Its telling that Bart offered no real excuse for arranging the murder of his family. Until. Their mental highlight reel was probably playing footage of an 8-year-old Bart teaching his little brother how to ride a bike. All of New York loved it redemption by literature! Decisions, as in US, were private, but limited information about decisions will be made public. [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". What he did to so many people," Crosby said, bristling. [5][6][a], Whitaker attended Clements High School where in 1997 as a 17-year-old he received a criminal conviction for a series of seven burglaries that he had "meticulous[ly]" planned, leading other young friends in the spree. The judge has agreed with a defense request to let jurors ride 40 minutes to see the sprawling property. Thank you for such an excellent letter with such thoughtfulness. Many thanks, Helen so glad youre enjoying the site! Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. got to do with justice (justice includes fair and equal treatment for all under law)? In December 2003, Whitaker's mother Tricia Whitaker, brother Kevin Whitaker, and father Kent Whitaker were ambushed by a masked gunman as they walked in the front door of their Sugar Land home after a night out. Austin, Texas 78711-3401 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. But that is not the question. WebIn the weeks following the murder, the police learned that the attack had been orchestrated by the son who survivedMr. ", Kent Whitaker said he still loves his son despite what occurred, describing him as a changed person. [7] In that same time frame,[when?] Bart called 911, explaining that he was shot in the arm and had just chased the shooter out the back door. 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. Abbott also said he took into account that Bart Whitaker voluntarily waived all claims for parole in exchange for a commutation. Just hang in there. [4] His parents funded his academic pursuits. In his haste to exit the scene, Brashear gathered up Barts cellphone instead of the gun. After a tip came in from Barts high school friend claiming that Bart had plotted to kill his family a few years before, the police zeroed in on him as the mastermind behind the attack. Was that on the TV? Brandon asked his parents. I am South African. of Criminal Justice, John Whitmire, David J. Callender, M.D., Governor Rick Perry, et al. The Whitaker family was in celebration mode - their oldest son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker, had just finished his final Prosecutors have pounded Murdaugh for various inconsistencies and lies, including not saying he was at the kennels the night of the killing when he could be heard heard on video recorded by his son. 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". I think his father was partly responsible for the death of his wife and son by buying Barts story the first time and not protecting them from him. "I don't have an opinion. I am writing as a member of the public with no connection to the above, his relatives, or his crime. 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. Cliff Stanley knew the Whitakers were in for a big weekend. 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. 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. Okay, buddy. Let me see what I can do, Cliff attempted to calm his neighbor. Cliff darted up from his wounded neighbor and bolted back toward his home. 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. WebJune 7, 2021: Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh found dead at the family hunting lodge. 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 A series of school robberies got him kicked out of high school, and after that a psychiatrist diagnosed him with delusional paranoid disorder. WebUpdated on: February 28, 2023 / 7:05 PM / CBS/AP. What the hell has his being a model prisoner/remorseful/forgiven by the surviving victim (would those who didnt?) Quite the opposite, his parents were kind and generous by all accounts. 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. Instead of thanking his lucky stars that his parents bought his story, Bart decided to push his luck again. [37][verification needed][bettersourceneeded], Kent Whitaker, his father and a surviving victim of the crime, wrote the book, Murder by Family: The incredible true story of a son's treachery and a father's forgiveness, which as described by Barry Leibowitz for CBS News is about his "heart-wrenching journey to forgive the nameless stranger" responsible for his wounding, and the "brutal murder of his wife and son", a journey that included his realizing that the murder "had been orchestrated by [his] oldest son Bart". During her teaching days, Tricia was known for her kind and fun-loving approach to her job, according to friends who appeared on 20/20. Dr. Ellen Riemer testified Tuesday that she stood by the findings of her autopsy that the fatal shot was fired upward. Along with his second wife, Tanya Youngling, Kent Whitaker visits Bart regularly, speaking to him from behind a glass partition. He has pleaded not guilty. He told the police that he would forgive the man who shot his Her legs and lower body were pointed outward toward the street. 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). In this case the Texas parole board can make inconsistent decisions and swerve criticism by never giving their reasoning. You need to go. Thank you for supporting our partners, who make it possible for The Lineup to continue publishing the horror stories you love. Good for you for writing to a condemned prisoner. Yes; perps have been executed for less egregious murder. Patricia was then also shot in the chest, also falling to the floor. Bart's brother Kevin died within minutes of being shot; his mother Patricia died shortly after the start of her airlift by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Cliff met Tricia the day he and his wife had moved in. He also paid someone to drive the getaway car for the assailant, while Bart would stay on the scene and pretend as though he had fought the intruder off himself. 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. 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. Another case of perverse justice we could name many is Rae Carruth, whom youve covered. Defense attorneys asked that the jury be able to visit the scene of the killings to help them understand how small the storage room is where Paul Murdaugh was killed and the distance between the two bodies. 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. Whatever awful things weve done, kindness and mercy in the form of showing this man that he isnt forgotten while he contemplates that most terrible of punishments, is always right. The main house at the Murdaugh family's Moselle Road property in Islandton, South Carolina, on March 1, 2023. Whitaker was convicted for the December 10, 2003, murders of his mother and 19-year-old brother; he was sentenced to death in March2007. 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. Little did Kent, Patricia, and Kevin Whitaker know that their life together was just a house of cards. A Young Heir Tries to Hasten His Fortune(Family Interrupted, Forensic Files). The prosecution also called back cellphone expert Paul McManigal, a sergeant with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. Im bleeding, Kent Whitaker pitifully mewled. Prosecutors also called back to the stand the pathologist who did the autopsies on the victims and their expert who studied the crime scene. Suddenly Cliff saw his friend lurch sideways and mutter something. Texas is fortunate to have you working in their state. "You're angry at him for stealing your money," Harpootlian said. Testimony ended Tuesday in the South Carolina double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, as the court prepared to bring jurors on Wednesday to the scene where Murdaugh's wife and son were fatally shot in 2021. [citation needed][24] Whitaker withdrew his appeal pertaining to the purity of the drug used, pending at the Supreme Court of the United States, just before a decision by the Texas Governor to grant clemency and commute his sentence. WebThomas Bartlett "Bart" Whitaker had a loving family that he threw away the night he plotted to have them murdered. Can it be fair and reasonable that one persons execution is applied because he happens not to have family/friends to lobby for him, a victim not ideologically opposed to execution and/or forgiving, etc but another is spared because he does have such representation and a victim differently-minded? Their oldest son, Bart, whom he had never met, since Bart lived up north in Willis, Texas, was about to graduate on Saturday. Who did the autopsies on the victims and their expert who studied crime. Patricia, and Kevin Whitaker know that their life together was just a of. 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