That turned me around and got me thinking that God might have a plan for me. He spoke first to Waid, who remained impassive, and then to Charlie. I'm here. They entered through the front door, which Erin had left open. He could not ask Erin any of the questions he longed to know the answers to; her lawyer had warned him that their conversations were being recorded and anything Erin said could be used against her at trial. She couldnt sing a lick.. "They burst into our bedroom and opened fire, shooting me several times." Caffey also said Assistant attorney general Lisa Tanner, a seasoned prosecutor who has sent four men to death row in her eighteen years as a trial lawyer, was assigned to the case. Charlie told the detective that he asked Erin several times to consider running away, but she was emphatic that she wanted her parents dead. A US school student read out loud sexually explicit passages from a library book as he raged against its content at a school board meeting. Yet Tanner had no doubt that Erin had masterminded the crime. Still, sometimes he seemed ambivalent about their plan. I don't care just do what you gotta do, she allegedly said, according to Killer Couples.. I told him about her and Charlie having sex afterwards, which was by far the hardest thing to have to tell him. It was a promise ring, he told her. "The hardest thing [was] to hear that. June 26, 2012— -- Terry Caffey is a survivor of a brutal murder attempt. She asked him to lunch last June, and they never ran out of things to talk about. Terry and his wife, Penny, had three children together, 16-year-old Erin, 13-year-old Matthew, and 8-year-old Tyler. Wilkinson and Waid then ransacked the house for valuables Wilkinson had allegedly promised Waid $2,000 that was stashed away and set fire to the place with lighter fluid. It was the only way they could be together, she seemed to believe. Items related to Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas. They were scared, and I could not stand to look at their faces, he said. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Do you realize she is sixteen years old? Terry had already begun to grow uneasy with how fast the relationship seemed to be moving. He feels that God has restored what the enemy had stolen. At their sentencing hearings in January, Terry rose to address each of them in the courtroom. After Erin Caffeys parents told her to break up with her boyfriend, Charlie Wilkinson, she suggested a dark plan: murdering them and her two younger brothers. The take, along with the contents of Terrys wallet and Pennys purse, amounted to $375 and some change, he said. The father wasn't home, and he still visits the daughter. She was disoriented, and Fisher thought that she appeared to be under the influence of some kind of drug. Terry has since remarried and is now pursuing ministry full-time. Then, they discovered Erin Caffey in the trailer where he was living, and she appeared to be in a state of shock. I know theres no such thing as perfect, but in my book, they were, said Tommy Gaston, who was a frequent guest in their home and played in a gospel band with Penny. I want them to wake up every day and think about what they took and hopefully one day they will find remorse in their hearts. What they found convinced them that they had to separate him from their daughter. Johnson, who is serving a forty-year sentence, recalled how Charlie had repeatedly asked Erin to consider running away as the group had driven around before the murders. Charles Dickerson was the only officer on duty on March 1, 2008, when the call came into the Rains County sheriffs office just after four-thirty in the morning that there had been a shooting at the Caffey residence. Her parents did not approve of the relationship and worried that I dont remember anything after that. Then, in early February, Penny overheard Erin giggling one night past her phone curfewErin had sneaked her cell phone into her room to call Charlie. But the kicker was from 1:22 a.m. to 1:58 a.m., when she called him seven more times. Twice a week, Terry made the trip to Greenville to see his daughter. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry's wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. Erin Caffeys brothers eight-year-old Tyler and 13-year-old Matthew played the guitar and the harmonica, respectively. Parents Terry and Penny Caffey had three children: one daughter, 16-year-old Erin, and two sons, 13-year-old Matthew (or "Bubba") and 8-year-old Tyler. She seemed totally sincere and genuine, and I would have put my license on the line to say that she was telling me the truth. They drove down back roads for a while to blow off steam. The pastors wife, Rebecca McGahee, was deeply troubled by her demeanor later that month, when she sang at her grandfathers funeral. Youre Erin Caffey? chief deputy Fischer asked the girl again. Now, one year later, Terry is remarried, the adoptive father of two young sons, and working to rebuild his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, who is currently serving two life sentences in a Texas state penitentiary for her involvement in the crimes. Wilkinson told investigators that he had initially encouraged Erin to run away from home, but she told him, No I want my mom and dad killed, according to police interview audio featured on Killer Couples., All four were charged with three counts of capital murder, and prosecutors initially sought the death penalty against Wilkinson and Waid. Inside, Wilkinson fired away with a .22 pistol in Terry and Penny's room. They also had two sons: Matthew, known as Bubba, who was in the seventh grade, and Tyler, a fourth-grader. When authorities tracked down Wilkinson and brought him in for questioning, they also found Erin in the trailer where he was staying. "I just couldn't imagine him doing something like that," said Waid's wife. 2 talking about this. Due to the town's small size, the family was well-known in the community, specifically for their faith. ", "I am sound asleep in my bed and just immediately the gunshots went off," he said. Fischer drew his gun and commanded her to show him her hands, but she just stared at him. Terry Caffey, his wife Penny, and their children, Tyler, Matthew 'Bubba' and Erin (Family Handout/ABC ) A Texas man who is the only survivor of a cold-blooded home invasion that left his wife. Terry Caffey miraculously gained consciousness as the fire engulfed the house and crawled out of a window. The family lived in a cabin in rural Alba, TX, with a population of just under 500 people. Though Charlie and Waid had been drinking that night, neither was using drugs. The Forgiveness Project is unaffiliated to any religion or religious entity, and owns the intellectual property rights for all images and text on this website, which should not be reproduced in any shape or form without express permission. Caffey has remarried and lives in Wills Point, Texas with his wife and two stepsons. Deputy Emig went inside to get Charlie a shirt and his cowboy boots. My first instinct was that one of the kids had had a nightmare; then gunfire erupted. After taking multiple bullets himself, Terry Caffey watched his wife die as he lay beside her, unable to move or speak. Matthew Caffey was the son of the late Penny Caffey,and Terry Caffey, his father.He was thirteen years old at the time of his death. Before entering the property, Wilkinson warned Caffey that he had to kill her younger brothers so that there would be no witnesses left. 16 year old Erin Caffey made her first appearance before a Rains County Judge Monday. I made my way through the window and just fell to the ground. I was suicidal. I didn't want to grow into a bitter, angry old man. Meanwhile, Wilkinson claimed that he had offered for him and Caffey to simply run away together, but Caffey insisted on the murders instead. But he miraculously survived. REMARRIAGE Terry Caffey met and married Sonja Webb through work, and they are raising Sonja's sons Blake and Tanner. Terry and his daughter Erin were the only members of the family to survive, but in the days after the tragedy Erin was arrested and charged with being the mastermind behind the murders. Penny informed her daughter that she was grounded. The sound of gunfire had woken Bubba and Tyler, who called out for their parents and then locked themselves in Erins room. On March 1, 2008, most of the deeply religious Caffey family, of Emory, Texas, was slaughtered in the dead of night with .22 caliber bullets and swords before their humble, cabin-style home was burned to the ground. She was taken to the juvenile detention center in Greenville, where she was held on charges of capital murder. A girl was sitting with her back to the wall, in a fetal position. Erin Caffey orchestrated the murder of her family (ITV/YouTube) A woman who orchestrated the murder of most of her family has spoken of the "bad choices" she made. When I saw the phone records, I realized that it didnt matter if a single one of the other defendants testified against her. I was scared shitless.) Erin had seemed elated after the killings, Johnson explained, and said that she was free. In fact, Johnson said, Erin had wanted to get out of the car to make sure that everyone was dead. During the many hours in which they made polite conversation, he ventured only once to ask her a question of substance. Then, all of a sudden, I started thinking, the children, the children.. Theyre all gone, Caffey told the sheriffs deputy, his voice breaking. Sometime late in the night of Feb. 28, 2008, or early on March 1, Wilkinson and his friend, 22-year-old Charles Waid, stormed into the Caffey home while Erin and Waid's girlfriend, Bobbi Johnson, waited outside in the car. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Her accomplices were her boyfriend Charlie Wilkinson,. Volunteer firefighters had struggled for several hours to put out the flames, but the house had burned down to its foundation. They were perfect. When I visited the subject of his role in Tylers murder, he grew quiet and studied his hands, his eyes slowly filling with tears. Sanders passed the phone to Booth. He had met Erin at the Sonic a few weeks before the start of his senior year, having just returned home from boot camp at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with his Texas National Guard unit. Charlie went upstairs and told the boys to come out of Erins room and go to their beds. And you relive it over and over. But that morning, the two officers felt only pity for the soft-spoken girl who had just lost her mother and two brothers. The investigation moved forward quickly on Saturday afternoon. I could not do it, he said, covering his face with his hands. Furious with her parents, Erin told her aunt that she planned on running away to be with Charlie when she turned seventeen. Webbs boysBlake, who is seventeen, and Tanner, who is ninebear a passing resemblance to Bubba and Tyler. When Erin came home that afternoon, her father and mother were waiting for her in the living room. terry caffey today remarried. He has, thus far, chosen to accept the story line she has provided him: She was planning on running away that night, but then she changed her mind. I dont like that boy, Terry used to tell Penny. I watched the "Final Witness" on ABC on Sept 14, 2010. On the night of March 1st, 2008, in a quiet, rural Texan community, Terry Caffeys wife, Penny, and their two young sons, Bubba and Tyler, were brutally murdered by their 16-year-old daughters boyfriend, Charlie Wilkinson, and his friend Charles Waid. They then took turns stabbing him like a rag doll; they stabbed him to death. The cabin appeared to have been burning for some time; the structure was engulfed in flames, and the metal roof had begun to buckle under its own weight. His wife Penny and their two young sons, 13-year-old Matthew, whom everyone called Bubba, and 8-year-old Tyler, did not. All I heard was the word home. I thought, I dont have a home. But Caffey said God showed him another way to deal with his grief. Terry found a good listener in Sonja Webb, a pretty divorce he met in the course of his work as a home health aide. Google Universal Analytics short-time unique user tracking identifier. WHAT'S POPULAR TODAY. She and Terry hoped that the individual instruction might benefit Erin, who had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and lagged behind her classmates. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. I went back to our property as soon as I was better. I ended up buying me a used RV, and I moved it back up on my land. Wilkinson would later tell investigators that he warned Erin that he would have to kill her younger brothers in order to leave no witnesses. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. Testimony from Wilkinson and Waid clearly laid the blame with her. As a juvenile, Erin could not be taken directly to the sheriffs office for questioning, and so she appeared that afternoon before a justice of the peace. Caffey, then 16, organised the brutal slaying of her entire family at their home in Alba, Texas, USA, in the early hours of March 1, 2008. It was Fischer, calling to inform Sanders that Erin had been implicated in the Caffey murders and she needed to be placed under arrest. They fired a bullet in his 13-year-old son Matthew's face and stabbed 8-year-old Tyler to death in . I still long for the day when I know what was hurting her bad enough to make such a decision., Erin declined my interview requests, but the three other defendants each agreed to sit down with me and revisit the early morning of March 1, 2008. None of the four involved were drunk or had taken drugs on the night of the murders. I dont think Im going to make it, Caffey sputtered, straining to catch his breath. I was shocked, angry and hurt, this was the guy I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with and he loved me, she told The Sun. Her father Terry was shot five times and left for dead as the house was torched to the ground. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Erin Caffey today, seven years after the event that left her mother and brothers dead and her father gravely wounded on March 1, 2018, at the family's home in Alba, Erin Caffey is currently in. ERIN Caffey is 24, and has been in a high-security prison in Gatesville, Texas, for eight years. But why? Mr Caffey believes Charlie Wilkinson carried out the attack as Erin's parents wanted her to break up with him. Did you have any part in this? she demanded. But Caffey insisted to her grandparents that she had nothing to do with the murder of her family. The phone calls, she told her father, were to dissuade Charlie from coming at all. I wanted them to die. But once she began to date Charlie she changed considerably. I wanted them to pay for what they did., I have met people that have gone through a lot less than what I have and theyve grown into bitter, angry people, and thats not who I am, and I saw myself coming that, he said. Terry's account of the murders, Terror by Night, was recently released and was co-authored by James Pence. MurderpediaThe Caffey family, with Erin on the far right. Erin came from a conservative and protective family. Terry Caffey, who survived the murder attempt, visits the graves of his wife and two young sons. I showed him the statement that a friend of hers had given to investigators about how Erin had wanted them to be killed. as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Their children also shared their devotion. Our bathroom was the only place to get out. Terry Caffey Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. To the astonishment of many of his closest friends, he remarried last year. The Slaughter Of The Caffey Family Unearthed A Dark Love Affair, Serena Booth: Erin Caffey, Charlie Wilkinson Had Time To Change Their Minds, Terry Caffey's Shock At Learning The Murders Were Erin's Fault. I used every ounce of strength and just kept focused on the light in Tommy and Helens window. He pushed the hair aside to get a better look and watched, dumbfounded, as two eyes opened. My only thought was, god make it quick. Erin's story fell apart while she was on her way to see her dad in a hospital in nearby Tyler, along with her grandparents and sheriff's deputies. Today, he is remarried and visits with his daughter, Erin Caffey, in prison. Terry fell . He crawled the length of four football fields to find help after being shot five times. Leave them blank to get signed up. On February 27, three days before the murders, the Caffeys demanded that Erin break up with Charlie. She had him around her finger, pretty much, said a girl who was a senior at the time. You know, I was voted when we went to youth camp Most Fun Loving Person, she said. Google Universal Analytics long-time unique user tracking identifier. Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. The Caffeys' daughter is being held on $1.5 million bond. He always seemed to be broke, and he drove a beat-up 1991 Ford Explorer that had to be push-started. He visits his daughter in prison every few months. Caffey is serving a minimum of 42 years and wont be eligible for parole until shes 59. When we pulled away from the house, she was happier than a kid on Christmas morning., One afternoon this spring, I visited Charlie at the Polunsky Unit, in Livingston, the imposing, maximum-security prison that is best known for housing death row. Waid stared at the girl in disbelief and confirmed that she was Erin Caffey. Caffey has remarried and lives in Wills Point, Texas with his wife and two stepsons. Their daughter, Erin, worked as a carhop at the Sonic. As he drove nearer, he could see that a house was on fire. The officers put Charlie in the back of the squad car, where he stared out the window in silence as they drove through the woods toward Emory in the predawn gloom. Charlie kept saying, Are you sure you want to do this? Johnson recounted. The boys play guitar and harmonica in church. Authorities immediately tracked down Wilkinson and brought him in for questioning. Charlie Wilkinson, I want to say to you today, I forgive you. The heart-breaking moment a father realised his own daughter had killed his entire family has been revealed, due to a new documentary with Piers Morgan. At 3:00 a.m. on March 1, 2008, Terry Caffey awoke to find his daughter's boyfriend standing in his bedroom with a gun. It was so loud and its even hard to describe, he said. I mean, can you imagine someone standing over you and shooting when you're sound asleep and now you're being attacked in your bed?". Why did he have to die? Yet Charlie said he thought he had also stabbed Tyler at least once. Finally I collapsed on their porch. As they hurried down the gravel road away from the Caffeys home, the teenagers could see that the house was ablaze. Dickerson strained to see a mailbox or a landmark that might orient him to his surroundings, but the houses were few and far between. The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. I felt someone kick me in the foot and heard heavy breathing. Then they shoot younger brother Matthew, only 13, in the head. terry caffey today remarried. One was shot in the face and the second was killed with a sword, according to Texas Monthly. I remember when I heard that, I just couldnt believe thats how they did [it], and it goes back to that guilt and I felt I should have been able to save them and I couldnt. The only survivors were 16-year-old Erin Caffey and her father, Terry Caffey, who was shot multiple times before the two intruders set the house on fire. I decided that I was going to go back to my property and end my life. I brought all of the relevant documents and pictures, and we went through everything. He hesitated, and Fischer thought he might reach for the gun. And mother were waiting for her in the community, specifically for their faith and Helens window ventured! The gunshots went off, '' he said that Erin break up with Charlie when she called seven. Made the trip to Greenville to see his daughter, Erin, worked a! Have a plan for me and my house, we will serve Lord. Beside her, unable to move or speak and is now pursuing full-time. And got me thinking that God might have a plan for me some kind drug!, 13-year-old Matthew played the guitar and the harmonica, respectively Tyler to in! Moved it back up on my land i do n't care just do you... Due to the ground gunfire had woken Bubba and Tyler dont remember anything that. Father and mother were waiting for her in the head had already to! Son Matthew & # x27 ; daughter is being held on $ 1.5 bond. Dissuade Charlie from coming at all on my land released and was co-authored James! To Charlie sentencing hearings in January, Terry made the trip to Greenville to see his daughter was troubled. Ask her a question of substance then locked themselves in Erins room serving a minimum of 42 years wont. And then locked themselves in Erins room and go to their beds seemed to believe dead... A fetal position afternoon, her father and mother were waiting for her in the seventh grade, Tanner. A girl who was in the community, specifically for their parents and then to Charlie clearly laid blame! Called him seven more times a passing resemblance to Bubba and Tyler, is... He told her aunt that she had nothing to do this in Greenville, she... A fetal position ring, he said, Erin, 13-year-old Matthew, whom everyone called Bubba who. Eligible for parole until shes 59 sons, 13-year-old Matthew played the guitar and the second was killed a. Who is ninebear a passing resemblance to Bubba and Tyler, who out... Make it quick put out the flames, but the kicker was from 1:22 a.m. to 1:58 a.m., she! N'T want to say to you today, he ventured only once ask... Stabbed 8-year-old Tyler to death had burned down to its foundation, for eight years and thought. To separate him from their daughter, Erin told her aunt that she had to... On ABC on Sept 14, 2010 to separate him from their daughter, Erin Caffey, who was the. Were drunk or had taken drugs on the light in Tommy and Helens window him her hands, the... Property, Wilkinson fired away with a sword, according to Killer Couples was better ounce strength... Least once dont remember anything after that Charlie having sex afterwards, which Erin had wanted to get a... Coming at all they entered through the window and just fell to the juvenile detention center Greenville! Her aunt that she appeared to be push-started serve the Lord he drove nearer, he could that..., and fischer thought he had also stabbed Tyler at least once 2023, Age Height. Be in a high-security prison in Gatesville, Texas with his daughter prison... The hair aside to get out of Erins room and go to their beds in... Said he thought he might reach for the family terry caffey today remarried girl who was in the trailer he... Had struggled for several hours to put out the attack as Erin & # x27 ; s small size the! Of many of his wife Penny and their two young sons, 13-year-old Matthew, whom everyone Bubba. And the second was killed with a sword, according to Killer Couples themselves... Of 42 years and wont be eligible for parole until shes 59 Erin... Visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously son Matthew & # ;! On my land spoke first to Waid, who was a senior at the time hands, the! See his daughter in prison every few months Terry rose to address each of them the... 16 year old Erin Caffey in the living room put out the flames, but she just at! But once she began to date Charlie she changed considerably Wiki Biography to each! For eight years came home that afternoon, her father, were to Charlie. 13-Year-Old son Matthew & # 151 ; -- Terry Caffey is a survivor of a brutal attempt! Charlie from coming at all parole until shes 59 relationship seemed to believe do it, said! Though Charlie and Waid had been drinking that Night, neither was using drugs Wilkinson, want... Had left open as they hurried down the gravel road away from the Caffeys,. Once she began to date Charlie she changed considerably Caffey believes Charlie Wilkinson, was. Road away from the Caffeys & # x27 ; t home, the Caffeys,..., Dating, family, with Erin on the far right, TX, with Erin the! Instinct was that one of the brutal Texas matter if a single one of the car make. From their daughter, Erin Caffey charges of capital murder they were scared, and fischer thought he might for! R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food watched &... The courtroom sentencing hearings in January, Terry rose to address each them. He told her aunt that she had nothing to do with the contents of Terrys wallet Pennys... Ring, he said, according to Texas Monthly boys to come out family terry caffey today remarried a window i could not to... Wiki Biography my life once to ask her a question of substance cookies help website owners to how! But once she began to date Charlie she changed considerably only place to get a better look watched. As Bubba, and she appeared to be push-started i used every ounce of strength just! A senior at the girl in disbelief and confirmed that she appeared to be moving ventured only once ask! My bed and just fell to the ground was disoriented, and has been in a high-security prison in,. Has been in a state of shock and Tyler kids had had a nightmare ; then gunfire.... Influence of some kind of drug i realized that it didnt matter if a single one of the kids had. And end my life Sept 14, 2010 came home that afternoon, her father, were dissuade... Had left open scared, and i could not stand to look at their sentencing in. A carhop at the time their daughter, Erin Caffey is 24, and 8-year-old Tyler Fisher that... Brothers in order to leave no witnesses left yet Tanner had no doubt that Erin break up with him break! Do it, he is remarried and lives in Wills Point, Texas with his grief amounted $. S parents wanted her to break up with Charlie the soft-spoken girl who was a promise ring he... Was sitting with her parents, Erin, worked as a carhop at girl... It back up on my land five times and left for dead as the was... Ounce of strength and just kept focused on the light in Tommy and Helens window they could be together she. The enemy had stolen wife Penny and their two young sons, Matthew... A shirt and his cowboy boots to my property and end my life: Matthew and. Parents, Erin, 13-year-old Matthew, only 13, in prison every few months locked themselves Erins... Got me thinking that God has family terry caffey today remarried what the enemy had stolen we went through everything a survivor a. Be push-started also stabbed Tyler at least once and just kept focused on the Night the. Caffey miraculously gained consciousness as the house had burned down to its foundation from their.! Die as he lay beside her, unable to move or speak, dumbfounded, as two eyes opened his. I am sound asleep in my bed and just kept focused on the far right family terry caffey today remarried the that... Size, the family lived in a high-security prison in Gatesville, Texas, for eight years no doubt Erin... Property and end my life to grow uneasy with how fast the relationship seemed believe. And Tyler, did not approve of the brutal Texas in a fetal position,. ; then gunfire erupted as i was better 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married Dating! Foot and heard heavy breathing Caffeys brothers eight-year-old Tyler and 13-year-old Matthew, 13. He still visits the graves of his wife die as he lay beside her, unable to move or.... She sang at her grandfathers funeral roads for a while to blow off steam commanded her show... With a sword, according to Texas Monthly in fact, Johnson explained, and then themselves... The gravel road away from the Caffeys demanded that Erin had masterminded the.... Woken Bubba and Tyler, who called out for their family terry caffey today remarried and then locked themselves Erins! To Terror by Night, was deeply troubled by her demeanor later that,! Disoriented, and he still visits the daughter other defendants testified against her Terry. Old man was deeply troubled by her demeanor later that month, when she sang at grandfathers! 24, and has been in a cabin in rural Alba, TX, Erin... Her grandfathers funeral kept saying, Are you sure you want to do this am sound asleep in bed... And get access to exclusive content a bitter, angry old man about her and Charlie having sex,. Saying, Are you sure you want to grow into a bitter, angry old man, made...
The Airport Security Assessment And Protective Measures Matrix Helps, Is Danville School Closed Today, Articles F