The penalty phase of an emotional capital murder trial ended on Thursday, March 8, 2007 when Thomas “Bart” Whitaker, who orchestrated the killing of his entire family and resulted in the deaths of his mother and brother in 2003, was sentenced to death in Fort Bend County, Texas.
The Sugar Land man hired his roommate, Chris Brashear, to execute his family in December of 2003. Bart Whitaker’s father, who has supported and forgiven his son and asked that he not be given the death penalty, was also supposed to die in a murder that was conceived for the most cold-blooded of reasons: money. There was no anger, passion or revenge involved. Bart Whitaker just wanted to be the sole heir of his family’s million-dollar fortune. Testimony clearly showed that Bart had a stable and well-to-do upbringing.
“Bart Whitaker thought he could get away with the perfect crime. He quite simply wanted to kill his family so he could get inherit the Whitaker family’s $1.5 million estate. He wanted to kill his brother Kevin quite simply because he didn’t want to split the money with Kevin. He wanted all the money for himself,” prosecutor Jeff Strange said.
While the jury agonized over the death penalty issue and looked to the defendant for signs of remorse, they found nothing sufficient to spare Bart from lethal injection. The jury was split over whether he posed a future threat to society.
“We slept on it, we prayed on it and we cried on it,” said presiding juror Steve Watkins.
A video was played showing a then 23-year-old Bart Whitaker lying to the police about the events that took place at the scene of the murder, where Bart himself was also shot in the shoulder to make it look like the entire family had surprised a burglar in the home. Bart’s mother, 51-year-old Patricia died at the scene. Bart’s 19-year-old brother Kevin also suffered fatal injuries at the scene. Both Bart and his 56 year old father, Kent Whitaker, survived although only Bart was supposed to, if things had gone in accordance with his heinous plan.
Police were told that the family had gone out to dinner to celebrate Bart’s upcoming graduation from Sam Houston State University.
“He broke bread with them and knew that within minutes they were being brought back to the house where they would be assassinated by Chris Brashear,” Assistant District Attorney Fred Felcman told the jury in closing arguments.
However, when police learned Bart was not even enrolled in college, suspicion turned on him as he became the primary suspect. Bart Whitaker fled to Mexico and was eventually arrested in Laredo after having been discovered in Monterrey, Mexico by FBI agents and Mexican law enforcement officials. Prior to his arrest, police had already taken his accomplices into custody: Steven Champagne, a Marine who drove the getaway care, was arrested at the Camp Pendleton Marine Base north of San Diego; and Chris Brashear, of Willis, TX, the alleged triggerman.
It was revealed at the time of Bart’s arrest that there had been other murder-for-hire plots set up by Whitaker in 2000 and in 2001. Evidently, Bart Whitaker was soliciting triggermen from Baylor University way back then, and an informant reported an attempt or attempts to the Waco Police Department in April of 2001. The information was passed on to the Sugar Land Police Department who contacted the family. Police said. “The family determined that the information was not credible.”
The appeals process is automatic in Texas and has already begun. In the meantime, a plea bargain has been struck with getaway driver Steve Champagne, who received a 15-year sentence in exchange for his testimony. Chris Brashear will be tried separately for capital murder, although the death penalty is not being sought.
Reference:
- Houston Chronicle – Whitaker sentenced to death
