Son Has Entire Family Gunned Down And Killed, But Dad Survived. Now Dad Wants to Save Son

In 2003, Thomas Whitaker attempted to have his father, brother, and mother murdered. Whitaker hired his college roommate, Chris Brashear, to murder his family members. Brashear gunned down Thomas’s mother, Patricia, and brother, Kevin. Kent Whitaker, Thomas’s father, was shot, but ultimately survived. Despite the horrific crime, the surviving father forgives his son.

Thomas Whitaker was given the death penalty for planning the murders, but Kent has tried to have the sentence commuted to life in prison. “I don’t want to see him executed right there in front of my eyes. I know Tricia and Kevin would not want him to be executed,” Kent said, “I can’t imagine seeing the last living part of my family executed by the state.”

Thomas Whitaker’s attorneys had originally appealed against the death penalty, saying that Thomas had fully admitted to his crime and took full responsibility for it. They also argued that Thomas’ trial attorneys were deficient. However, prosecutors rejected the plea because it did not contain an expression of remorse for Thomas’ actions.

Kent hopes that he can still save his remaining son. “If he was going to ever trust God, I realized that he needed to believe that forgiveness was available to him,” Kent said. “I have seen too much killing already.”

During the shooting, Kent was shot in the chest and barely survived. While he was laying in the hospital, he had a crisis of faith. He claimed that he knew God would want him to forgive, but he also fantasized about hurting the gunman who murdered his wife and son.

Kent forgives Thomas because he believes “if Dad could forgive him, then maybe God could forgive him.” The motive for the murders was determined to be a million dollar inheritance, but Kent states that his wealth was exaggerated.

Kent has tried everything to save his son from execution, however, he knows that he will be there if it does happen. “As he goes to sleep, I want him to be able to look at me and see that I love him,” Kent said, “I really want him to know that I forgive him, that I love him.”

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