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00:07An elaborate plan, years in the making.
00:13The level of detail in a plan like that, that's not something you come up with on a whim.
00:19A hitman who smells like the crime scene.
00:22There's no reason for his scent to show up on the gun unless he was actually holding it during the
00:28murders.
00:30And a would-be killer who overplays his hand.
00:35The crazy thing to lie about.
00:39It's even crazier to think you're never gonna get caught.
00:45You just can't trust a criminal.
00:57The Whitakers are the prototypical American family.
01:05Parents Kent and Patricia met on a blind date back in the 1970s.
01:10And blind dates can be risky.
01:11You never know what you're gonna get.
01:15But Kent and Patricia seem to have a great bond.
01:19It's easy to connect with someone when you have the same set of shared values.
01:23And for Kent and Trisha, it's their strong Christian faith.
01:26Son, Thomas Bartlett, known as Bart, came along in 1979.
01:33Kevin followed in 1984.
01:37The Whitakers raise their sons to share the same strong moral fiber as their parents.
01:45They worship together on Sundays at the River Point Community Church,
01:50participate in Bible study groups, and volunteer in their community.
01:57Trisha has a knack with children and works as an elementary school teacher
02:01until she takes early retirement to devote more time to her family and the church.
02:06As a corporate controller, Kent manages the financial affairs of his family's construction business.
02:12It's a successful company, which allows Kent and Trisha to live a very comfortable life.
02:20As parents, they're generous to a fault, making sure that their sons have everything that they need.
02:31As teenagers, Bart and Kevin are golden boys in their Sugar Land, Texas community.
02:43In high school, the boys are both popular.
02:47Kevin is known for always being willing to help others.
02:52He's an athlete, he's on the student council, and he loves the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing.
03:00Bart is extremely charismatic.
03:02He has a great sense of humor, and he's seen as the cool older brother by Kevin and all of
03:07his friends.
03:12Even as they grow, the Whitaker boys remain close to their parents.
03:17Bart and Kent share a love of long-distance cycling.
03:21It's a great way to keep fit and enjoy the outdoors.
03:25The two regularly plan out routes and go on rides together.
03:31Sugar Land, Texas is known for its abundance of outdoor activities.
03:38Sugar Land is a city of approximately 70,000 people right outside Houston, Texas.
03:44It's an extremely affluent suburb.
03:47Wealthy families like the Whitakers are the norm.
03:50The kind of place where you'd find white picket fences and apple pies cooling on windowsills.
03:57The city has an extremely low crime rate.
04:00A violent crime is virtually unheard of.
04:03Petty misdemeanors, kids getting in trouble, police are rarely called out for anything serious.
04:11In an unusual incident, the Whitakers are the victims of an attempted break-in.
04:19In December 2000, a burglar tries to pry open a back window of the Whitakers' house.
04:27The would-be intruder is scared off by the home security system.
04:32The alarm goes off.
04:36And they take off.
04:39The police have no leads, and the burglar is never caught.
04:42It's an isolated incident in what is normally a quiet neighborhood.
04:49After high school, Kent and Tricia continue to support their sons as they set out on their own paths.
04:57Kevin attends Texas A&M University, where he's working towards becoming a member of the prestigious Corps of Cadets.
05:05The Corps is a 100-year-old student military organization, which is normally a jumping-off point for a career
05:14in leadership in the military.
05:17Bart starts out at Baylor University, a historic, private Baptist university in Waco, Texas.
05:24After a year, he transfers to the popular Sam Houston State University, where he studies business.
05:31His parents pay for a townhouse for Bart to live in near campus while he's taking his classes.
05:39On December 10, 2003, Bart phones home with exciting news.
05:47Bart calls home to let his mom know that he's finished his final exams.
05:51It's the last step before graduating.
05:54Tricia is thrilled. It's her firstborn child, and it's a big milestone.
06:01Bart has gotten into some trouble as a teenager.
06:05Then, with switching schools after his first year in university, she's excited to see that he's finally settled down and
06:13on a successful path in life.
06:16Bart suggests that the family go out to dinner together to celebrate.
06:23The Whittakers head out to Papa Doe Seafood Kitchen, a popular chain restaurant nearby.
06:31This family has always enjoyed each other's company, and tonight is no different.
06:43Kent takes pictures throughout the evening to commemorate the occasion.
06:48For his dessert, his parents have planned something special.
06:52It's his favourite, with the word congratulations spelled out in chocolate sauce along the rim of the plate.
06:59Bart is thrilled.
07:00Then, his parents give him his graduation gift.
07:04It's an expensive watch, exactly the one that Bart had hoped for.
07:08And he's even more thrilled.
07:12The Whittakers are generous parents when it comes to gifts.
07:18They're proud of their oldest son and the bright future ahead of him.
07:24After dinner, the entire family heads home to continue the celebration.
07:34When they arrive at the house, Kevin is the first to the door.
07:40Bart stops to check his phone messages, so his parents leave him in the driveway and head to the door.
07:55When Kevin goes inside, the shot rings out.
08:07It's so sudden and unexpected that nobody is really sure what's going on.
08:14As Trisha gets to the door, she yells out,
08:19Oh no!
08:20At that point, there's a second gunshot.
08:23And Trisha collapses in the doorway.
08:26As gunshots echo through the quiet Sugarland neighbourhood,
08:31the Whittakers' perfect evening shatters into chaos.
08:37The family that moments ago was toasting to Bart's bright future,
08:42now lies broken and bleeding on their own doorstep.
08:52The Whittaker family lives a picture-perfect life
08:55in affluent Sugarland, Texas.
09:00Connected by their love of the outdoors
09:03and their strong Christian faith.
09:10But on December 10th, 2003,
09:14fresh from celebrating eldest son Bart's college exams,
09:20the family returns home to a nightmare.
09:25As they cross the threshold of their suburban sanctuary,
09:29their world explodes into chaos.
09:32As an assailant opens fire from inside the house.
09:39When Kevin goes in the door, a shot rings out.
09:43It's so sudden and unexpected
09:46that nobody really knows what's going on.
09:51As Trisha gets to the door,
09:53she yells out,
09:55oh no!
09:56At that point, there's a second gunshot.
10:01And Trisha collapses in the doorway.
10:04In that moment, everything changes.
10:08One minute, they're a happy family coming home
10:11from a celebratory dinner.
10:13The next minute, they're caught in the middle of a crime scene.
10:19A third shot
10:21sends Kent reeling backwards.
10:24Kent, stepping forward,
10:26takes a bullet to the shoulder.
10:28The impact spins him around
10:30and throws him to the ground,
10:32leaving him face up on the front porch.
10:36When people are confronted with sudden violence like this,
10:39it can be hard to predict their reaction.
10:43Sometimes, your desire to protect your loved ones
10:46overrides your natural instinct to protect yourself.
10:51In this case, Bart doesn't stop to think.
10:54He rushes past his parents into the house.
10:58Bart confronts the gunman.
11:00In the struggle,
11:02he's shot in the arm.
11:05The shooter then drops the gun
11:07and escapes out the back door.
11:11Outside,
11:12a neighbor rushes to the family's aid.
11:15The Whitaker's next-door neighbor, Cliff,
11:18hears the gunshots,
11:19and he comes running over to see what's going on.
11:22When he sees his friend, Kent,
11:24lying on the porch,
11:25he springs into action.
11:26Kent is alive and breathing.
11:29Cliff uses his shirt
11:30to put pressure on his friend's wound
11:32to try and stop the bleeding.
11:34This whole time,
11:35he's reassuring Kent
11:36that everything will be okay.
11:39That kind of quick thinking
11:41and reaction from somebody is impressive.
11:45Cliff's quick actions
11:46help save Kent's life.
11:49As Cliff tends to his neighbor,
11:51a frantic Bart emerges from the house.
11:55Bart is on the phone with 911.
11:57He's telling them
11:58that his whole family has been shot,
12:00himself,
12:02his brother,
12:03his mother,
12:03and his father.
12:04He's in shock,
12:06trying to process what just happened.
12:09A 911 caller
12:10who's just witnessed
12:12a crime of this magnitude
12:13is going to be distraught
12:15and is going to have difficulty communicating.
12:19So it can be very difficult
12:21for the 911 call taker
12:23to get clear and concise information.
12:25The 911 operator
12:27is going to try and get
12:28as much information as they can
12:30do they want the police?
12:31Do they want the fire department?
12:33Do they want an ambulance to attend?
12:36There's a shooting.
12:37Is the shooter still there?
12:39Is there a description of the shooter?
12:41Anything the dispatcher
12:43or call taker can get
12:44in those first few minutes
12:45can be crucial.
12:47When the paramedics arrive,
12:49Kevin is pronounced dead
12:50at the scene.
12:52Kent, Bart, and Tricia
12:53are airlifted to the hospital,
12:55where Tricia
12:56is also later pronounced dead.
13:00As night falls,
13:02the police begin their investigation.
13:05To have two dead
13:07and two wounded
13:08in Sugar Land
13:09where the murder rate
13:10is practically zero
13:11is unprecedented.
13:14There's huge pressure
13:16on the investigators
13:17to provide answers
13:18as quickly as they can,
13:19especially if you haven't determined yet
13:22whether this is an isolated incident
13:24and the potential
13:25for ongoing danger
13:26to the public
13:27increases that pressure.
13:28If people don't feel safe
13:30in their own homes,
13:32the entire community
13:33is going to suffer.
13:36Detective Marshall Slott
13:37of the Sugar Land Police Department
13:39takes charge of the scene.
13:43The Whitaker family
13:44appears to have the bad luck
13:46of walking in
13:47on a robbery in progress.
13:48The house has been ransacked.
13:51There are drawers open
13:53all around
13:54and the safe
13:55has been pried open.
13:57The Whitakers
13:57keep a firearm
13:58locked in a safe
13:59in the house.
14:01The intruder
14:02pried open the safe
14:03and obtained the firearm.
14:06That firearm
14:07was then used
14:08to shoot the family
14:10and the intruder
14:12left it behind
14:12when he fled.
14:14The entire incident
14:16is already tragic,
14:17but the fact
14:18that the family
14:19was shot
14:19with their own gun
14:20is next level.
14:23But as the detective
14:24surveys the scene,
14:27some of the details
14:28don't quite add up.
14:31At first glance,
14:33it looks like
14:33a burglary gone wrong.
14:35Drawers are pulled open
14:37all over the house
14:38where it looks like
14:39somebody was going through
14:40and rummaging
14:41for valuables.
14:42But if that was the case,
14:44you would expect
14:44to find things
14:45thrown all over
14:46because criminals
14:47aren't neat.
14:48But in this case,
14:50nothing is thrown anywhere
14:51and all of the drawers
14:53are open
14:54to the exact same length.
14:55So it looks like
14:56somebody has tried
14:57to stage it
14:58to look like
14:58a break-and-enter
14:59but hasn't quite succeeded.
15:01Other usual signs
15:03of robbery
15:03are also
15:04conspicuously absent.
15:06It's odd
15:07that the obvious things
15:08that a suspect
15:09might want to take
15:10in a break-and-enter
15:11haven't been touched.
15:12Anything of obvious value
15:14that would be easy
15:15to carry
15:15is still there.
15:18As Detective Slott
15:19begins his investigation,
15:21he reviews
15:22the 911 call
15:23Bart placed
15:24earlier that evening.
15:27911 calls
15:28are an incredibly
15:30valuable
15:30piece of evidence
15:32for any police investigation.
15:35Any investigator
15:36at all
15:37will almost always
15:38first listen
15:39to the incoming
15:39911 call.
15:41He then collects
15:43detailed statements
15:44from Kent
15:45and Bart.
15:46In a domestic incident,
15:48other people
15:49who are in the home
15:50and other family members
15:51have to be
15:51either included
15:52or excluded
15:53as suspects
15:54during your investigation.
15:56They're definitely
15:57people that you
15:58want to talk to.
15:59In this case,
16:01the fact that
16:01both of the surviving
16:02family members
16:03have been shot
16:03helps to rule them out.
16:06But they still
16:07might hold valuable
16:08information
16:08that the investigators
16:09need to help
16:11put this case together.
16:12Bart tells the detective
16:14he's about to graduate
16:15from Sam Houston
16:16State University
16:17and the family
16:19had gone out
16:20to dinner
16:20to celebrate.
16:21He describes
16:23all the details
16:24of the harrowing scene
16:25that awaited them
16:26when they returned home.
16:29Police first believe
16:30they have a suspect
16:31when there's another
16:32break-in in the area
16:33right after
16:34the Whitakers.
16:35They use forensic dogs
16:37to try to match
16:38the scent
16:38from the two
16:39crime scenes.
16:40The use of scent
16:41evidence isn't common
16:42and it's not
16:43admissible in court.
16:44But it can be
16:45a great way
16:46for investigators
16:47to get a head start
16:48as an investigative aide.
16:50In this case,
16:51the dog didn't pick up
16:52a match between
16:53the two crime scenes,
16:54indicating that
16:55the burglar
16:55from the other case
16:56wasn't the same person
16:58who shot the Whitakers.
17:00With his first lead
17:02failing to pan out,
17:03the detective
17:04is more determined
17:05than ever
17:06to find closure
17:07for the surviving
17:08family members.
17:10But a few days
17:12after the murders,
17:13there's a shocking
17:14new development
17:15in the investigation.
17:18Detective Slott
17:19learns from
17:19Sam Houston
17:20State University
17:21that Bart
17:23is not actually
17:24a student there.
17:25He's not about
17:26to graduate.
17:27He had been
17:28a freshman
17:29on academic probation.
17:31It's a crazy thing
17:32to lie about.
17:33It's even crazier
17:34to think
17:35you're never
17:35going to get caught.
17:37That type of development
17:38in a case
17:39coming out
17:40of left field
17:41is a classic example
17:43of why it's so important
17:44in police work
17:44to follow up
17:45on every single detail.
17:47Even something
17:48seemingly as simple
17:50as following up
17:50on basic
17:51biographical detail,
17:53it can send a case off
17:54in an entirely
17:55new direction.
17:57Dropping out of college
17:58isn't uncommon,
17:59but lying about it
18:00to your family
18:01and then lying
18:02about it
18:02to the police,
18:04that is certainly
18:05going to raise
18:05some eyebrows.
18:07Bart's explanation
18:08is that he just
18:09needed a break
18:10from the stress
18:11of the school,
18:12but he lied about it
18:13because he didn't
18:14want to disappoint
18:15his parents.
18:17It's far-fetched,
18:18but Kent accepts
18:19his son's explanation.
18:21It's just the two
18:22of them now,
18:23and they need
18:24to lean on each other.
18:26Six days
18:26after the horrific murders,
18:29mourners gather
18:30at the Sugar Creek
18:31Baptist Church
18:33to hold funeral services
18:35for Patricia
18:36and Kevin Whitaker
18:37and support Kent
18:39and Bart
18:39in their loss.
18:41What they don't know
18:42is that the night
18:43before the funeral,
18:45investigators begin
18:46to home in
18:47on a suspect.
18:48The detective
18:50is contacted
18:50late at night
18:51by somebody
18:53who wants to meet.
18:55In cases like this,
18:57tips from the public,
18:58can break things
18:59wide open.
19:00As Detective Slott
19:02approaches,
19:03the man indicates
19:04that he has
19:05information to share.
19:07Information
19:08about Bart.
19:13In Sugar Land, Texas,
19:16the Whitakers
19:17are a devout,
19:18close-knit family
19:19with everything
19:20going for them.
19:22With golden boy Bart
19:24about to graduate,
19:27parents Kent
19:28and Tricia
19:29are thrilled.
19:32But on December
19:3410, 2003,
19:36their celebratory dinner
19:38ends in tragedy.
19:43With Tricia
19:45and younger son
19:46Kevin dead,
19:48and Kent and Bart
19:50both suffering
19:51gunshot wounds,
19:55detectives investigate
19:56the case
19:57as a robbery
19:58gone wrong.
20:02Until they learn
20:03that Bart
20:04is no college
20:06graduate
20:06after all.
20:09It's a crazy thing
20:10to lie about.
20:11It's even crazier
20:12to think
20:12you're never
20:13going to get caught.
20:16The murders
20:17shock the quiet
20:18suburb of Sugar Land.
20:23prompting
20:24intense
20:25media attention.
20:29When such
20:30an unusual
20:31and frightening
20:31thing happens
20:32in their own
20:33backyard,
20:34people look
20:35to the media
20:35for some sort
20:36of reassurance.
20:38But it can play
20:39almost a proxy
20:40role in an
20:41investigation,
20:42prompting people
20:43to come forward
20:44with information.
20:45On the night
20:46of December 15,
20:47five days
20:48after the murders,
20:50Detective Slott
20:51meets with a man
20:52named Adam Hipp
20:53under the cover
20:54of darkness.
20:56Late night witnesses
20:57are like scratch
20:58and win lottery tickets.
21:00Most of the time
21:01you get nothing,
21:02but sometimes
21:03you can hit
21:04the jackpot.
21:06Adam has seen
21:07the coverage
21:08of the shooting
21:08at the Whitaker's
21:09house on the news.
21:12And he has
21:13a shockingly
21:14similar story
21:15to tell.
21:17Adam is an
21:18old friend
21:19of Bart's.
21:20The two went
21:20to high school
21:21together,
21:21but became
21:22especially close
21:23when Bart was
21:25at Baylor University,
21:26which he actually
21:28did attend.
21:30Adam relates
21:31a story
21:32as to how
21:33in February
21:342001,
21:36Bart had tried
21:37to recruit him
21:37to kill his family.
21:39Adam was skeptical,
21:40but Bart had
21:41everything planned out
21:42right down
21:43to the final detail.
21:46Bart's plan
21:47was meticulous.
21:50Bart would lure
21:51his family
21:51out to dinner.
21:54He would leave
21:55Adam a key
21:56to access
21:56the house.
21:58Adam would
21:59wait inside
22:00with a Whitaker's
22:01gun
22:01just by the
22:03front door.
22:04When the family
22:05returned home
22:06from dinner,
22:07Adam would
22:08surprise them
22:09and shoot them
22:09all,
22:10including Bart,
22:12to avoid
22:13suspicion.
22:14The level
22:15of detail
22:16in a plan
22:16like that,
22:17that's not
22:18something you
22:18come up with
22:19on a whim.
22:20It's cold,
22:21calculated,
22:23planned,
22:23and deliberate
22:24premeditation.
22:27It's exactly
22:28what happened
22:29to the Whitaker's
22:30on December
22:3110,
22:322003.
22:34Bart hadn't
22:35just idly
22:35mused about
22:36killing his family.
22:37He had drawn
22:38out plans
22:39for their
22:39destruction.
22:41Adam is able
22:42to point out
22:42to the detective
22:43exactly what
22:44was supposed
22:45to happen,
22:46where everyone
22:46would be standing.
22:48Every detail
22:49matches the
22:50murders from
22:50five days
22:51earlier.
22:52Adam's revelation
22:54sheds light
22:55on Bart's
22:55motive.
22:57Bart expected
22:58a huge inheritance.
23:00Between life
23:01insurance
23:01and the family's
23:03construction business,
23:05he anticipated
23:06it would be
23:06over a million
23:07dollars.
23:08And he promised
23:09Adam a cut
23:10out of that.
23:11Bart just
23:12really didn't
23:13like his family
23:13and wanted
23:14to be rid
23:15of them.
23:15And with that
23:17kind of money
23:17headed his way,
23:18sooner would be
23:19better than
23:20later.
23:22But an
23:23unexpected
23:23intervention
23:24stops the
23:252001 plot
23:26from moving
23:27forward.
23:30One of their
23:30college friends
23:31discovers Bart's
23:32murderous
23:33intentions
23:33and alerts
23:34the police.
23:36And wait
23:37for it,
23:37the police
23:38actually warn
23:39Kent and
23:40Tricia about
23:40their son's
23:41plans.
23:45Police have
23:46to take the
23:46allegations very
23:47seriously.
23:50They have to
23:51conduct an
23:52investigation.
23:53And if at the
23:54end of that
23:54investigation they're
23:55not able to lay
23:56any charges,
23:57at the very least
23:58they have a duty
23:58to warn the
23:59family that
24:00there's been a
24:01threat against
24:01them that never
24:02came to fruition.
24:04Describing Bart
24:05as charismatic
24:06is an
24:07understatement.
24:09He's able to
24:11convince his
24:11parents that it
24:12was all just a
24:13misunderstanding.
24:16Sometimes parents
24:18can have blinders
24:18on when it comes
24:19to their
24:20children.
24:22Now, while
24:23mourners gather
24:24to pay respects
24:25for Tricia and
24:26Kevin, the police
24:28zero in on Bart
24:29as their prime
24:30suspect in a
24:31murder-for-hire
24:32plot.
24:35Detective Slott
24:36needs to clear
24:37Adam as a
24:38suspect.
24:38He has so much
24:39knowledge of the
24:40actual crime scene
24:41that the possibility
24:42that he was
24:43involved is
24:44something that
24:44needs to be
24:45excluded by the
24:46investigators.
24:47But Adam has
24:48a proven alibi
24:49for December
24:5010th, so the
24:51detective is able
24:52to exclude him
24:53as having been
24:54involved this
24:55time.
24:57Police recruit
24:58Adam to help
24:59in their
24:59investigation.
25:01Over the next
25:02two months,
25:03Adam has a
25:03series of phone
25:04calls with Bart
25:05that are
25:05recorded by
25:06the police.
25:07Recorded phone
25:08calls can be a
25:09goldmine for
25:09investigators.
25:11You'd be amazed
25:11at what people
25:12will say when
25:13they don't realize
25:13that somebody
25:14is listening.
25:15During these
25:16calls, Bart
25:17offers Adam
25:18$20,000 to
25:19keep quiet
25:20about the
25:202001 murder
25:22plot.
25:30He also makes
25:31several comments
25:32that imply that
25:33he was involved
25:34in the recent
25:35murders.
25:37With Bart's
25:38history of
25:39recruiting his
25:40friend, the
25:42detective decides
25:43to take a look
25:44at Bart's
25:44current friends.
25:49Chris Brashear
25:51and Stephen
25:51Champagne work
25:52with Bart at
25:53the Bentwater
25:54Yacht and
25:54Country Club
25:55near Lake
25:56Conroe.
26:04Criminals can
26:04be creatures
26:05of habit, so
26:06it's reasonable
26:07to assume that
26:08if he tried to
26:09recruit Adam
26:09two years ago
26:10that he might
26:11try and recruit
26:12Chris and Steve
26:12now.
26:14Detective Slott
26:15approaches the
26:16two young men
26:17with questions
26:17about Bart and
26:19the night of
26:19the murders.
26:20Chris and
26:21Stephen both
26:22agree to provide
26:23DNA samples and
26:24scent samples to
26:25the police.
26:26Stephen's comes
26:27back clean, but
26:29Chris's scent matches
26:30the murder scene
26:31and the murder
26:32weapon.
26:33The fact that
26:34Chris's scent
26:35profile is a match
26:36is significant.
26:38There's no reason
26:39for his scent to
26:40show up on the
26:41Whitaker's gun,
26:42unless he was
26:43actually holding
26:44it during the
26:45murders.
26:46It's not a
26:46strong case yet.
26:55But it's headed
26:56in the right
26:57direction.
26:59As the months
27:00go by, Bart can
27:02see the police
27:02closing in on his
27:03friends.
27:05And that makes
27:06him increasingly
27:07nervous.
27:09By the summer,
27:11police step up the
27:12pressure on Chris
27:13and Stephen.
27:16But before they
27:17can make a move,
27:19Bart disappears.
27:25In Sugar Land, Texas,
27:27Bart Whitaker tries to
27:28recruit his buddy Adam
27:30to kill his family
27:31for a share of the
27:33insurance payout,
27:35planning an elaborate
27:37staged home invasion,
27:39including visual aids.
27:43When the plot goes
27:44sideways, due to an
27:46inconvenient friend with
27:48a conscience, Bart bides
27:50his time for a couple
27:52years, pretending to be a
27:54hard-working college
27:55student.
27:58When the family is
28:00viciously attacked at home
28:01in December 2003,
28:05Bart's new friends,
28:08Chris and Stephen,
28:09leave their scent at the
28:10scene, alerting authorities
28:12about their involvement.
28:15The fact that Chris's
28:17scent profile is a match
28:18is significant.
28:20There's no reason for
28:21his scent to show up
28:23on the Whitaker's gun,
28:24unless he was actually
28:26holding it during the
28:27murders.
28:28With detectives
28:30bearing down,
28:31Bart pens his father
28:32a dear dad letter
28:33and disappears.
28:35By July 2004,
28:38police know that
28:39Bart is the mastermind
28:40behind the plot
28:41to kill his family.
28:44And with the scent
28:45match between Chris
28:46and the crime scene,
28:47they know his buddies
28:49are involved as well.
28:51And what's more,
28:53Bart knows that
28:54they know.
28:55When you have three
28:56co-conspirators,
28:57that gives you a lot
28:59of options as to
29:00where you can apply
29:01pressure.
29:03You've got three people
29:04involved in a criminal
29:05conspiracy.
29:07You can poke one of
29:08them, you can poke two
29:10of them, you can poke
29:11all three of them
29:12and see how they react.
29:14Some good evidence is
29:16going to come out of that.
29:19But as investigators
29:20are closing in,
29:22Bart is one step ahead.
29:24Just when they think
29:25they have him cornered,
29:26Bart manages to slip away.
29:30Seven months after the
29:32murders,
29:32Dad Kent comes home
29:34to a disturbing find.
29:36Kent has continued
29:37to stand by his son,
29:39even in the face
29:40of mounting police
29:41allegations.
29:43Bart continues to
29:44assert his innocence,
29:45and Kent makes sure
29:46that his son has the
29:47best legal representation
29:48possible.
29:50No parent ever wants
29:52to believe that their
29:53child is capable of
29:54something like this.
29:55And on top of that,
29:58Kent is a rather
29:58remarkable human being.
30:01His capacity for
30:02forgiveness and
30:03acceptance is well
30:04beyond the scope
30:05of most people's.
30:07But Bart's capacity
30:08for selfishness
30:10is the same.
30:12Bart tells his father
30:13that he's going out
30:14to the club for the
30:15evening.
30:16Instead, he steals
30:17$10,000 and
30:20takes off.
30:21The next morning,
30:22Kent finds a
30:23handwritten note
30:24from his son,
30:24explaining that he's
30:26leaving to start
30:27a new life.
30:28And asking his dad
30:30to wait before
30:31telling the authorities
30:32to give him a good
30:34head start,
30:35that's a lot.
30:38When Bart skips town,
30:40he leaves his buddies
30:42holding the bag.
30:45With Bart gone,
30:47investigators dial up
30:48the pressure on
30:49Chris and Stephen
30:50to 11.
30:52Sometimes suspects
30:53will crack.
30:56Sometimes they won't.
30:59Maybe more pressure
31:00will cause one of the
31:02suspects to come
31:03forward.
31:04Maybe they will never
31:05come forward.
31:07But you can continue
31:08building your case.
31:12Every little bit is
31:13going to help.
31:16Once the pressure
31:17becomes too much,
31:18you can take advantage
31:19of that opportunity
31:20and hit them again
31:22and see if they'll
31:23give it up.
31:23If they've slipped up
31:25before,
31:25they're going to slip up
31:27again.
31:29As time goes on
31:30without any concrete
31:31results,
31:33investigators bug
31:34Chris and Stephen's
31:35phones,
31:36hoping to catch a break.
31:40Listening to someone's
31:41private conversations
31:42when they don't realize
31:44that you're listening
31:45can yield fantastic
31:47evidence.
31:48But it's not something
31:50that the courts
31:50take lightly.
31:52So it has to be
31:53a last resort.
31:55A year later,
31:56there's still no sign
31:58of Bart,
31:58but one of his
31:59accomplices
32:00finally cracks.
32:03Stephen Champagne
32:04breaks under the
32:05pressure
32:06and agrees
32:06to help police.
32:08Once a suspect
32:09starts talking,
32:10the information
32:11doesn't flow
32:11like Niagara Falls.
32:13You still have
32:14to pull it out
32:14of them
32:15bit by bit
32:16by bit.
32:20Eventually,
32:22Stephen details
32:23his role
32:23as the getaway
32:24driver,
32:25Chris's
32:26as the shooter,
32:27and Bart's
32:28as the mastermind
32:29behind it all.
32:33Stephen's confession
32:34reveals how
32:35Bart lured his
32:36family away
32:37with the fake
32:37story about
32:38his upcoming
32:39graduation.
32:40While they were
32:41out,
32:42Stephen drops
32:42off Chris
32:43at the
32:43Whitaker's
32:44house
32:44and circles
32:45back to
32:45the restaurant
32:46to keep
32:47an eye
32:47on the
32:47family's
32:48movements.
32:49Chris went
32:50through the
32:50house,
32:51trying to
32:51stage it
32:52so that
32:52it looked
32:52like a
32:53robbery.
32:55He then
32:55broke into
32:56the safe,
32:57grabbed the
32:58Whitaker's
32:58gun,
32:59and waited
32:59for them
33:00to come
33:00home.
33:01Chris shot
33:02the family
33:03members
33:03one by
33:04one
33:05as they
33:05entered
33:05the house.
33:07Then they
33:07made a
33:08big show
33:09of Bart
33:09trying to
33:10fight him
33:10off,
33:11and the
33:12cherry on
33:12top was
33:13shooting
33:13Bart in
33:14the arm
33:14to hide
33:15his complicity
33:16in the
33:16scheme.
33:18After Chris
33:18fled out the
33:19back door,
33:20he jumped
33:20into Steve's
33:21car,
33:21and the
33:21two of
33:22them sped
33:22away from
33:23the scene.
33:24The two
33:25of them
33:25stopped at
33:25a bridge
33:27to dispose
33:28of evidence,
33:28which was in
33:29a backpack,
33:30by throwing it
33:31into Lake
33:31Conroe.
33:34Bart had
33:35lured his
33:35two friends
33:36in with
33:36the same
33:37reward he
33:38promised Adam
33:39two years
33:39earlier,
33:41a cut
33:42of his
33:42one million
33:43dollar
33:44inheritance.
33:46But apparently
33:47Bart wasn't
33:48satisfied with
33:49the money
33:50alone.
33:52Bart went
33:53through a lot
33:53of trouble
33:54to ensure
33:55everything was
33:56planned to
33:56the last
33:57detail,
33:57and he
33:58isn't happy
33:59that the
33:59plot fell
34:00short.
34:01For months
34:01after the
34:02shooting,
34:03he complains
34:03about wanting
34:04to finish
34:05the job
34:06because his
34:07father is
34:08still alive.
34:10Bart even
34:10muses about
34:11getting rid of
34:12his uncle
34:13as a part
34:14two,
34:14so he can
34:15keep the
34:16family construction
34:16business to
34:18himself.
34:19The level
34:20of intent
34:20and persistence
34:23that Bart
34:24has in
34:25his desire
34:26to get rid
34:26of his
34:27family,
34:28including
34:29his uncle
34:30to make
34:30sure none
34:31of the
34:31family money
34:32or business
34:33went to
34:34the uncle
34:34is deeply
34:35disturbing.
34:38With
34:38Stephen's
34:39cooperation,
34:40the final
34:41pieces of
34:41the puzzle
34:42fall into
34:43place.
34:45Stephen
34:46takes the
34:47detective to
34:47the spot
34:48on the
34:48bridge where
34:49he and
34:50Chris ditched
34:51the bag
34:51of evidence.
34:52Even
34:53though it's
34:53been more
34:54than a year
34:54since the
34:55shooting,
34:55police are
34:56able to
34:56retrieve the
34:57bag.
34:58Inside is
34:59the chisel
35:00Chris used
35:00to pry
35:01open the
35:01Whitaker
35:02safe,
35:02the match
35:03to the
35:03glove found
35:04at the
35:04crime scene,
35:05ammunition
35:06for the
35:06gun,
35:07and the
35:07cell phones
35:08they used
35:08to coordinate
35:09the hits.
35:10Investigators
35:11now have
35:11cooperating
35:12witnesses.
35:13They have
35:14physical evidence
35:14that they've
35:15recovered,
35:16which corroborates
35:17the evidence
35:18the witnesses
35:18have given
35:19them.
35:20The only
35:21thing they
35:21don't have
35:22is Bart.
35:25Despite a
35:26year-long
35:27search and
35:28the offer
35:28of a $10,000
35:30reward for
35:31any information
35:32on his
35:32whereabouts,
35:33Bart continues
35:34to elude
35:35capture.
35:37But no one
35:38can stay
35:39hidden forever.
35:41In August
35:422005,
35:44the Sugar Land
35:44police get a
35:45lucky break.
35:47A man named
35:48Rudy Rios
35:49contacts them,
35:51saying,
35:52I know where
35:53Bart Whitaker
35:53is.
35:55I helped him
35:56get there.
36:00Rudy is a
36:01buddy of
36:01Bart's who
36:02works at the
36:03country club
36:03as a bus
36:04boy.
36:0614 months
36:07ago,
36:07Bart was
36:07getting worried
36:08that the
36:08police were
36:09closing in
36:10on him.
36:10So Rudy
36:11suggested,
36:13hey,
36:14why don't
36:14you hide
36:14out in
36:15Mexico?
36:17Rudy has
36:17contacts in
36:18Suralvo,
36:19just 40
36:20miles from
36:21the Texas
36:21border.
36:24For three
36:25grand,
36:26he sets
36:26Bart up
36:27with a
36:27whole new
36:27life.
36:30Fake ID,
36:31a place
36:32to live,
36:33everything
36:34you need
36:34to start
36:35over.
36:36Rudy even
36:37lends Bart
36:38his name.
36:39Rudy Rios
36:41Bart lives
36:41as Rudy
36:42Rios in
36:43Mexico for
36:44over a
36:44year.
36:45He has a
36:46job, a
36:47girlfriend, a
36:48whole new
36:48life.
36:48When people
36:49ask him about
36:50his bullet
36:50room, he
36:51tells them he
36:52got it,
36:52fighting in
36:53Afghanistan.
36:55But now,
36:56Rudy hears
36:57about the
36:57reward for
36:58Bart's capture,
36:59and he sees a
37:00way to cash
37:00in a second
37:01time.
37:02Rudy turns
37:03the tables on
37:04Bart.
37:05He paid
37:06his friend
37:07three grand
37:07to set him
37:08up with a
37:08whole new
37:09life.
37:10And now,
37:11his friend
37:11is turning
37:12him in
37:12for a
37:13$10,000
37:14reward.
37:15Bart's
37:15year-long
37:16escapade in
37:17Saralville
37:17comes to
37:18an abrupt
37:19end as
37:21Mexican
37:21authorities
37:21arrest him
37:22and bring
37:23him back
37:24across the
37:25border to
37:25Texas.
37:27In October
37:282005,
37:30Bart and
37:31his friends
37:31are indicted
37:32for capital
37:33murder,
37:34which, in
37:35Texas, carries
37:36the death
37:37penalty.
37:37But as
37:38Bart's trial
37:39gets underway,
37:40opposition
37:41comes from
37:43an unexpected
37:43source.
37:49Bart Whitaker
37:50spends his
37:51days not at
37:52college,
37:52as he
37:53tells his
37:54family, but
37:55planning their
37:56cold-blooded
37:57murder.
37:58Bart recruits
38:00his friends to
38:00carry out the
38:01dirty deed,
38:03then abandons
38:05them for a
38:05life in sunny
38:06Mexico.
38:07Bart lives
38:08as Rudy
38:09Rios in
38:10Mexico for
38:11over a
38:11year.
38:12He has a
38:13job, a
38:13girlfriend, a
38:14whole new
38:15life.
38:16When another
38:17friend turns
38:18Bart in for
38:19the reward
38:20money, the
38:21wayward son
38:22is extradited
38:23back to
38:23Texas to
38:24face the
38:25music.
38:27All three
38:28co-conspirators
38:29are indicted
38:30for capital
38:31murder.
38:33Stephen
38:34Champagne, the
38:35getaway driver,
38:36strikes a deal
38:36with prosecutors,
38:38agreeing to
38:39testify against
38:40Bart and
38:41Chris for a
38:4215-year
38:43sentence.
38:43In cases
38:45with multiple
38:46conspirators, the
38:47first one to
38:48fold gets the
38:49best deal.
38:50In Stephen's
38:51case, a 15-year
38:52term is a far
38:53cry from the
38:54mandatory life
38:55sentence a
38:56charge of
38:56capital murder
38:57carries.
38:59Against
38:59Bart, prosecutors
39:01seek the death
39:02penalty.
39:03Bart's trial
39:04begins in
39:04March 2007,
39:06just over two
39:07years since the
39:08murders of his
39:09mother and
39:10brother.
39:12Stephen testifies
39:13about how
39:14Bart recruited
39:14him and
39:15Chris to
39:16kill his
39:16family, and
39:18how they
39:18carried out
39:19every detail
39:20exactly the
39:21way Bart
39:22planned it.
39:23Adam Hipp
39:24testifies about
39:25Bart's plot
39:26back in 2001
39:27and Bart's
39:28efforts to
39:29pay him off
39:30to keep
39:30quiet.
39:31But
39:32shockingly,
39:33they're not
39:33the only
39:34friends Bart
39:35recruited.
39:36Two other
39:38friends testify
39:38that back in
39:39December 2000,
39:41months before
39:41Bart's plot
39:42with Adam,
39:43Bart had
39:44recruited them
39:45to kill his
39:46family.
39:47One of them
39:47got so far as
39:49to attempt a
39:49break-in at
39:50the house,
39:51but was scared
39:52away when the
39:53security alarms
39:54went off.
39:55The evidence
39:55paints a picture
39:56of a young man
39:57who is absolutely
39:58consumed by the
39:59idea of eliminating
40:00his family.
40:01It only takes the
40:02jury two hours
40:03to convict him.
40:05At the
40:06sentencing phase,
40:07the jury imposes
40:09the maximum
40:10penalty.
40:11Bart will be
40:12put to death.
40:13For Kent
40:14Whitaker,
40:15it's the worst
40:15possible outcome.
40:17He's already
40:17lost two members
40:18of his family.
40:19Losing the last
40:21one feels like
40:22the opposite
40:22of justice.
40:24Six months
40:26after Bart's
40:26trial,
40:27Chris Brashear
40:28pleads guilty
40:29to the lesser
40:29charge of murder
40:30and receives
40:32a life sentence
40:32with the possibility
40:34of parole,
40:35escaping the same
40:36fate as Bart.
40:39For the next
40:40decade,
40:41Kent works
40:42tirelessly
40:43to save his
40:44son.
40:45It's hard to
40:46imagine how
40:47Kent Whitaker
40:47is able to
40:48forgive his son
40:49after such a
40:50heinous crime.
40:52Kent leans in
40:52hard on his
40:53Christian faith,
40:54which helps him
40:55pull through
40:56this very dark
40:57time.
40:58As Bart's
40:59execution date
41:00of February
41:0122nd,
41:022018 nears,
41:04Kent makes
41:05one final
41:06impassioned
41:07plea.
41:09We're not
41:09asking them
41:10to forgive him
41:11or to let him
41:11go.
41:12We just want
41:13them to let
41:14him live.
41:15Bart was my
41:17last surviving
41:18member of my
41:19natural family.
41:21One week
41:22before Bart's
41:22sentence is to
41:23be carried out,
41:25Kent appeals
41:26to the Texas
41:27Board of
41:27Pardons and
41:28Paroles.
41:29He asks for
41:30his son's
41:31death sentence
41:32to be commuted
41:33to life in
41:34prison.
41:35The board
41:36recommends
41:36clemency,
41:37but only the
41:38governor can
41:38grant it.
41:39It's down to
41:40the wire.
41:42On the day
41:43Bart is
41:43scheduled to
41:44be executed,
41:45there's still
41:46no word from
41:47the governor.
41:48As the 6pm
41:49execution time
41:50nears,
41:51Bart has his
41:52final meal and
41:53meets with the
41:54prison chaplain.
41:55By that point,
41:56his life in
41:57Mexico seems
41:58like a distant
41:59memory.
42:00Then, just
42:0240 minutes
42:02before the
42:03clock runs
42:03out, Kent's
42:05prayers are
42:06answered.
42:07Bart Whitaker
42:08was just 40
42:09minutes from
42:10being executed
42:10tonight for the
42:11deaths of his
42:12mother and
42:13brother before
42:13Governor Abbott
42:14stepped in.
42:15Grace White is
42:16here with why
42:16the governor
42:17made this very
42:18rare decision.
42:19Grace?
42:19The governor
42:20cited three
42:21reasons for his
42:22decision.
42:23First, Bart
42:23Whitaker will
42:24never be
42:25released.
42:25Second, the
42:26actual shooter
42:27in this case
42:27didn't get the
42:28death penalty,
42:29he got life
42:30in prison.
42:30And finally,
42:31Whitaker's father,
42:32he said he
42:33would be
42:33victimized again
42:34if the state
42:35executed his
42:37son.
42:37One of the
42:38key factors in
42:39the governor's
42:40decision to
42:41spare Bart is
42:42that Chris
42:42Brashear, the
42:43actual trigger
42:44man, got a
42:45life sentence.
42:46Without a
42:47death penalty
42:48for Chris,
42:49Bart's sentence
42:50felt disproportionate.
42:54After ruthlessly
42:56plotting to kill
42:57his family for
42:58years, and
42:59recruiting friend
43:00after friend
43:02after friend
43:04to be his
43:04hitman, Bart
43:06Whitaker will
43:07spend the rest
43:08of his life
43:08behind bars.
43:12His journey
43:13from golden
43:14boy to pretend
43:15Mexican to
43:17death row
43:17inmate proves
43:19if you want to
43:21separate from
43:21your family, move
43:23away.
43:24A hitman is
43:26never the answer.
43:54doorbell
44:04$70.
44:06there
44:07door
44:10tre
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