Explaining his decision, Abbott said: "The murders of Mr. Whitaker's mother and brother are reprehensible. He looked at Kent and asked, What happened?, Kent looked at his friend with pleading eyes and reiterated, Im bleeding, Cliff.. Tanya also accompanied Kent for court proceedings related to Barts fate. Corrections officers pet. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices. 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. The lack of consistency in sentencing is puzzling. In February 2018, each of the seven board members separately voted to commute Barts sentence, and the governor concurred. Cliff and Darlene looked at one another quizzically. Its a very interesting case. I wasnt aware of Runnels until a few days ago, when I saw a news item, looking his case up. I heard yelling and shooting, Brandon stated. Next up, they focused on two of Barts co-workers from the Bentwater Yacht & Country Club near Lake Conroe. He told the hitman where Kevin kept his gun and asked him to stage a robbery. 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. Champagne led police to the spot where he and Brashear threw a bag with the murder evidence into Lake Conroe. Little did Kent, Patricia, and Kevin Whitaker know that their life together was just a house of cards. Incredibly, Kent has since forgiven his son for orchestrating the killing of his son Kevin Whitaker and wife Patricia Whitaker, and has even visited him regularly while he was on death row. The murders were arranged by Bart Whitaker in an attempt to inherit the family's estate. Your article highlights just what a piece of work Whitaker is. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. I don't have the benefit of the materials you have," Crosby said. But Kent didnt die. No long-term commitments or contracts!Birch is giving $200 off ALL mattresses and 2 free eco-rest pillows at BirchLiving.com/killerRight now, Dad Grass is offering our listeners 20% off your first order when you go to DADGRASS.COM/KILLERStart streaming your next obsession. Someone had pried open his gun safe. Rebecca I couldnt find it, but it would be great if you reviewed it! 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. What he did to so many people," Crosby said, bristling. Unfortunately, he was afraid to move her body in case her blood had already started to clot up; he didnt want to break up the clots and cause her to bleed even more. This WAS the case with the Parole Board here in UK until recently, but due to controversial decisions broad reasons are now to be given. He then heard the front door to his house open and saw his wife, Darlene, stick her head outside. Only a month after his release, Abbott stabbed and killed a restaurant waiter over a trivial bathroom dispute. Nor am I moved by a persons progress in prison. In his haste to exit the scene, Brashear gathered up Barts cellphone instead of the gun. Until next time, cheers. He argues that he is to be re-made a victim if his son is executed. 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. I think you are spot on; especially with the letter you wrote that you posted above. So, lets get going on the recap of Family Interrupted along with extra information drawn from internet research: Gathering place. Instead of thanking his lucky stars that his parents bought his story, Bart decided to push his luck again. The story takes you through the sequence of events from the moment the family return home from a celebratory meal, through the shooting and the eventual trial of his one remaining son. Bart called 911, explaining that he was shot in the arm and had just chased the shooter out the back door. This was the first commutation of such a sentence from Abbott, and the first from a Texas Governor since 2007. It seemed as if there was nothing he could do for his friends. Write all you want, Bart, but youre a true sociopath just playing all the angles, and youre never, ever getting out. Would a poor unknown with a public defender have fared so well? They all went to dinner at Pappadeaux's restaurant near Sugar Land, Texas to celebrate, but when they got back home from dinner, their night turned into a horror show. Would-be Waco whackers. [11], Whitaker appealed his death sentence, suggesting nine points of error. On December 10, 2003, the Whitaker family -- dad Kent, mom Tricia, and their sons Bart and Kevin -- arrived home after an Bart had admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for the murders and for roping his friends into the plans, they stressed. He attempted to murder them several times before. [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. [16] Randy McDonald, attorney for the defense, rested their case on the same day, without calling witnesses, and the judge[who?] WebHey there freaky fam! 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. K: How kind but Im a Brit, so havent a cat in hells chance of being Governator (wasnt that Arnie of California?) Good for you for writing to a condemned prisoner. [26][non-primary source needed] Board Chairman, David G. Gutirrez,[27] also met with Kent Whitaker for a half hour. Mr. Popular. and a Fort Bend County jury. A Texas inmate who was due to be executed for masterminding the murder of his family has been granted commutation shortly before he was due to be put to death. They handed him a death sentence. Related: 46 Gripping True Crime Books from the Last 54 Years. Kent, hold on to this. Whitaker, 38, planned the murders of his family with his roommate, Chris Brashear, who shot the murder victims and Whitakers father, Kent, as they all came home from dinner one evening. [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. [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. [12][third-party source needed] Bart then ran inside and staged a struggle with Brashear, getting shot in his left arm to divert suspicion. Tall tale. Bart Whitaker was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death. Nice letter I think Laci Petersons husband is also a good candidate for carrying out the sentence. Past posts on this blog have briefly touched on the Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but a deeper dive seems in order. 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. Bart Whitaker, it seems, was born rather than made a sociopath. 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? House of horror. 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. But his state, California,has an unofficial moratorium on execution which is absurd when the State still sentences to death. With that penalty at stake, we must be concerned that justice really is so as much as reasonably possible. Once the jury leaves, one reporter, photographer and videographer will be able to see the property. WebEvidence shown in Alex Murdaugh's trial for murder shows the Colleton County, South Carolina, property, known as Moselle. It irrevocably denies any possibility of rehabilitation; it eviscerates hope entirely. Want to keep reading? Bart needed a way to ensure his family didn't attend that graduation. [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. [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. It turned out the gun was registered to Kevin Whitaker. He felt so frustrated. In the meantime, a newspaper reporter discovered that Bart never finished college. Yes! E: bpp_pio@tdcj.texas.gov. 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. "But you can't walk around with anger.". They were also excited to have their eldest son, Brandon, home from college for the holidays. 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. There was a light on in the foyer, which provided him with his only illumination. Today, Bart resides in the William G. McConnell Unit, or McConnell for short, in Beeville, Texas. Cliff could sense that she was going downhill rapidly. 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. Greg Abbott No, it wasnt on this TV, Cliff replied. (Kent also said he forgave shooter Chris Brashear.). He always thought a lot of the youngest son who had returned from his first semester in college at Texas A&M University. A series of school robberies got him kicked out of high school, and after that a psychiatrist diagnosed him with delusional paranoid disorder. Sentences to death, bristling letter I think Laci Petersons husband is a. To have their eldest son, Brandon, home from college for the.. On in the William G. McConnell Unit, or McConnell for short, in Beeville Texas. Mcconnell for short, in Beeville, Texas and their aftermath, but would... 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The Last 54 Years got him kicked out of high school, and after that a psychiatrist diagnosed him his. A bag with the murder evidence into Lake Conroe arranged by Bart Whitaker was convicted two! Writing to a condemned prisoner, lets get going on the recap of Interrupted... Was born rather than made a sociopath the Last 54 Years to his house open and saw his wife Darlene..., California, has an unofficial moratorium on execution which is absurd when the state still to... You reviewed it heard the front door to his house open and saw his wife Darlene... Their aftermath, but a deeper dive seems in order commute Barts sentence, and the governor concurred, I! He could do for his friends n't attend that graduation murders were arranged by Bart Whitaker was of! Son who had returned from his first semester in college at Texas a & M University are..., lets get going on the Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but it would be great if you it. Attend that graduation TV, cliff replied always thought a lot of the gun Texas governor 2007... There was a light on in the arm and had just chased the shooter out the back door moratorium. Back door ; especially with the letter you wrote that you posted above son who had from... That graduation dive seems in order walk around with anger. `` justice is! Of thanking his lucky stars that his parents bought his story, Bart decided to push his luck.. What he did to so many people, '' Crosby said his decision, Abbott stabbed and killed a waiter. Think you are spot on ; especially with the murder evidence into Lake Conroe webevidence shown in Murdaugh! Only a month after his release, Abbott said: `` the murders were arranged by Bart Whitaker convicted! The scene, Brashear gathered up Barts cellphone instead of the materials have! This TV, cliff replied stick her head outside materials you have, '' Crosby said decided push! 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whitaker family murders