(Andrew J. Whitaker/The [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". The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to commute the sentence. 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. Theres also the question of what turned Bart Whitaker into a homicidal fiend. This seems to me the only potential mitigation against execution. 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. Money tangled. Would a poor unknown with a public defender have fared so well? 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. 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. He ripped off his T-shirt and placed it on Kents left shoulder. Besides, he could tell that Kevin was very close to dead. Related: Murder in Little Egypt: John Cavaness, the Small-Town Doctor Who Killed His Son in Cold Blood. Whitaker had unknowingly forgiven his own son for Tall tale. The unfurling of this sons web of lies led him to hatch a devious murder plot. Steve Champagne got 15 years in exchange for testifying against Brashear and Bart. I don't have the benefit of the materials you have," Crosby said. Cliff knew he needed to get assistance for Kent and Tricia. Cliff was very fond of his new neighbors. 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. [citation needed] At trial, it was noted that Whitaker had access to an $80,000trust fund from his grandparents, although he testified that he did not know he could access it. [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. Kent has since spearheaded the campaign to save his son from execution. Its a start. The kind-hearted Kent Whitaker forgave Bart and fought for years to stave off his looming execution. Just hold on tight.. (Kent also said he forgave shooter Chris Brashear.). 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 for them inside. 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. It seemed as if there was nothing he could do for his friends. (a common Forensic Files pathology see Barbara Stager and Mark Winger.). 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. This was the first commutation of such a sentence from Abbott, and the first from a Texas Governor since 2007. Yes! I see theres some pressure in South Africa for its return; thankfully there has never been here since Britain abolished it in the 60s. "Manufacturing Anomie"[citation needed] and the essay "A Nothing Would Do as Well". He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. WebBart Whitaker, arranged the murder of his family. 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. Now, Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, 38, convicted in this case, is facing death by lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 22. ", Kent Whitaker said he still loves his son despite what occurred, describing him as a changed person. She was scared. WebJune 7, 2021: Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh found dead at the family hunting lodge. Convenient scapegoat. 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. https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/severs-roger.htm (dont know the FF title). Abbott added that Bart Whitaker's father, who "passionately opposes" the execution of his son, would be "victimized again" if the state sentenced his last surviving immediate family member to death. Only two of the Whitakers would surviveand one was responsible for the shooting. And, of course, Mr Whitaker snr cannot properly speak for the three dead victims, only himself. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube. *This particularly an awful crime. WebHey there freaky fam! Bart opening up his graduation gift from his parents on the night of the murders. Past posts on this blog have briefly touched on the Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but a deeper dive seems in order. Download Savage Son now. Cliff Stanley knew the Whitakers were in for a big weekend. Chris Brashear and Steven Champagne denied any involvement in the homicides and provided DNA samples and scent-test specimens. I decided to write to Travis Runnels #999505, who was executed by the state of Texas 11 December. 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. [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. Tricia and Kevin died from their gunshot wounds, but Kent survived. I think this needs to change because in matters of life and death the public has a right to know why, when X has been adjudged by a jury as deserving of death, a panel not unanswerable to the public makes a private decision to overturn. Updated on: February 28, 2023 / 7:05 PM "You're angry at him for stealing your money," Harpootlian said. He had transferred from Baylor University in Waco where an informant tipped off police about Barts aborted plan to kill his family in 2001 to Sam Houston State University. Cliff met Tricia the day he and his wife had moved in. Kent spent lots of time with his sons. She had previously taught at nearby Lakeview Elementary School and was acting as a volunteer there on occasion. WebTricia Whitaker, a retired teacher, and her 19-year-old son, Kevin, died from their injuries. 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 of Texas but thanks all the same! [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". Defense attorney Phillip Barber asked if McManigal took any notes or videotaped his experiments. [16] After closing arguments, the case went to the jury. 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. 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. 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. Forensic Files didnt mention it, but Bart had a prior arrest record for breaking into his high school and stealing computers after which his parents sent him to a private Christian academy, according to the LA Times. On June 7, 2021, WebThe Murders: On December 10th, 2003, the Whitakers were out celebrating their son Barts graduation at Sam Houston State. 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! The whole scenario took less than ten minutes. What a waste. Related: Claus Von Blow: The Danish-British Socialite Who Was Convicted and then Cleared of Trying to Murder His Wife. Related: 32 Most Horrifying Serial Killer Books. Unfortunately, everything was far from fine at the Whitaker household. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Champagne led police to the spot where he and Brashear threw a bag with the murder evidence into Lake Conroe. 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. I heard yelling and shooting, Brandon stated. First published on February 28, 2023 / 5:23 PM. They might think you are the one who shot the Whitakers.. 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. Instead, Cliff began to pray. Corrections officers pet. [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. Thomas Whitaker and Christopher Wilkins, et al. Kent had expressed how excited he and Trish were to attend Barts graduation that next Saturday, and how proud they were of their son. Your email address will not be published. I respectfully wish to express my agreement with Mr Whitakers scheduled execution next month, which I do with a heavy heart. Far from fine at the Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but Kent survived such sentence! Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but a deeper dive seems in order Champagne... 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