[42] He also contributed[clarification needed] to Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement. He attempted to murder them several times before. Cops secretly tapped Brashears and Champagnes phones, but they never picked up any incriminating conversations. [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. 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). Bart Whitaker, it seems, was born rather than made a sociopath. Champagne also drove the getaway car although, he claimed, he really didnt want to get involved with the homicide plot but felt trapped. [18][non-primary source needed], In other early testimony, Steve Champagne described Whitaker recruiting him to be the getaway driver for Whitaker's eventual 2003 plan to murder his immediate family,[11] and his testimony included the detail that Whitaker's gunshot wound was a ploy to make it look like he was a victim, too. Two years before a masked assailant shot them in their own house, Kent and Patricia Whitaker found out that their son had formulated a plan to kill them. [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. 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. Kent then looked up at his neighbor and said, Cliff, they really could be inside there. He began to load the shotgun with bullets when his wife stepped in front of him. "I think his intentions were well, but his methods were flawed," Kinsey said. During Wednesday's visit, at least one juror was spotted by a pool reporter closely examining the door frame of the storage closet or feed room where Paul was standing when he was killed, the Associated Press reported. Cliff spotted Kent Whitaker sprawled out on the concrete front porch next 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. Marcus, I have never seen such objective view wow. Yes; perps have been executed for less egregious murder. Rudy ratted him out, and the law hauled Bart back to the U.S. Trio of convicts. 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 told the hitman where Kevin kept his gun and asked him to stage a robbery. [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. (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. Steven testified, and the prosecution stated that Bart tried to put such a plan in motion several times in the past. When Cliff witnessed the carnage before him, he yelled back at his son, Go back inside and call 911! WebGetty. Cliff could sense that she was going downhill rapidly. Box 13401 got to do with justice (justice includes fair and equal treatment for all under law)? [12][verification needed][third-party source needed] The trial had lasted six days in total; the "jury deliberat[ed] for 2hours, and sentenced Whitaker to death". WebThe gunfire killed Kevin, 19, at the scene; Kents wife of 28 years, Tricia, 51, died during transport to the hospital. You need to go. Along with his second wife, Tanya Youngling, Kent Whitaker visits Bart regularly, speaking to him from behind a glass partition. 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. [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. Then, things took a horrifying turn for Kent. The goal was to refute a defense expert who said moving an iPhone causes its backlight to come on. Thus, he enjoyed the little time he was able to spend with Kent and Tricia Whitaker. The thought that a man with a gun might still be on the premises did not enter into his consciousness. Please enter valid email address to continue. Last-minute reprieve. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. But he arrived to find a real firearm, not a paintball gun, on the scene and four people with one bullet wound each. 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. [16] Randy McDonald, attorney for the defense, rested their case on the same day, without calling witnesses, and the judge[who?] He heard Tricias last, wet coughs as Kent himself lay dying from his own gunshot wound. She was very hopeful, very upbeat and optimistic for [Barts] future.. Finally, as to the question of what turned Bart into such a callous and motivated killer, no mention of any type of abuse or trauma came up. Cliff immediately headed in the direction of Kent Whitaker, his own safety not crossing his mind. WebThe main house at the Murdaugh family's Moselle Road property in Islandton, South Carolina, on March 1, 2023 Jurors on Wednesday visited the family hunting lodge where Alex 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. v. Oliver J. Friend starts singing. Mr. While out having a celebratory dinner, no one in his family could've imagined the horror that waited for them when they got back home. Of course, someone rich enough to post $3m bail can afford good representation, buying relative lenience. The popular new guy in town explained to his south of the border friends that he sustained the bullet wound to his arm while fighting in Afghanistan. Finally, a year and a half after the shootings, Champagne admitted that Bart hired him to help kill his family. The lack of consistency in sentencing is puzzling. He fled to Mexico after learning that he was a suspect, assumed a new identity, and lived under the radar for over a year before he was caught and was extradited back to the United States. Thanks, Rebecca. 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. 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. Instead, he returned back to the Whitakers front porch and attempted to comfort Kent. Cliff rose up to take a look. "The reason you did not take X-rays of the brain was you already reached you conclusion," Harpootlian said. Cliff knew his wife was right. Cliff Stanley had not cared about the possibility of a shooter or shooters still hiding out inside the Whitaker home. He banned drones from flying over. [7] In that same time frame,[when?] He hired two men to shoot and kill his mother, Tricia, younger brother, Kevin, and father, Kent. ), Helen: Thanks and yes, I saw the Backhouse one; and another comes to mind: And I will do my best to uphold my role in the system. Want to keep reading? [citation needed], Brashear then exited through the Whitakers' back door and jumped over the fence into the rear neighbor's yard. to "help convicted criminals become writers", an aim which raises questions about the nature and residence of the power inmates are given, and about its impact on prisoners and on society. Cliff met Tricia the day he and his wife had moved in. Brandon Stanley followed directly behind his father. scheduled closing arguments for the morning of March 5. Related: Claus Von Blow: The Danish-British Socialite Who Was Convicted and then Cleared of Trying to Murder His Wife. I think you are spot on; especially with the letter you wrote that you posted above. [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. 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. The Stanleys were watching a family show. 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). A bullet hole is seen from inside of the feed room at the Moselle Road property on March 1, 2023. WebBart Whitaker was convicted of hiring a hit man to target his own family. Whitaker was convicted for the December 10, 2003, murders of his mother and 19-year-old brother; he was sentenced to death in March2007. Anyway greetings from the UK. I respectfully wish to express my agreement with Mr Whitakers scheduled execution next month, which I do with a heavy heart. WebTexas 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, It is about to here in UK, as theres been public outcry as some parole decisions* releasing vicious murderers. 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). [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. The shooting occurred after Kent and Patricia Whitaker returned home with their sons on December 10, 2003, having been out celebrating Bart Whitaker's college graduation. Property on March 1, 2023 flawed, '' Harpootlian said letter you wrote you! 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