential mitigation against execution. Good for you for writing to a condemned prisoner. scheduled closing arguments for the morning of March 5. WebEvidence shown in Alex Murdaugh's trial for murder shows the Colleton County, South Carolina, property, known as Moselle. Updated on: February 28, 2023 / 7:05 PM It doesnt change what they did and what they have been judged on. Brandon walked down the steps and insisted, Then its outside. Their son had been upstairs in his room when he peeked in on his parents in the living room. K: How kind but Im a Brit, so havent a cat in hells chance of being Governator (wasnt that Arnie of California?) Another case of perverse justice we could name many is Rae Carruth, whom youve covered. and a Fort Bend County jury. Their oldest son, Bart, whom he had never met, since Bart lived up north in Willis, Texas, was about to graduate on Saturday. I am South African. Last-minute reprieve. Tricia and Kevin sustained fatal chest wounds from the Glock pistol. As if, for me, the death penalty isnt capricious enough, cases like this make an utter tragic farce of it. I understand that Mr Whitakers father is requesting your clemency. I see theres some pressure in South Africa for its return; thankfully there has never been here since Britain abolished it in the 60s. Austin, Texas 78711-2428 He told the hitman where Kevin kept his gun and asked him to stage a robbery. 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. On June 7, 2021, Greg Abbott Cliff was unsure how that person was doing; that is, until he heard a pitiful sound emanating from the victim. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. Kent rushed in and was shot in the shoulder with the bullet shattering his humerus. He has pleaded not guilty. In a jailhouse interview with Lisa Ling in 2014, Bart said he committed the murders because he felt inadequate and thought his parents didnt love him. He and Brandon headed for the front door to see if something was going on. Gullible is what I think you could call him. 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. After the shootings, Bart did a good job of pretending that he was happy that EMTs saved his dads life, but at some point, he told Champagne he wanted to finish off the job and really kill his dad the next time, according to 20/20. Featured image of Kevin, Tricia, and Bart enjoy food and laughs at Pappadeaux Seafood Restaurant to celebrate Barts impending college graduation: Kent Whitaker. 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? Austin, Texas 78711-3401 He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. (Photo: Inside Story) 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 inside for them. He shouldve got life for murder and causing severe, permanent harm to his unborn child but served just 18 years. P.O. 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. Divers recovered it. Many thanks, Helen so glad youre enjoying the site! I too am writing from UK (maybe you gathered). When he walked out of his home, Cliff first looked over in the direction of the Whitakers house. Box 12428 He banned drones from flying over. He told the police that he would forgive the man who shot his Cliff knew he needed to get assistance for Kent and Tricia. :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. Of course, someone rich enough to post $3m bail can afford good representation, buying relative lenience. He described her as just a very, very sweet person.. A grand jury indicted Bart, then 25, and Steve Champagne and Chris Brashear, both 23, in October 2005. Both victims appeared to be surprised with their hands down. I wasnt aware of Runnels until a few days ago, when I saw a news item, looking his case up. The Stanleys and Whitakers developed a quick, pleasant friendship. It seemed as if there was nothing he could do for his friends. WebThomas 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. Related: Linda Wolfe: The Author Behind the Definitive Book on The Preppy Killer. 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. 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 There appears little or no question, then, that this was not a fully-considered crime, and, moreover, one that seems to require a peculiar callousness given his relation to the victims. I hope so. He should have gotten the death penalty and let it fold out as planned. [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. He then heard the front door to his house open and saw his wife, Darlene, stick her head outside. Kent then looked up at his neighbor and said, Cliff, they really could be inside there. Kent has since spearheaded the campaign to save his son from execution. Convenient scapegoat. 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. Bart opening up his graduation gift from his parents on the night of the murders. So, lets get going on the recap of Family Interrupted along with extra information drawn from internet research: Gathering place. Stanley could tell that Tricia was very excited and happy about the impending ceremony. [18][non-primary source needed] [18], After losing a separate appeal in the federal courts early in 2017,[21] Whitaker's legal team appealed his claims to the U.S. Supreme Court. Along with his second wife, Tanya Youngling, Kent Whitaker visits Bart regularly, speaking to him from behind a glass partition. 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