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 Corrections officers pet. His mother Tricia and brother Kevin died in the shootings on 10 rested the case for the prosecution in the capital murder trial for Thomas Bartlett Whitaker's role in the deaths of his brother and mother. Serious needling. Just hold on tight.. Yes; perps have been executed for less egregious murder. Bart Whitaker, it seems, was born rather than made a sociopath. Maggie Murdaugh Facebook. Gunman Brashear pleaded guilty to murder in 2007 to murder and is currently serving life in prison. Unsolved murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. [4][11], Chris Brashear received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years for his role in the murders, in a plea bargain worked out with prosecutors; Steven Champagne received 15 years after serving as the main witness for the prosecution. Cliff then heard the screech of police sirens. In this book, Kent Whitaker describes the true story of the murder of his wife and younger son, a trail of events which had been arranged by his older son. The defense expert suggested a blast with the weapon's barrel would have stunned the shooter with bone fragments, blood and other gore, delaying the time the shooter could have gone after Maggie Murdaugh. Bart. Write all you want, Bart, but youre a true sociopath just playing all the angles, and youre never, ever getting out. Tricia Whitaker looked up at him, pale and bedraggled, and said, Someone shot us. remaining immediate family member. 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. He described her as just a very, very sweet person.. Their son had been upstairs in his room when he peeked in on his parents in the living room. He heard Tricias last, wet coughs as Kent himself lay dying from his own gunshot wound. and a Fort Bend County jury. Bart is definitely a bad seed. McManigal said he tested a similar iPhone in his office last week and determined the backlight comes on with a gentle movement, but not as often with a violet movement. 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. His lawyer Keith Hampton urged the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to remember the Old Testament story of Cain, who killed his brother but was himself spared by God. Whitaker is an eloquent, erudite writer, as his essay Hells Kitchen demonstrates, spiced up with smart literary references and quotes. In 2009, the state appeals court found in favor of the appellant on none of these points of law. Phones bugged. Nice letter I think Laci Petersons husband is also a good candidate for carrying out the sentence. "Manufacturing Anomie"[citation needed] and the essay "A Nothing Would Do as Well". Kenneth Kinsey said a defense expert who measured the angles of the shots and concluded they were fired closer to the ground or by someone well shorter than the 6-foot-4 (1.93-meter) Murdaugh didn't take into account the shooter and Maggie Murdaugh were both moving and the gun could have been fired from different positions. First published on February 28, 2023 / 5:23 PM. Kent and his surviving son were both wounded in the attack. The nineteen-year-old son of Tricia and Kent Whitaker stopped breathing. Last-minute reprieve. 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. https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/severs-roger.htm (dont know the FF title). Kents head was pointing back toward the Stanley house in an awkward position. 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. 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. This episode does not seem to be shown that often, so I really appreciated the reminder of this case and the update. I agree with every sentiment, especially family members having the deciding vote as to the Death Penalty or not. 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. Thomas Whitaker and Christopher Wilkins, et al. Subscribe to the ad-free version here! He then heard the front door to his house open and saw his wife, Darlene, stick her head outside. in return for his admission of guilt, and was instead tried for capital murder. [3][29], Abbott accepted their recommendation and commuted Whitaker's death sentence, noting that Whitaker had "voluntarily and forever waived any and all claims to parole in exchange for a commutation of his sentence from death to life without the possibility of parole." He hired two men to shoot and kill his mother, Tricia, younger brother, Kevin, and father, Kent. 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. The laudable desire to hear the victim must not become a means of outcome determination of the magnitude of life and death. Past posts on this blog have briefly touched on the Whitaker murders and their aftermath, but a deeper dive seems in order. Cliff made his way toward Kent. 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. Why? It was conducted before a judge[who?] And you are quite right Whitaker had at least two (that we know of) tries; so how doing well in prison makes people seem better is unbelievable. 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". Texasll probably be the last to lose it if it does! Brd. The kind-hearted Kent Whitaker forgave Bart and fought for years to stave off his looming execution. Especially when it has been said that capital punishment is punishment for them that dont have the capital. On December 10, 2003, the Whitaker family -- dad Kent, mom Tricia, and their sons Bart and Kevin -- arrived home after an This seems to me the only potential mitigation against execution. Your email address will not be published. Testimony ended Tuesday in the South Carolina double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, as the court prepared to bring jurors on So, lets get going on the recap of Family Interrupted along with extra information drawn from internet research: Gathering place. Cliff Stanley had not cared about the possibility of a shooter or shooters still hiding out inside the Whitaker home. 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). Where is he now? But he arrived to find a real firearm, not a paintball gun, on the scene and four people with one bullet wound each. Divers recovered it. [16] Evidence was presented that Whitaker had recruited two individuals, Steve Champagne and Chris Brashear, ages24 and 25 at the time of the 2007 trial, respectively,[16][11] Champagne to be the getaway car driver and Brashear to carry out the shootings in Whitaker's plan to murder his immediate family. While testifying on the stand last week, Alex admitted to lying repeatedly to investigators, family, and law partners about his whereabouts the night of the killings, but denied ever harming Maggie and Paul. The Stanleys and Whitakers developed a quick, pleasant friendship. 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, WebIn this book, Kent Whitaker describes the true story of the murder of his wife and younger son, a trail of events which had been arranged by his older son. It sounds like his parents were wonderful and he had all the trappings of a nice life. House of horror. The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to commute the sentence. The prosecution also called back cellphone expert Paul McManigal, a sergeant with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. Only two of the Whitakers would surviveand one was responsible for the shooting. Another case of perverse justice we could name many is Rae Carruth, whom youve covered. 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. WebThe Murders: On December 10th, 2003, the Whitakers were out celebrating their son Barts graduation at Sam Houston State. [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". Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter and get our recommended reads delivered straight to your inbox. [16][17][b] A defense expert said Riemer failed to shave hair from Paul Murdaugh's wound or X-ray his brain after it was blown from his body to confirm her findings. Bart had admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for the murders and for roping his friends into the plans, they stressed. The exact date and time of the jury trip has not been scheduled because it is dependent on how many witnesses the prosecution calls in its reply case. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube. 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