What made Thomas Barlett want to murder his family?
Thomas Bartlett "Bart" Whitaker was born December 31, 1979 to Kent and Patricia Whitaker.
He was never involved in anything violent before.
He was close to his family.
Thomas attended Clements High School.
He had to leave as a result of burglaries he had committed with other students.
Thomas was then evaluated by a psychologist.
The psychologist stated that he was Experiencing the clinical symptoms of a delusional (paranoid) disorder.
It is a generally rare mental illness in which the person has delusions, but with no accompanying prominent hallucinations, thought disorder, mood disorder, or significant flattening of affect.
Delusions are a specific symptom of psychosis.
At his trial in March 2007, prosecutors alleged that Thomas was responsible for the murders, because he played the leading part in the conspiracy.
Thomas had previously recruited others in a plot to murder his family in 2001 which ended up being aborted.
After high school he was given several luxury vehicles by his parents.
After high school he was given several luxury vehicles by his parents.
They also paid for his tuition at Baylor University and Sam Houston State University.
They bought him a lakeside townhouse in Willis, Texas and a $4,000 Rolex watch was given to him as a graduation present.
He also had access to an $80,000 trust fund from his grandparents.
He had dropped out of university but did not notify his parents.
On December 10, 2003, Thomas told his family that he had just taken his final exams and would soon be graduating from Sam Houston State University.
On December 10, 2003, Thomas told his family that he had just taken his final exams and would soon be graduating from Sam Houston State University.
They drove to the nearby Pappadeaux restaurant in Stafford for dinner to celebrate.
Chris Brashear, Thomas' roommate, was dressed in black with a ski mask.
He had entered the Whitaker family home, taken Kevin's gun and ammunition from a locked box in his room, staged a burglary, and then waited near the front door for the Whitaker family to return home.
Steven Champagne, Thomas' co-worker and neighbor, waited outside the restaurant for the Whitaker family to leave and followed them back to the family home where he waited in his car near their house.
Steven Champagne, Thomas' co-worker and neighbor, waited outside the restaurant for the Whitaker family to leave and followed them back to the family home where he waited in his car near their house.
Thomas said that he needed to collect his cell phone from his parked Yukon.
Kevin,Thomas' little brother, entered the family home first and reportedly smiled when he saw the masked Brashear.
Kevin,Thomas' little brother, entered the family home first and reportedly smiled when he saw the masked Brashear.
Brashear shot Kevin once through his chest and he fell to the floor. Patricia screamed "Oh God, no" and she was also shot in the chest and fell to the floor.
Kent rushed in and was shot in the shoulder with the bullet shattering his humerus.
Thomas then ran inside and staged a struggle with Brashear, getting purposefully shot in his left arm.
Brashear then exited through the Whitakers' back door and jumped the fence into the rear neighbor's yard, where Champagne collected him.
Brashear then exited through the Whitakers' back door and jumped the fence into the rear neighbor's yard, where Champagne collected him.
Kevin died within minutes of being shot.
Patricia died shortly after being airlifted by Life Flight service on the way to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Thomas told first responders that he thought the gunman was black.
Kent survived the murder attempt and was airlifted to the hospital.Thomas fled to Mexico in 2004.
He lived there for over a year under the false name of Rudy Ríos.
In 2005, Champagne went to police and confessed to assisting in the murders.
He revealed that the plan was for him to watch the Whitakers eat from his car in the restaurant parking lot, while Chris Brashear, hid in Thomas' SUV outside the home.
When he knew they were headed back to the house, Brashear used the security code that Thomas had given him, enter.
Champagne watched from a nearby street.
Not long after the gunshots went off, Brashear hopped in Champagne’s car and they sped off.
On September 15th, a capital murder warrant was issued against Thomas.
Cooperating with US authorities, Mexican authorities arrested Thomas under immigration charges.
In September 2005 Thomas was handed over to US authorities at the border town of Laredo, Texas, and was arrested for capital murder.
He was offered and refused a plea bargain by the District Attorney in return for his admission of guilt.
He was tried for capital murder.
Steven Champagne, claimed that Thomas had wanted his family dead so he could capitalize on a million-dollar life insurance payout, which Thomas denied.
Thomas said that the only life insurance policy the family had was for $50,000 on his father's life and claimed that a mental disorder, exacerbated by drug abuse, caused him to want have his family killed.
Kent Whitaker had already forgiven his son for his part in the murders.
He wanted forgiveness instead of vengeance.
Kent tried to persuade the jury not to deliver a death sentence, but the jury decided to convict Thomas capital murder.
Chris Brashear received a life sentence in a plea bargain worked out with prosecutors.
Steven Champagne agreed to testify for the prosecution in return for a 15-year sentence.
Thomas appealed his death sentence on the grounds of the ineffectiveness of his trial counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, the arbitrariness of the death penalty punishment and the cruelty of the lethal injection, in violation of the eighth amendment to the U.S. constitution prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.
In April 2017, his appeal against prosecutorial misconduct was dismissed by the Court of Appeals.
On November 1, 2017, his death warrant was signed, ans his execution was scheduled for February 22, 2018.
Thomas stated that his father, Kent, would have been re-victimized by his execution.
Thomas appealed his death sentence on the grounds of the ineffectiveness of his trial counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, the arbitrariness of the death penalty punishment and the cruelty of the lethal injection, in violation of the eighth amendment to the U.S. constitution prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.
In April 2017, his appeal against prosecutorial misconduct was dismissed by the Court of Appeals.
On November 1, 2017, his death warrant was signed, ans his execution was scheduled for February 22, 2018.
Thomas stated that his father, Kent, would have been re-victimized by his execution.
Kent wrote to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking for clemency for his son, and the Chairman of the Board met with him.
The Board unanimously recommended clemency to Governor Greg Abbott.
In a rare decision, on February 22, 2018, 45 minutes before the scheduled execution at 6 pm, Thomas had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment without parole by Governor Greg Abbott.The governor noted that Thomas 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".
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