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 Tricia Whitaker looked up at him, pale and bedraggled, and said, Someone shot us. Blueprint for murder. v. Oliver J. But instead of fleeing, Cliff decided he needed some protection of his own. Once the jury leaves, one reporter, photographer and videographer will be able to see the property. WebThe gunfire killed Kevin, 19, at the scene; Kents wife of 28 years, Tricia, 51, died during transport to the hospital. Featured image of Kevin, Tricia, and Bart enjoy food and laughs at Pappadeaux Seafood Restaurant to celebrate Barts impending college graduation: Kent Whitaker. He went to get his shotgun. I am South African. Rudy ratted him out, and the law hauled Bart back to the U.S. Trio of convicts. Okay, buddy. A series of school robberies got him kicked out of high school, and after that a psychiatrist diagnosed him with delusional paranoid disorder. Steve Champagne got out and stayed out. Also wounded, Bart made a Sugar Land The couple relaxed and watched television. Bart opening up his graduation gift from his parents on the night of the murders. of Criminal Justice, John Whitmire, David J. Callender, M.D., Governor Rick Perry, et al. Does a low-achieving prisoner deserve less consideration over a matter he has no control over (intellectual capacity)? Brandon walked down the steps and insisted, Then its outside. Part of the problem is parole boards dont justify their reasoning/decisions to the public (knowing theyd be controversial) but its the public they are answerable to, just as justice in general is, as all such agencies operate with the permission of the public, ultimately (who pay for it all). Texasll probably be the last to lose it if it does! Murdaugh, who has been disbarred, admitted to the thefts, which could carry decades in prison,on the stand last week. Thats all for this post. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 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. He attempted to murder them several times before. 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. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Alex Murdaughs Ego Pushed Him To Kill His Family Rather Than Lose His Good Reputation, Prosecutors Said During Closing Arguments, I Knew Something Bad Was Going On: Alex Murdaughs Brother Described The Phone Call He Got On The Night Of The Murders, Alex Murdaugh Was Days Away From Unraveling Because Of A Boat Crash Lawsuit, But The Killings Of His Wife And Son Changed Everything, Alex Murdaugh Sobbed As Jurors Saw A Snapchat Video From His Son Allegedly Placing Him At The Scene Of The Murders. Kent spent lots of time with his sons. He looked up from Tricia into the house, where he spotted someone who he thought was Kevin Whitaker. But Rudy Rios couldnt resist a $10,000 reward offered for information on Barts whereabouts. He went through with it even after having two years to think about what his family meant to him following his first attempt to murder them. 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. Yes! Kent, Cliff called out to his friend. 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. 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. P. O. Cliff rose up to take a look. After the dinner ended, the family returned to their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue the celebration. 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. Cliff was unsure how that person was doing; that is, until he heard a pitiful sound emanating from the victim. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. Your email address will not be published. Whitaker is an eloquent, erudite writer, as his essay Hells Kitchen demonstrates, spiced up with smart literary references and quotes. The bullet hit Kent nearly six inches from his heart.. Where is he now? On February 22, 2018, about 40minutes before his scheduled 6:00P.M. execution, Whitaker had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment without parole by Governor Greg Abbott, the first such commutation by Abbott and the first in the state since 2007. Although Texas very rarely commutes to life-imprisonment for capital sentences there are surely more meritorious than his case. They went out to lunch together, had dinner a few times, and even made it out to the theater once on a double date. With that penalty at stake, we must be concerned that justice really is so as much as reasonably possible. The story takes you Convenient scapegoat. [8]:Ch.53[pageneeded] Whitaker denied prosecution claims regarding the insurance profit motive, arguing that the only life insurance policy the family had was for $50,000 on his father's life. If they pull up, she said in reference to police officers, and they see you with that shotgun, theyll probably shoot you, too. I feel for him, as I am sure very many do. It is for this reason that I would never sign for it, even if that were the only way to evade a return to death row. On December 10, 2003, the Whitaker family -- dad Kent, mom Tricia, and their sons Bart and Kevin -- arrived home after an I think you are spot on; especially with the letter you wrote that you posted above. "I did not because I felt comfortable with my determination," Riemer said. According to evidence presented at trial, the mother and son were fatally shot at the dog kennels on the property, and a Snapchat video Paul recorded at the kennels placed Alex at the scene shortly before the killings. Divers recovered it. 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. Cliff thought Kevin was a special kid.. "The reason you did not take X-rays of the brain was you already reached you conclusion," Harpootlian said. 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. WebWhitaker family murders: Crime scene location and resting place. Its a start. Contact Stephanie K. Baer at stephanie.baer@buzzfeed.com. Hes probably hoping this is his ticket to salvation, a la Jack Henry Abbott, another eloquent killer. [16] Hipp, who admitted on cross-examination that his participation in Whitaker's schemes had been "motivated by money" police testified that Whitaker stood to inherit the family estate, valued at $1million further testified that in December2000, prior to the murders of which he stood accused, Whitaker had made another preempted plan, this time to "ambush his parents and brother as they entered their home after a dinner outing", a plan noted by the Houston Chronicle to be "virtually identical to the one [Champagne would soon testify] was actually carried out three years later. Prosecutors also called back to the stand the pathologist who did the autopsies on the victims and their expert who studied the crime scene. [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. Your article highlights just what a piece of work Whitaker is. Trial The trial against Bart Whitaker began in March 2007 and was held in Fort Bend County. We did have one murder from the UK on MD/FF have you seen the one about Graham Backhouse? Brashear shot Kent, Patricia, and Kevin as they entered the house and then gave Bart his courtesy wound in the arm. Box 12428 Related: Claus Von Blow: The Danish-British Socialite Who Was Convicted and then Cleared of Trying to Murder His Wife. [citation needed] For the latter, he appears to have presented a thesis in partial fulfillment of the degree, entitled "Who Fears Hell Runs Toward It", in summer2018. His mother Tricia and brother Kevin died in the shootings on 10 In this case the Texas parole board can make inconsistent decisions and swerve criticism by never giving their reasoning. The Whitakers had the cool house to be at and Kent and Tricia were the second parents to so many people, according to Kevins friend Brittany Barnhill, who appeared on the 48 Hours episode The Sugar Land Conspiracy.. When asked about the race of the assailant he said, Maybe black I dont know.. Harpootlian then asked Crosby if he thought Murdaugh killed his wife and son. Texas halted Barts execution within hours of his date with a gurney and syringe. Kent was also hit in the upper body but survived, and Bart escaped with a wound to his upper arm. [9][4] He had lied to his parents about his continued status in college; varying reports had him dropping out of SHSU months before,[10] or being present there as a freshman on academic probation. Phones bugged. 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? Serious needling. 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! 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. Gullible is what I think you could call him. 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? According to a Houston Chronicle account, after an emotional, contentious 12 hours during which some jurors at first disagreed about whether Bart constituted a continuing threat to society, Bart got a sentence of death by lethal injection. 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. [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. Cliff spotted Kent Whitaker sprawled out on the concrete front porch next door. After the dinner ended, the family returned to their home in a wealthy Houston suburb to continue th Additional factors make the decision more complex.". I sent this regarding his clemency plea: Gov. Good for you for writing to a condemned prisoner. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. As the family started filing into their home, a masked intruder inside began shooting them one by one.This podcast is sponsored by BETTER HELP! That factor alone may not warrant commutation for someone like Mr. Whitaker who recruited others to commit murder. Murdaugh is charged with killing 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh near kennels on the property on June 7, 2021. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Want more true crime books? WebMurder in the Family: 'I Wanted Them Dead' Investigators Question Burglary Theory. / CBS/AP. Brashear was the shooter, he said, and Bart had promised to cut both of his buddies in on a $1 million life insurance payout he would receive after his familys death. They were also excited to have their eldest son, Brandon, home from college for the holidays. Bart had admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for the murders and for roping his friends into the plans, they stressed. If it is so considered, my question would be: insofar as there are similar crimes, has this fact materially distinguished execution from life imprisonment in some of those cases? Millions of Americans nearing retirement age with no savings, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, South Carolina double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, 100 other charges including financial crimes. The thought that a man with a gun might still be on the premises did not enter into his consciousness. He had been the last one to walk into the house; he lagged behind while checking his phone messages. Stanley could tell that Tricia was very excited and happy about the impending ceremony. 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 intentions were well, but his methods were flawed," Kinsey said. Anyway greetings from the UK. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. A neighbor named Cliff Stanley raced onto the scene and used his own T-shirt to stanch Kents bleeding bullet wound. From how the plan was hatched to Barts trial, sentence, and the stunning new development in the case, this book provides all the details. [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. It was difficult to tell if it was actually Kevin or Bart, since it was dark inside the house. Gunman Brashear pleaded guilty to murder in 2007 to murder and is currently serving life in prison. Barnhill also noted that Kevins friends considered Bart cool.. 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. 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