Anna Caplan
He reportedly hired hit men to kill his family so he could inherit his $1 million.
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But now, Thomas Whitaker is set for a date with the death chamber.
The mastermind of the plot, who arranged for two friends to open fire on his mother, brother and father in 2003 in order to inherit a million-dollar life insurance policy, is set to die Feb. 22, 2018, in Huntsville.
The execution of Thomas Whitaker is set for Feb. 22. It’s the 4th scheduled in TX for 2018 so far. https://t.co/o3OToGozxw #deathpenalty pic.twitter.com/gp6XKrhBz1
— Jolie McCullough (@jsmccullou) November 7, 2017
There are no pending appeals in the case, and, according to court records, the Texas Supreme Court denied a stay of his execution last month.
On the fateful night, Thomas Whitaker – then known as Bart – reportedly instructed his friend Chris Brashear and getaway driver Steve Champagne to wait at his home in the Sugar Lakes subdivision as the family returned from a celebratory dinner in honor of Thomas Whitaker’s alleged graduation from Sam Houston State University.
His mother Patricia, 51, and brother Kevin, 19, died at the scene, but his father Kent survived.
Shortly after, Thomas stole $10,000 from his father and fled to Mexico. Authorities arrested him 15 months later.
Brashear is now spending life in prison; Champagne reportedly took a 15-year plea deal.
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Despite the damage caused by his son, Kent Whitaker said he didn’t want the capital-crime charge.
“This is a case in which retributive justice plays no part,” attorney James Rytting said in an interview with the Chronicle earlier this week. “The victim in this case is a father who does not want his child to die. It seems that this case shows that the only victim’s right that counts is the right of vengeance – you don’t have a right to mercy.”
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