But once she began to date Charlie she changed considerably. Spent shell casings lay scattered across the carpet, and next to the mattress sat a box of ammunition. According to Charlie, the girls had stayed behind in the car while he and Waid went inside. May 13, 2016 11:27am. If I could just get to my neighbours, Tommy and Helen, they would make everything alright. . Terry Caffey, who survived the murder attempt, visits the graves of his wife and two young sons. We didnt see any of this coming.. Wilkinson and two other men, Charles Wade and Bobbi Johnson, then age 20 and 18 respectively, were also arrested. She talked about the idea relentlessly. Two guys broke into the Caffey house in Alba, Texas, on March 1, 2008, and went on a brutal killing spree, killing the mother, the two young children, and themselves. Then, that fall, an incident at the junior high had upset Terry and Penny: A girl who had been showing interest in Erin had kissed her in the hallway. Erin Caffey's. Above their driveway hung a polished cedar plank with the inscription: The CaffeysJoshua 24:15. The verse, which Terry had committed to memory, was a reminder that they had chosen a righteous path: If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve . While being treated at the hospital, Caffey said he had given up hope and wanted to die, until he received word that Erin was still alive. Almon crouched beside the gurney and asked him a few hurried questions. Caffey said he has talked to his daughter about what happened the night of the murders and he said Erin is "very remorseful," but claims she did not initially plot to kill her family. A girl was sitting with her back to the wall, in a fetal position. In rural communities as small as Alba and Emory, there are no strangers, and Fischer shook his head when he heard Charlies name. 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. . And that's when I decided to -- it's time to move on. At the suggestion of Detective Almon, she was interviewed in the hospitals trauma room by Shanna Sanders, the young, personable chief of police for the Rains Independent School District who was on a first-name basis with most of the high schools students. Four suspects have been arrested and charged with the murders of the Caffey family. 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. When the attorneys told me they wanted the death penalty, I prayed again and asked what would Jesus do? Wilkinson and Waid are serving life without parole but were spared the death penalty because Terry Caffey asked for it to be taken off the table. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. However, he still visits Erin in prison in Greenville, according to ABC News. ERIN Caffey was just 16 years old when she organised for her family to be killed. Do you believe her version of events? I asked Terry. Due to the town's small size, the family was well-known in the community, specifically for their faith. Facing the same charges and bond are . The investigation moved forward quickly on Saturday afternoon. There were no warning signs, no history of trouble. I used every ounce of strength and just kept focused on the light in Tommy and Helens window. That Saturday I got home at midnight, I came in from a 14 hour shift and I was tired. I mean, can you imagine someone standing over you and shooting when youre sound asleep and now youre being attacked in your bed?. 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. Also, as the family loved music the family joins the church choir. "You know that's any daddy's dream to walk their little girl down the aisle and hand them off and them giving you grand babies and that's hard, and that is so hard," he said. It was agreed that Charlie would kill Erins parents, and Waid would take care of the two boys so no witnesses would be left behind. 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. Her voice faltered, and her cousin, who did not have her natural talent, outshone her. Im still here. At the Sonic on Emorys main drag, she was the only carhop who delivered her orders wearing roller skates, and most afternoons, her admirers parked on whichever side of the drive-in she was waiting on. Meanwhile, Wilkinson claimed that he had offered for him and Caffey to simply run away together, but Caffey insisted on the murders instead. Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry's wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. With gunshot wounds all over his upper body, including one in his face, Caffey miraculously was able to crawl to a neighbor's house. Wilkinson gave her a promise ring that belonged to his grandmother and told his friends they would marry, according to Killer Couples. Terry and Penny were fine with the relationship until Erin's grades started to slip and they took a closer look at Wilkinson, not liking what they found on his Myspace page. The days and weeks that followed, the grief, I cannot put it into words. Erin, she stammered. It reportedly wasnt easy for him at first, and Erin Caffey still denies her role in the planning of the murder. Charlie also began attending church at Miracle Faith. Authorities immediately tracked down Wilkinson and brought him in for questioning. They were scared, and I could not stand to look at their faces, he said. This Week In History News, Mar. He knows Im innocent. I cried every time I left her jail cell., Only after learning the details of the criminal investigation did Lewis realize that Erin had been manipulating him. She was very smart. Caffey was the sole survivor of the March 1, 2008, attack, ostensibly planned by. Mr Caffey believes Charlie Wilkinson carried out the attack as Erin's parents wanted her to break up with him. Then I had something to live for, I had some hope, so I began to fight, he said. According to Charlie, Johnson did not know what the boys plans were but had insisted on coming with them. I didn't want to grow into a bitter, angry old man. Let me see your hands.. As Fischer continued down the hall, he saw that a blanket covered the empty door frame of one bedroom. He hesitated, and Fischer thought he might reach for the gun. Less than 24 hours after authorities responded, the Caffey home was a smoldering pile and all four suspects were in custody and talking. Charlie told the detective that when he and Waid were satisfied that Erins parents were dead, Waid instructed him to go get the kids because little ones talk. Charlie had balked, and Waid, in return, threatened to leave. Caffey broke down in tears at the thought of knowing he will never get the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day or see her have children. Throughout the fall, Charlie visited the Sonic to see Erin. I felt someone kick me in the foot and heard heavy breathing. It was an isolated existence for an otherwise social girl whose life was largely circumscribed to Miracle Faith and her parents house, six miles from town. 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 has since remarried and is now pursuing ministry full-time. Now nineteen, he looked impossibly young for someone who will never step beyond the guard towers and concertina wire again. "And even though she didn't actually come in and commit the crime, she knows her responsibility that she could have stopped it and she didn't.". Knowing that he will never be able to walk his daughter down the aisle reduces him to tears. Charlie had urged her to just run away, but Erin had said, No, kill them.. Today, he is remarried and visits with his daughter, Erin Caffey, in prison. I refuse to grow into a bitter old man. His daughter looked fragile and anxious in her orange prison jumpsuit, and at the end of every visit, he made sure to tell her that he loved her. Then, read about the heinous murder of a nine-year-old at the hands of her 15-year-old neighbor, Alyssa Bustamante. Along the way, he had fallen into a creek, where he had almost drowned, but he had kept moving, staggering toward Gastons house as the fire behind him grew more intense. Bubba used to witness to whoever would listen, and Erin cried tears of joy when she sang her Sunday church solosso much so that sometimes she had to stop, mid-verse, to collect herself. You can read more about Terrys experience in his book. The Caffeys Terry and his wife, Penny, their two young sons, Tyler and Matthew, and 16-year-old Erin lived to serve in their church. I want to get Erin. Its time to forgive. Waid stared at the girl in disbelief and confirmed that she was Erin Caffey. He was frank about the horror of what he had done and made no excuses for himself. Almon learned that Erins toxicology testshe had been screened for Rohypnol, GHB, and other drugs that can cause memory losshad come back negative. I laid on my sisters couch for a few days, and thats when the despair hit me. Do you realize she is sixteen years old? Terry had already begun to grow uneasy with how fast the relationship seemed to be moving. And you relive it over and over. There were just things about him that didnt sit right with me, he later said. His boys were friends with the clean-cut high school senior and had fished and gone four-wheeling with him many times before; in fact, Fischer told the detective, he had spotted Charlies car parked outside Matthew Waids trailer while driving to the crime scene. She was teary at the start of the interview, but otherwise she showed little emotion. Their mother, Penny Carrey, played the piano at church. He had stumbled and crawled five hundred yards from his home, where he had been left for dead, to Gastonsa journey that had taken him nearly an hour, all told. 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. He . Webb was raising two sons on her own. He led Charlie outside in handcuffs and sat him on the porch; he read the teenager his Miranda rights and told him that he was being taken in for questioning. 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. As he drove nearer, he could see that a house was on fire. A semiautomatic handgun lay on the floor beside him. Yes, Erin assured him, blinking back tears. If I was sitting on my jury, I would have stuck the needle in my arm, he told me. Terry Caffey was married to Julie C. (Lemoine) Caffey on September 7, 1976 in Lubbock County, Texas and they separated on August 17, 1983 in Gaines County. Password recovery. I decided that I was going to go back to my property and end my life. She needs to have it looked at., But Charlie was more bewildered by Erins behavior than bitter. 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. So two or three days I pondered on this. Caffey and three co-defendants are all accused of killing her mother Penny Caffey and her brothers Matthew and Tyler Caffey, before setting the family's house on fire in Emory. But the most gruesome is saved for last. As his home burned around him, Terry awoke and made the unimaginable decision to crawl out a window for help. Tommy and Helen called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. More and more she and her mother were at odds, and Erin once called Charlie in tears to report that Penny had slapped her in the heat of an argument. His son Bubba had come out of his bedroom to the railing to see what was happening and was shot in the face. I dont like that boy, Terry used to tell Penny. Dickerson realized that he was looking at the Caffey home. And it was Erin who had insisted that her brothers be killed, according to both Johnson and Waid. Charlie went upstairs and told the boys to come out of Erins room and go to their beds. Now that she has pled out and the specter of a capital murder trial is gone, their conversations are no longer restricted, and Terry is free to ask his daughter whatever he wants to know. He said that if anybody said anything to anyone, that person would be taken care of. She asked him to lunch last June, and they never ran out of things to talk about. Erin Caffeys brothers eight-year-old Tyler and 13-year-old Matthew played the guitar and the harmonica, respectively. She was taken to the juvenile detention center in Greenville, where she was held on charges of capital murder. The mugshot of Erin Caffey, taken after she orchestrated the murder of her own family. The Caffeys abruptly pulled their children out of school a month into the academic year, and Penny began teaching them a Bible-based curriculum at home. On the day of the massacre, Wilkinson and Waid pulled into the driveway of the Caffey home. Can you tell me what happened? Fischer asked. Caffey was born on July 27, 1991 to Terry Caffey and Penny Caffey. Erin Caffey consequently hatched a murderous plot with Charlie Wilkinson and his friend Charles Waid. Volunteer firefighters had struggled for several hours to put out the flames, but the house had burned down to its foundation. I had never seen such a sight. Gaston, a genial man with a head of white hair, was the Caffeys closest neighbor, and he looked relieved to see the sheriffs deputy at his door. Rural family, deeply Christian, homeschooling, parents interfering in 16-year-old daughter's dating life. She glanced apprehensively around the trailer. It was Fischer, calling to inform Sanders that Erin had been implicated in the Caffey murders and she needed to be placed under arrest. 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. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry's wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. Shortly after that he worked up the nerve to ask her out. WHAT'S POPULAR TODAY. Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. But the other three all immediately said she was the ringleader. My heart tells me there have been enough deaths, Terry wrote in a letter to the Rains County district attorney, Robert Vititow, this past fall. She informed them that she had been instructed to arrest their granddaughter in connection with the Caffey murders and requested that Erin step out of the car. 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. Charlie Wilkinson was his daughters boyfriend, Caffey told the detective, and he and his wife had recently demanded that Erin stop seeing him. He spoke first to Waid, who remained impassive, and then to Charlie. I would have done anything for her, he said. As late as two days before the murders, he gloomily admitted to the same friend that he wished he could just get her pregnant so the Caffeys would have no choice but to accept him. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. On March 1, 2008, two men broke into the Caffey home in Alba, Texas, and set out on a horrific killing spree that left two young children and their mother dead. Faith was the cornerstone of the Caffeys lives. Just beyond him, sprawled across the living room floor, was Terry Caffey. Then she drank some stuff that was offered to her at the trailer, and she could not recall anything afterward. Terry and Penny had met at a revival meeting in Garland when she was 21 and he was 24, and their strong Baptist faith had always bound them together. Once you love somebody, you cant quit, Charlie said. Terry fell into deep depression and planned to kill himself, but God intervened. Terry has remarried since the murders and has one more biological child. A freelance writer from the UK, Danielle Tinning studied media & communications at the University of Cumbria before beginning her career at a small publishing house in 2013. The murders shocked the nation especially when the police revealed that Erin Caffey was the mastermind behind the entire massacre. I was suicidal. Erin Caffey Her father, who now visits her in prison, will be in his 80s by the time she gets out. At nine oclock, the Caffeys made sure that Charlie was headed for the doorbut after he said goodbye, Erin usually called him and talked to him until her ten oclock phone curfew. I hope that God forgives me, Charlie added. I remember trying to raise myself up but I couldnt feel the right side of my body. But Terry and Penny, who separated the two teenagers that day at Miracle Faith, were deeply embarrassed by her behavior. "The hardest thing [was] to hear that. But when you took all the different factors and put them togetherhow young and seemingly normal the perpetrators were; how ruthless they were; how stupid they were; how cavalier they were; how utterly undeserving this family wasit was, without question, the most disturbing case Id ever dealt with., The crime also defied easy explanation. Come back, and Ill keep the dog quiet., Tanner sat down with Terry Caffey and showed him the phone records this past June. A slight, pretty blonde, she was known for her beautiful singing voice, which she showcased in soaring gospel solos at Miracle Faith on Sundays. If Charlie was startled by the news that he had left behind an eyewitness, he did not give himself away. 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