need to add title here

The Sugar Land Conspiracy

August 22, 2009 7:00 PM

A man accused of murder is passionately defended by one of the people he tried to kill. Peter Van Sant reports

Recent Segments
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Add a Comment See all 24 Comments
by poorerobin November 15, 2009 6:14 PM EST
I cannot believe the many plots that Bart hatched to try to kill his family, and only one came forward to tell the police. Bart deserved the death penalty. He felt no remorse until he was caught. The actual murderer deserved the death penalty, too. Bart is truly evil, and the time he serves in prison until his death needs to be filled with the horrible deed he put in place. I hope he feels no peace whatsover. This is a horrible story, but I saw the true face of evil in Bart Whitaker!
Reply to this comment
by ansie25 October 30, 2009 6:09 PM EDT
Seeing this I just want to hug the father in this story and just wish even a tiny bit of peace for him. For Bart, I do believe in forgiveness but someone like him just makes me think, "is God really going to forgive him??!!" I believe the law is the law and if he is put to death, then God will judge him then. For the father, my heart just breaks for him. How can one man take so much? I respect that he wants to stand by his son. That is the epitomy of a strong person, a devoted person and again I pray for him that he will have some sort of peace at some point in his life. As for Bart, I pray I never, ever know anyone like you.
Reply to this comment
by rn1lori October 22, 2009 6:50 PM EDT
How is it that so many people were aware, throughout the timespan of years, of a plot by Bart to kill his family? Do we possess no moral values? There is no harm in sharing this information with the police, planning to kill someone is a crime. I feel Kent's pain, this is the last remaining member of his immediate family & I can sympathize with his request to spare him another death. Murderers, even in Texas, sit for a lifetime on death row.
Reply to this comment
by maryisadetective September 27, 2009 6:46 PM EDT
Does anyone know what it meant when it said in June the courts upheld its conviction?
Reply to this comment
by HotJohnee September 23, 2009 6:19 AM EDT
Wait so he gets the death penalty and the actual shooter only gets life??? What the hell kind of justice is that?
Reply to this comment
by firstoffense September 16, 2009 5:28 AM EDT
The death penalty is getting off easy compared to a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Horrible things happen in prison and people commit suicide there. I would rather get the death penalty than spend the rest of my days in prison. I would rather see someone get a life sentence in a max security prison for a horrible crime committed. I still do not see how the law gets satisfaction for giving someone the death penalty. This story was sad and I felt in love with the family, even Bart.
Reply to this comment
by cocoluca September 12, 2009 12:18 AM EDT
This is an extremely dangerous man.
Reply to this comment
by Leelah0824 September 8, 2009 5:34 PM EDT
Bart committed an exceedingly evil act when he killed his own mother and brother and tried to kill his father - for money. His father has somehow forgiven him. I am humbled by his father's grace and faith.
Reply to this comment
by mrystym August 27, 2009 1:51 PM EDT
If Bart hated his family so much he should have moved to Mexico and stayed there. He didnt have to kill them. Don't these people realize they are going to get caught eventually??? Then the "freedom" they sought for themselves is turned into life in prison.

He is spoiled,self-centered and a coward to get others to do his dirty work for him. Yes there is forgiveness for anything but the consequences remain...
Reply to this comment
by mrystym August 27, 2009 1:50 PM EDT
If Bart hated his family so much he should have moved to Mexico and stayed there. He didnt have to kill them. Don't these people realize they are going to get caught eventually??? Then the "freedom" they sought for themselves is turned into life in prison.

He is spoiled,self-centered and a coward to get others to do his dirty work for him. Yes there is forgiveness for anything but the consequences remain...
Reply to this comment
by Rafeh1 August 25, 2009 6:46 PM EDT
It is just the chickens coming back. These people loved Jesus and they also loved war. The war they supported cost the lives of more than a million innocent Iraqi's including men, women, children, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grand fathers, grand mothers, brothers, sisters, uncle's aunts, nephews, neices, grand sons and grand daughters.

None of these texas war supporters remembered Jesus when thee bombs were dropping, When innocent children and families were being tortured these white people saw nothing wrong. Jesus did not have anything to say to them. Even though they claimed to remember Jesus everyday.

www.whtt.org
Reply to this comment
by republicants August 25, 2009 4:18 PM EDT
I was against the death penalty until I watched this episode

This family had blinders on, heavy duty blinders. They think that their son is graduating and he only has freshman credit. They are told by police that a college friend said that their son was hatching a plan to kill them, they don't believe it. Sometimes families get too wrapped up in their image and turn the other cheek to the misgivings of their own.

I rely on my faith a lot to get me through things, and I believe that the only judge that matters is not on this earth. This kid was pure freakin evil, if it was anyone else other than him, I would love to see what the response would be from his father and church (the church was mostly in favor of sparing his life)
Reply to this comment
by traffic101 August 25, 2009 8:57 AM EDT
He is pure evil. I just wonder how his friends went along with this?
If anyone deserves the death penalty it is him.

The prosecutor was amazing! All his questions were "right on". Especially when he asked him "why are you crying now"? He wasn't hard to look at either! What a fox! I'm moving to Texas! Wow!
Reply to this comment
by true_or_not August 25, 2009 2:27 AM EDT
I can't believe nobody knew the reason for this crime. GREED & MONEY. Why else would he want them dead when there was no bad relationship between any of them. He is a rotton lil kid that wanted to have the easy life handed to him. I feel for the father. I know he will be ok. His faith is strong. If it had been anyone else that ploted this, he would still forgive them. I wish my faith was as strong.

God Bless this man.
Reply to this comment
by Cherokee1624 August 23, 2009 10:09 PM EDT
He can't even shed a tear. He is absolutely the poster child for the death penalty. I'm proud to live in Texas, where a man who murders an entire family, gets exactly what he deserves. I hope he squirms in hell!
Reply to this comment
by BrinksBuddy August 23, 2009 9:44 PM EDT
I agree with you jbauthor - especially when he not only planned this for three years but created the lie of graduation and sat there during the family dinner knowing that the end was soon to come for the family that truly loved him. I'm only sorry for the expense that the state will endure from all the appeals for the next ten - twenty years! ...and if you ask me the shooter should have to suffer the same fate!
Reply to this comment
by jbrauthor August 23, 2009 9:18 PM EDT
The fact that when one person kills another they should be allowed to live is preposterous and makes no sense, and it shows that society does not place anough value on a human life. The death peanalty should be for even one person who it is shown has conclusively killed another. What right does killer have to live?
Lethal injection, hanging, or the firing is too quick, people who killed another person should suffer more as they do in some foreighn countries, where murderers are stoned to death. To hear this nonsense about God forgiving murderers, how about where it says in the bible about an eye for any eye. This punk tried 3 times to murder his famiily, which means the evil went to bed with him for 3 years until he finally was able to dupe 2 loser friends of his to help him kill his parents. Murder of this kind where complete betrayal took place demands the death penalty, and not 10 years of appeals. Bart would have killed his father if he had been among the first through the door on that murderous night. Why should the public feed, provide medical care, for this murderer who will live better in jail than our homeless military veterans. Let's wake up America !!
Reply to this comment
by Snowhare August 23, 2009 2:01 PM EDT
Hey, TheFed41
What do you mean by that? A law that calls for death sentence because you "slandered the name of your country" was recently abolished in Turkey. Was that "God's Law?

The convict is guilty. He deserves severe punishment and I do believe that he will remain a threat to anyone if he ever walked free again.
The problem the father's love shows is about death penalty. A lifelong sentence wouldn't have been so bad.

However, as long as the death penalty exist in Texas or any other state, it will remain a horroble penalty

Abolish death penalty and many problems are solved.
Reply to this comment
by TheFed41 August 23, 2009 12:17 AM EDT
LET'S NOT FORGET THAT ALL LAW'S ARE GOD'S LAW'S.......
Reply to this comment
See all 24 Comments
  • Catch Her If You Can Catch Her If You Can

    42:30 November 21, 2009

  • Exclusive: Marjorie's Diary Exclusive: Marjorie's Diary

    4:22 November 21, 2009

  • Web Extra: Police Interview Web Extra: Police Interview

    5:05 November 21, 2009

  • Web Extra: Police Phone Call Web Extra: Police Phone Call

    5:01 November 21, 2009

  • Preview: Krystal's Courage Preview: Krystal's Courage

    0:44 November 21, 2009

  • Dow's Reporter's Notebook Dow's Reporter's Notebook

    2:59 November 23, 2009