Bart Whitaker
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Thomas Bartlett Whitaker (born December 31, 1979) is an American convicted under the Texas
law of parties The Texas law of parties states that a person can be criminally responsible for the actions of another in certain circumstances, including " in the attempt to carry out a conspiracy to commit one felony, another felony is committed by one of t ...
of murdering two family members as a 23-year-old. Whitaker was convicted and sentenced to death in March 2007 for the December 10, 2003 murders of his mother and 19-year-old brother. He spent years on death row at the
Polunsky Unit Allan B. Polunsky Unit (TL, formerly the Terrell Unit) is a prison in West Livingston, Texas, West Livingston, unincorporated area, unincorporated Polk County, Texas, United States, located approximately southwest of Livingston, Texas, Living ...
near
Livingston, Texas Livingston is a town in and the county seat of Polk County, Texas, United States. With a population of 5,640 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, it is the largest city in Polk County. It is located approximately south of Lufk ...
, before the commutation of his death sentence. Whitaker's father, who Whitaker had also attempted to have murdered, had pleaded with Governor
Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
for the
commutation Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to: * Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work Mathematics * Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation whose result is insensitive to th ...
of Whitaker's sentence, stating that by executing his son, the state was simply making him a victim once again. On February 22, 2018, about 40 minutes before his scheduled 6:00  execution, Whitaker had his death sentence commuted to
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...
without the possibility of
parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
by Abbott, the first such commutation by Abbott and the first in the state since 2007, in which Governor
Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...
commuted Kenneth Foster's death sentence. As of September 2021, Whitaker resided in the
McConnell Unit William G. McConnell Unit (ML) is a Texas state prison located in unincorporated Bee County, Texas, along Texas State Highway 181, east of the city limits of Beeville. It is a part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The unit, ...
near
Beeville, Texas Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, Bee County, Texas, United States. Its population of 13,543 at the 2020 census makes it the 207th-largest city in Texas. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend Co ...
.


Early life and education

Thomas Bartlett "Bart" Whitaker was born on December31, 1979, to father Kent, the comptroller of a construction company, and mother Patricia (Trish), an elementary school teacher. Whitaker attended
Clements High School William P. Clements High School, more commonly known as Clements High School, is a public high school in Sugar Land, Texas. Named after former Texas governor Bill Clements, Clements High School is a part of the Fort Bend Independent School Dist ...
where in 1997 as a 17-year-old he received a criminal conviction for a series of seven burglaries that he had "meticulous y planned, leading other young friends in the spree. In that same time frame, Whitaker's parents had bought him several
luxury vehicles A luxury car is a passenger automobile providing superior comfort levels, features, and equipment. More expensive materials and surface finishes are used, and buyers expect a correspondingly high quality (business), build quality. The term is ...
. Note, no access to content is apparently available online. Whitaker began attending
Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...
in 2001, transferring from there to
Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...
(SHSU), where he was thought by his parents to be in attendance in late 2003, and from which he was expected to graduate. He had lied to his parents about his continued status in college; varying reports had him dropping out of SHSU months before, or being present there as a freshman on academic probation. His parents funded his academic pursuits. In addition, they purchased a lakeside townhouse in
Willis, Texas Willis is a city in Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, Texas, United States, located eight miles north of Conroe, Texas, Conroe in north central Montgomery County. The city began to develop in 1870 after what is now the Union Pacific Ra ...
, for his use, and a $4,000
Rolex Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...
watch was given to him as a college graduation present hours before the murders.


Murders

On December 10, 2003, Bart falsely told his family that he was graduating from SHSU. The family drove to the nearby Pappadeaux restaurant in
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
for a celebratory dinner. Whitaker had enlisted two individuals to carry out the shootings: Chris Brashear, shooter, and Steven Champagne, Brashear's getaway driver. Brashear, dressed in black (including a
ski mask A balaclava, also called a ski mask, is a form of cloth headgear designed to expose only part of the face, usually the eyes and mouth. Depending on style and how it is worn, only the eyes, mouth and nose, or just the front of the face are unpro ...
), entered the Whitaker family home, took Bart's brother 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. Upon returning home but before entering the house, Bart said that he needed to collect his cell phone from his parked Yukon, knowing that Brashear was armed and waiting inside to kill his family. Kevin entered the family home first and reportedly smiled when he saw the masked Brashear. Brashear shot Kevin once through his chest, and Kevin fell to the floor. Patricia was then also shot in the chest, also falling to the floor. Kent rushed in and was shot in the shoulder with the bullet shattering his
humerus The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...
. Bart then ran inside and staged a struggle with Brashear, getting shot in his left arm to divert suspicion. Brashear then exited through the Whitakers' back door and jumped over the fence into the rear neighbor's yard. The Whitakers' neighbor, Cliff Stanley, was the first person to arrive on the scene. He could see that Kevin was dead, but Patricia was still alive. Patricia died shortly after the start of her airlift by Life Flight to
Memorial Hermann Hospital A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as homes ...
; Bart's father Kent survived. Bart told
first responders A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency. First responders typically include law enforcement officers (commonly known as ...
that he thought the gunman was black, in order to divert suspicion away from Brashear. See also this


Investigation and arrest

Whitaker left for
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
in June 2004. He told his father he was going to a club and never returned. Using $3,000 to persuade an acquaintance to assist him, he assumed the name "Rudy Rios" and found work in a furniture shop in Cerralvo, Mexico. There, he developed a relationship with a woman and concocted a story of service in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
to explain his gunshot wound. He lived there under the false name for over a year. On September 15, 2005, a capital murder warrant was issued against Whitaker. The acquaintance who had assisted Whitaker to flee became aware of reward money that had been offered for his arrest, and communicated Whitaker's whereabouts to the police. Cooperating with US authorities, Mexican authorities arrested Whitaker without incident under immigration charges. In September 2005, Whitaker was handed over to U.S. authorities at the
border town A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different coun ...
of
Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...
, where he was arrested for capital murder.


Trial and conviction

Whitaker was refused a
plea bargain A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include a ...
in exchange for his admission of guilt by District Attorney John Healey, and was instead tried for
capital murder Capital murder refers to a category of murder in some parts of the US for which the perpetrator is eligible for the death penalty. In its original sense, capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, Northern Irela ...
. The trial began in March 2007, led by prosecutor Fred Felcman before 400th District Court Judge Clifford Vacek and a Fort Bend County jury. Evidence was presented that Whitaker had recruited two individuals, Steve Champagne and Chris Brashear, ages 24 and 25 at the time of the 2007 trial respectively, Champagne to be the getaway car driver and Brashear to carry out the shootings in Whitaker's plan to murder his immediate family. Early evidence was presented that Whitaker had previously recruited others in abortive plots to murder his family, plots involving a co-conspirator named Adam Hipp, who had attended
Clements High School William P. Clements High School, more commonly known as Clements High School, is a public high school in Sugar Land, Texas. Named after former Texas governor Bill Clements, Clements High School is a part of the Fort Bend Independent School Dist ...
with Whitaker. At the trial, Hipp stated that he had contacted the Sugar Land Police Department with information about previous plots after he heard about the Whitaker family murders in 2003; he was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying for the prosecution against Whitaker. The early testimony from Hipp 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 ngout of the blaze with burns so that it would appear he had narrowly escaped." 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 $1 million—further testified that in December 2000, 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 The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' to be "virtually identical to the one hampagne would soon testifywas actually carried out three years later." Trial judge Vacek handling of the prosecution's use of a phone recording between Hipp and Whitaker would become an element of the defense's later appeal of the verdict. In other early testimony, Steve Champagne described Whitaker recruiting him to be the getaway driver for Whitaker's eventual 2003 plan to murder his immediate family, and his testimony included the detail that Whitaker's gunshot wound was a ploy to make it look like he was a victim, too. Prosecutors presented evidence that although it wasn't Whitaker who shot his family members, he was responsible for the murders because he played the leading part in the conspiracy to commit the murders. The prosecution's theory of motive focused on financial gain, with evidence variously described as pointing to Whitaker standing to inherit "about $1.5 million" after the death of his parents and brother, or that he had wanted to capitalize on a million-dollar life insurance payout. At trial, it was noted that Whitaker had access to an $80,000 trust fund from his grandparents although he testified that he did not know he could access it. 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. Kent Whitaker had already forgiven his son and his co-conspirators for their parts in the murders (reported on as early as 2007), and had tried at the time of his son's trial, years earlier, to persuade the jury not to deliver a death sentence. On Friday, March 2, 2007, prosecutor Fred Felcman and the State of Texas rested the prosecution's case in the capital murder trial for Thomas Bartlett Whitaker's role in the deaths of his brother and mother. Randy McDonald, attorney for the defense, rested their case on the same day, without calling witnesses, and judge Vacek scheduled closing arguments for the morning of March 5. After closing arguments, the case went to the jury. After deliberation the Fort Bend County jury convicted Whitaker of
capital murder Capital murder refers to a category of murder in some parts of the US for which the perpetrator is eligible for the death penalty. In its original sense, capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, Northern Irela ...
, under the Texas
law of parties The Texas law of parties states that a person can be criminally responsible for the actions of another in certain circumstances, including " in the attempt to carry out a conspiracy to commit one felony, another felony is committed by one of t ...
. The trial had lasted six days in total; the "jury deliberat dfor 2 hours, and sentenced Whitaker to death."


Co-conspirator convictions

In a plea bargain worked out with prosecutors, Chris Brashear received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years for his role in the murders; Steven Champagne received 15 years after serving as the main witness for the prosecution.


Appeals and lawsuits

Whitaker appealed his death sentence, suggesting nine points of error. In 2009, the state appeals court found in favor of the appellant on none of these points of law. On October 1, 2013, Whitaker and two
death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...
convicts, Perry Williams and Michael Yowell, sued
Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
(TDCJ) directors Brad Livingston and Williams Stephens; James Jones, senior warden at the TDCJ's
Huntsville prison Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit (HV), nicknamed "Walls Unit", is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Ins ...
, where executions take place; and unknown executioners. The lawsuit questioned the purity of the drug—
pentobarbital Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of insomnia but ...
—used to execute prisoners in the Texas prison system. On October 4, 2013, the case was dismissed for Whitaker and Williams because neither had been issued execution warrants at the time of the lawsuit. On October 9, 2013, Yowell was executed with the drug in question after
U.S. District Judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district. Each district cov ...
Lynn Hughes Lynn Nettleton Hughes (born 1941) is an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He gained attention for being removed from a number of cases for showing bias and failin ...
refused to stay his execution. Whitaker and Williams later appealed to the U.S.
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...
, which upheld the original dismissal. This case continued back and forth in courts for several years. In 2015, the Texas Attorney General's office agreed to test the doses of pentobarbital for Whitaker and Williams shortly before their executions. Whitaker withdrew his appeal pertaining to the purity of the drug used, pending at the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
, just before a decision by the Texas Governor to grant clemency and commute his sentence. The Supreme Court formally refused to hear the appeal on February 26, 2018. After losing a separate appeal in the federal courts early in 2017, Whitaker's legal team appealed his claims to the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
. The appeal was
certiorari In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of a prerogative writ in England, issued by a superior court to direct that the recor ...
denied. On November 1, 2017, his death warrant was signed, scheduling his execution for February 22, 2018.


Commutation of sentence

Alongside the legal submission from the Whitaker legal team—an 18-page document from Whitaker lawyers Keith S. Hampton and James Rytting (the latter at Hilder & Associates), Whitaker's father, Kent, also appealed, cooperating with the legal team's submission and writing a letter in the public forum of the ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' on January 18, 2018, asking that the
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) is a state agency that makes parole and clemency decisions for inmates in Texas prisons. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The BPP was created by constitutional amendment in 1935. It determines wh ...
"spare my son". Board Chairman, David G. Gutiérrez, also met with Kent Whitaker for a half hour. On February 20, 2018, in a rare decision, the
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) is a state agency that makes parole and clemency decisions for inmates in Texas prisons. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The BPP was created by constitutional amendment in 1935. It determines wh ...
recommended that the death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. The seven-member Board unanimously recommended clemency to Republican
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
, the first time it had done so unanimously since 2009. Abbott accepted their recommendation and commuted Whitaker's death sentence, noting that Whitaker 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." This was the first commutation of such a sentence from Abbott and the first from a Texas Governor since 2007. Abbott cited the fact that Whitaker did not fire the gun and that his father, Kent, "insists that he would be victimized again if the state put to death his last remaining immediate family member," as the reasons for the commutation. Abbott also said that “The totality of these factors warrants a commutation of Mr. Whitaker’s death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mr. Whitaker must spend the remainder of his life behind bars as punishment for this heinous crime.” Whitaker responded to the commutation of his sentence by saying, "I am thankful for this decision, not for me but for my dad." Whitaker had previously stated his strong opposition to the idea of life without the possibility for parole and wrote in his blog from prison: Whitaker had earlier stated, when his execution was still expected, that he felt that his father would be further victimized by the execution.


Chronology of cases

* Finalisation of Whitaker's conviction within the Texas system. Case No. AP-75,654, arising from Cause No. 42,969 in the 400th District Court, Fort Bend County, Texas. The court opens, noting that the Appellant did not "challenge the sufficiency of... evidence" supporting the original conviction for capital murder, appealing only the sentence of death, there raising "raises nine points of error". The court cursorily rejected five as having been earlier decided (without subsequent change in court opinion). Four others the Court addressed as new arguments, regarding the prosecutions reference at trial to Whitaker's original pre-trial "proffer" for penalty other than death and its omission from the trial record, "nonuniform 'application of the law'" during trial and sentencing, and admission at trial of arguably prejudicial parts of a recording related to the 2001 murder plot; the Appellant argued these constituted reversible error denying Whitaker's state and federal constitutional rights to a fair trial. The Court concluded, " nding no merit in any ... points" and "affirmed the judgment of the trial court", including sentence. * ''Thomas Whitaker, Perry Williams and Michael Yowell v. Brad Livingston et al.'' (S.D. Tex. October 1, 2013
Case 4:13-cv-02901
. Whitaker, Williams, and Yowell argued that the drugs used for lethal injection in Texas prisons "runs a substantial risk of grave pain." * "Before Prado, Elrod, and Graves, Circuit Judges. / Per Curiam / Pursuant to 5th Cir. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in ... 47.5.4." Case No. 13-20750, Appeal of the Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1) dismissal, by the district court, of a defendant civil action that had asserted that their rights to due process, access to the courts, and punishment not cruel or unusual were violated. Here, the order of the district court was vacated, and the case remanded "so that Whitaker nd Williams beable to fully develop ... claims based on the existing protocol for an appropriate trial on the merits." * Appeal of Whitaker's case to the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
, Case No. 17-5080, Capital Case, docketed on July 6, 2017, information drawn from a posting of the Order List for 583 U.S. for Tuesday, October 10, 2017 (entry on p. 6 of 12 pp.). For the Supreme Court record listing all proceedings and orders arising from the July 6, 2017 U.S. docketing of the appeal of the April 4, 2017 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (lower court, case no. 16–70013), se
this record
accessed January 6, 2022. The petition was certiorari denied on October 10, 2017, with the Court providing no comment or explanation.
Whitaker vs. Stephens

Thomas Bartlett Whitaker vs. Lorie Davis
* Thomas Whitaker and Christopher Wilkins, et al. v. Oliver J. Bell, Members of the Tx. Brd. of Criminal Justice, John Whitmire, David J. Callender, M.D., Governor Rick Perry, et al.


Other post-conviction developments

Thomas Whitaker and other inmates initiated an unsuccessful class action against the State of
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, addressing the conditions on its
death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...
, — Class Action Complaint, Jury Trial Demanded where inmates are kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Kent Whitaker and his father, the only surviving victim of the crime, wrote the book, '' Murder by Family: The incredible true story of a son's treachery and a father's forgiveness'', which — as described by Barry Leibowitz for
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
— is about his "heart-wrenching journey ... to forgive the nameless stranger" responsible for his wounding, and the "brutal murder of his wife and son," a journey that included his realizing that the murder "had been orchestrated by isoldest son Bart." Whitaker provides an account from his perspective as father "behind-the-scenes," focusing on the time frame from the crime through his son's sentencing, addressing motive, and including portions of his correspondence with his son. Whitaker earned an undergraduate degree from
Adams State University Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado, United States. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. History Adams State was founded in 1921 as a normal scho ...
,, and a
Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
degree in Humanities from
California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...
. These are reported to have been earned while he was on death row. For the latter, he appears to have presented a thesis in partial fulfillment of the degree, entitled "Who Fears Hell Runs Toward It," in summer 2018. The master's thesis has been subject of some controversy, as someone appears to have offered it as a book for sale (see also below).


Writing

Whitaker has contributed to Solitary Watch, where he wrote about the effects of
solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...
on himself and other
death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...
inmates. He also contributed to '' Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement.'' Whitaker won prizes in
PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922, and headquartered in New York City, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose goal is to raise awareness for the protection of free expression in the United States and worldwide th ...
's Prison Writing Program for his essay "Hell's Kitchen," "Manufacturing Anomie" and the essay "A Nothing Would Do as Well." He was named a 2018-2019 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow, a program that aims to support creation of "written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate." Scholarly attention has been directed toward this PEN program, noting that while PEN was an esteemed human rights organization known for the defense of free speech rights, in particular of persecuted writers, the Prison Writing Program presented a distinct agenda, namely in a " eliefin the restorative and rehabilitative power of writing" 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. Ira Wells, in particular, points to Whitaker's participation in the program to exemplify the questions, declaring Whitaker's prison writing powerful in its ability to "shock readers into a sensory appreciation of the radical strangeness of islife lived." In 2007, Whitaker founded an inmate blog, originally created with the assistance of his father and now maintained by volunteers, entitled Minutes Before Six; it has published his work and trial records, and articles, poetry, and art from inmates held in prisons in the United States. The name of the blog references "the hour at which executions take place in Texas." As of 2019, the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
was investigating a report that Whitaker's master's thesis was being offered for sale online.


Bibliography of Whitaker's written work

Examples of the prison writing of the title subject, with dates of their first publication, include: * * * *


See also

*
Dana Ewell Dana James Ewell (born January 28, 1971) is a convicted American murderer who was sentenced to three life sentences for ordering the killing of his father, mother, and sister in 1992.
– a
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
man who arranged the execution of his family after lying about business success while at college


Footnotes


References


Further reading

* {{cite magazine , author1 = Ridgeway, James , author2 = Casella, Jean , date=May 2, 2013 , title = Polunsky , series = America's 10 worst prisons , magazine = Mother Jones , url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/05/10-worst-prisons-america-allan-polunsky-unit-texas-death-row , access-date = January 4, 2022 — A piece about the conditions in the prison where Whitaker was once held. * {{cite web , author = Jones, Andrea , date = September 2, 2013 , title = Prison writing and political will , website = TheAmericanReader.com , url = https://theamericanreader.com/prison-writing-and-political-will/ , access-date = January 9, 2022 — A prisoner-centric piece, with essentially no mention of crimes committed or of victims, focusing on the difficulties faced by prisoners who wish to write for an outside readership. For a citation presenting the appearing date of publication of this work, see this source: {{cite web , title=Prison writing political will , date=2013 , website=prisonerresource.com , url=https://prisonerresource.com/201392prison-writing-political-will/ * {{cite magazine , author = Hannaford, Alex , date = June 12, 2015 , title = Letters from death row: Faith behind bars , magazine =
The Texas Observer ''The Texas Observer'' (also known as the ''Observer'') is an American magazine with a liberal political outlook. The ''Observer'' is published bimonthly by a 501(c)(3)Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a nonprofit politics and public policy news website headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Its stated aim is to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. ''The Texas Tr ...
, url=https://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/20/rare-move-texas-parole-board-recommends-clemency-death-row-inmate-thom/ , access-date = January 4, 2022 — An extensive piece of Texas-based reporting on the clemency outcome. * {{cite web , author1 = Meissner, Caits , author2 = Whitaker, Thomas Bartlett , date = April 19, 2019 , title = Works of justice: An interview with Writing for Justice fellow Thomas Bartlett Whitaker , website = PEN.org , publisher =
PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922, and headquartered in New York City, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose goal is to raise awareness for the protection of free expression in the United States and worldwide th ...
, url=https://pen.org/works-of-justice-thomas-bartlett-whitaker-interview , access-date=2019-05-16 — An interview of Whitaker by Meissner of PEN, after his receipt of their fellowship. * {{cite web , author = Beausoleil, Sophia , date=August 14, 2019 , title=Convicted killer accused of writing, selling book while in prison , website = Click2Houston.com , url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/2019/08/14/convicted-killer-accused-of-writing-selling-book-while-in-prison/ , access-date = January 4, 2022 — A report on a Texas investigation into the sale of Whitaker's MS thesis online.


External links

* {{cite web , title=Images of the "Faces of death row" , date=August 30, 2016 , publisher=
Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a nonprofit politics and public policy news website headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Its stated aim is to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. ''The Texas Tr ...
, url=https://apps.texastribune.org/death-row/ — an updated presentation of all Inmates on death row in Texas. * {{cite web , title=Criminal Case Record links , website=tylerpaw.co.fort-bend.tx.us , url=http://tylerpaw.co.fort-bend.tx.us/PublicAccess/Search.aspx?ID=100 — for the two Fort Bend County cases for Whitaker. * {{cite web , publisher=
Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...
(TDCJ) , title=Whitaker, Thomas , series=Death Row Information , url=https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/whitakerthomas.html — record regarding Whitaker's earlier stay on death row * {{cite magazine , author=Penn, Nathaniel , others=Winters, Dan (photographer) , date=2 March 2017 , title=Buried alive: Stories from inside solitary confinement , magazine= GQ magazine (gq.com) , url=https://www.gq.com/story/buried-alive-solitary-confinement — magazine article featuring a 600 word statement from Whitaker claiming TDCJ retaliation for a Section 1983 assertion his constitutional rights had been violated. {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Thomas Bartlett 1979 births 2003 murders in the United States Living people American people convicted of murder American prisoners sentenced to death Familicides in the United States People convicted of murder by Texas Prisoners sentenced to death by Texas People convicted of soliciting murder 21st-century American criminals American male criminals Criminals from Texas Adams State University alumni California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni Recipients of gubernatorial clemency in Texas