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. I wanted them to pay, especially those two boys. They brought along Waids girlfriend, a bubbly high school senior named Bobbi Johnson, whose silver Dodge Neon they were driving. "I just couldn't imagine him doing something like that," said Waid's wife. "I am trying to climb over the bed but that's where the flames are and that's where I found Penny, and when I saw her, it was a terrible scene, her nearly decapitated head. We didnt see any of this coming.. Were you involved in this? Fischer asked. After months of pushing me and convincing me and all this, I got to thinking that maybe all I was was just a tool. He had not spoken to her since the morning of the crime, and he is barred from communicating with her ever again; he will forever have to wonder if she wanted her parents dead so that she could be with him or simply so that she could be free of her familys control. He hesitated, and Fischer thought he might reach for the gun. He had been shot five times: once in the head, twice near his right shoulder, and two more times in the back. You could not have paid her to say anything negative about her parents, he said. Tom Ford. After everything we had heard, I was picturing a monster, for lack of a better word, said Sergeant Vance. I ended up buying me a used RV, and I moved it back up on my land. She is the most evil woman I have ever met, Morgan said. "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.". But the teenage Christian ended up masterminding the evil murder of her own family after she was barred by her parents from dating a boy they thought unsuitable. 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. Her accomplices were her boyfriend Charlie Wilkinson,. This is the true story of the brutal Texas murder that destroyed a family, restored one man's faith, and shocked a nation At 3:00 a.m. on March 1st, 2008, Terry Caffey awoke to find his daughter's boyfriend standing in his bedroom with a gun. They shoot and murder Terry and Penny Caffey, the parents, in their bed. He considered suicide several times. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. And it was Erin who had insisted that her brothers be killed, according to both Johnson and Waid. Youre Erin Caffey? chief deputy Fischer asked the girl again. Height, Age,. I guess what it all boils down to is choices, she said, almost matter-of-factly. No kids an angel, but I know what she is capable of, and I know shes not capable of murder., Erin told another version of her story to Israel Lewis, the mental health counselor who was hired to evaluate her for the defense. When the attorneys told me they wanted the death penalty, I prayed again and asked what would Jesus do? After emergency surgery, Terry was stable enough to talk, and he told sheriff's deputies that he was certain one of the attackers was Wilkinson. Dickerson headed east along U.S. 69 and turned down the road that led through the woods to the Caffeys house, following the crooked path as it rambled beneath pine canopies and over dry creeks, past a neighbors hand-lettered sign that read, Acknowledge thine iniquityJeremiah 3:13. Daybreak was still a few hours off, and the road beyond the glare of his headlights was pitch-black. Outside, Erin Caffey and Waids girlfriend waited in the car. The Story Of Erin Caffey, The 16-Year-Old Who Convinced Her Boyfriend To Murder Her Entire Family. He played for the New England Whalers and the Calgary Cowboys of the World Hockey Association, as well as for the Chicago Black Hawks and the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League between 1969 and 1976. Terry has remarried since the murders and has one more biological child. Caffey has remarried and lives in Wills Point, Texas with his wife and two stepsons. After the burial, Terry said that they saw disturbing sexual and alcohol abuse content on Erin's boyfriend's Myspace page. The twenty-year-old needed money, and Charlie had promised him $2,000 if he would help him kill the Caffeyscash that Erin had told Charlie he would find in a lockbox inside the house. On the night of March 1st, 2008, in a quiet, rural Texan community, Terry Caffey's wife, Penny, and their two young sons, Bubba and Tyler, were brutally murdered by their 16-year-old daughter's boyfriend, Charlie Wilkinson, and his friend Charles Waid. Facing the same charges and bond are . But Caffey said God showed him another way to deal with his grief. Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry's wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. At the same time, he said, Erin was given ample opportunity to call off the plan. Terry and Penny Caffey were protectivesome said overly protectiveof their daughter. I would get on my hands and knees and just dig. Read More. I showed him photos of the suitcase that Erin had packed and the burned-out lockbox that was open to the combination that she had given Charlie. Terry fell into deep depression and planned to kill himself, but God intervened. Furious with her parents, Erin told her aunt that she planned on running away to be with Charlie when she turned seventeen. 16 year old Erin Caffey made her first appearance before a Rains County Judge Monday. 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. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. In the living room, he found a camouflage-colored purse with a drivers license inside it belonging to Erin Caffey. Everyone knew everyone in Emory, so Waid and Johnson were also rounded up almost immediately. For an instant, he thought he had found a doll. 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. From 11:46 p.m. until 12:48 a.m. that night, Erin called him six times from inside the Caffey house, Tanner said, reading from the case file. 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. Accounts differ as to who, exactly, was the mastermind behind it, but Terry Caffey rebuffs the notion that it was his daughters idea. I grabbed the mattress, the cover, anything I could to pull myself up. Upon visiting his burned-out property, Terry noticed a . "I have met people that have gone through a lot less than what I have and they've grown into bitter, angry people, and that's not who I am, and I saw myself becoming that," Caffey said. "I remember rising up from my hospital bed and just screaming out, 'no it can't be, no it's not Erin, not Erin,'" Caffey said. As his home burned around him, Terry awoke and made the unimaginable decision to crawl out a window for help. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. 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. She had woken up in a house full of smoke, she said. It made me question a lot of things, Charlie said, his voice trailing off. Charlie went upstairs and told the boys to come out of Erins room and go to their beds. I never heard another sound after that until 3am when our bedroom door flew open. Click to reveal. TESTIMONY Terry Caffey: A Crime of Passion By Randy Rudder The 700 Club. Given the complexity that four capital murder cases posed for a small, rural county, the Texas attorney generals office was asked to assist the Rains County district attorney in bringing the four defendants to trial. There was nothing he could do for his family at that point. In her flower-print pajamas, with her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, she seemed sweet and guileless. There was so much blood that Dickerson could not tell where he had been shot. Life does go on., This article originally appeared in The Sun. 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. Less than 24 hours after authorities responded to the murders in the Caffey home, all four suspects were in police custody, and they were all talking. Waid, who held out the longest, finally confessed under Almons relentless questioning. ET from court documents and interviews with those involved, and Caffey detailed what happened that fatal Friday night for "Nightline. 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. And then I decided, no, theres been enough bloodshed. Erin had called him the day before, Charlie said. 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. Finally I collapsed on their porch. I dont like that boy, Terry used to tell Penny. The daughter and her boyfriend (both minors at the time) killed her mother and her brother. When the police asked the neighbor where Terry was bleeding from, he replied, where isnt he bleeding from?. Terry Caffey recalls that it was about 2 a.m. when a noise woke him. If he cant show me any respect, how does he treat our daughter?. She couldnt have asked for a better mom or dad. Charlie might strike his desk or storm out of the classroom when he was provoked, but he usually walked away from a fight. I remember the nurse coming in and saying, Mr. As he drove nearer, he could see that a house was on fire. The hardest thing [was] to hear that. He feels that God has restored what the enemy had stolen. They entered through the front door, which Erin had left open. He now travels the country preaching what he has become good at, forgiveness. In an exclusive interview with KLTV 7, Waid's estranged wife talked about her disbelief in what her husband may have done. She told the police she had been kidnapped. 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. Im going to take all of the pain pills they gave meall the depression medication, the Xanax, everythingdrink me a bottle of Jim Beam, put a hose in the tailpipe of my daughters pickup, run it up to the window, and just fall asleep and not wake up again. You can read more about Terrys experience in his book. Very caring. 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. Then she drank some stuff that was offered to her at the trailer, and she could not recall anything afterward. He thought for a moment before answering my question, and I studied his face behind the Plexiglas. 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. But nothing happened. I dont know why she wanted it done, why it had to be like that, but she was a very nice person. Weeks after the killings, when he was being held at the county jail on $1.5 million bond, he had been devastated to learn from his defense attorney that Erin had, in fact, asked a previous boyfriend to kill her parents too. I would never be able to honour my family if I let this destroy me. Erin Caffey On March 1, 2008, two men broke into the Caffey home and set out on a horrific killing spree that left two young children and their mother dead. Wilkinson even gave her a promise ring that had belonged to his grandmother and was open about his desire to marry her. Some guys would really tease him and pick at him until he would get angry, remembered a classmate. A former special-ed student with a heavy-lidded gaze, Waid showed no remorse, and he casually recounted how he had killed the two boys. 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. Youre a tough little girl, Sanders told her. Here was someone who had dreamed up a scheme to murder her family and manipulated people into carrying out her plan. At the outset, Charlie muttered, Im in a lot of trouble. Almon informed Charlie that he had been identified by a victim who had survived the attack and asked him to tell them exactly what had happened the previous night. If Charlie was startled by the news that he had left behind an eyewitness, he did not give himself away. Family. Terry heard his son Matthew cry out, No, Charlie. 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. WHAT'S POPULAR TODAY. Caffey was born on July 27, 1991 to Terry Caffey and Penny Caffey. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The two then went upstairs and murdered young Tyler and Matthew. 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. Terry Caffey suffered a broken nose, two fractured cheekbones, and minor nerve damage in his right arm. For more on the Caffey family slaughter, including Terrys terrifying ordeal and the twisted relationship between Erin and Wilkinson, watch Killer Couples at Oxygen.com and airing Thursdays at 8/7c. Erin Caffey is currently. Sanders and Booth would later reflect on the fact that Erin had not smelled like smoke, and Sanders regretted that she had turned away to give Erin some privacy when her maternal grandmother, Virginia Daily, had come to tell her that her father had, miraculously, survived the attack. Charlie told the detective that he asked Erin several times to consider running away, but she was emphatic that she wanted her parents dead. When authorities tracked down Wilkinson and brought him in for questioning, they also found Erin in the trailer where he was staying. Upon visiting his burned-out property, Terry noticed a . Despite all hed been through, he still believed in the forgiveness that his faith had taught him. Terry cried a lot and kept asking, Why? He said, I dont understand. A slight, pretty blonde, she was known for her beautiful singing voice, which she showcased in soaring gospel solos at Miracle Faith on Sundays. I had passed out a second time and when I woke up the room was on fire. Wilkinsons gun then jammed, so Waid pulled out a samurai-style sword and used it on Penny, almost decapitating her. WARNING: Graphic. Murderpedia Juan Ignacio Blanco MALE murderers index by country index by name ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ FEMALE murderers index by country index by name I was angry at these two young men, the other young lady that drove the getaway car. I dont think she actually thought he would go through with it. 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. He did not care for Charlie, and he was not happy about how much time the high school senior was spending with his daughter. I heard footsteps going up the stairs and I began to panic. 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. Testimony from Wilkinson and Waid clearly laid the blame with her. If at any time she would have said, Well, were not going to do it after all, it never would have happened.. Further, Penny Caffey is the mother of Erin who plays the Piano in church. Deputy Emig went inside to get Charlie a shirt and his cowboy boots. At school, where she enrolled as a freshman, she and Charlie were inseparable; they ate lunch together and walked down the hall hand in hand, and sometimes they slipped away to Erins pickup to fool around. Faith was the cornerstone of the Caffeys lives. She was found facing their bedroom door. They received a call en route that Erin was now a suspect and cuffed her. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Erin was taken by ambulance to the Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, in Sulphur Springs, where she was given a full medical assessment. Twice a week, Terry made the trip to Greenville to see his daughter. They shared 3 children together, Erin Caffey, 16 years old, Matthew Caffey, who was 13 years old and Tyler Caffey, who was only 8 years old. He fell to the floor and did not move again. 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. 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. That comported completely with what Charlie told us, which was that she kept calling and saying, Where are yall? Yet Tanner had no doubt that Erin had masterminded the crime. Her parents did not approve of the relationship and worried that The Caffeys were also heavily involved with their local church, and this merged with their passion for music. 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. I wanted them to die. Everybody said I was crazy for going back, but it brought me healing. Sergeant Vance had interviewed the boy whom Erin was caught kissing at Miracle Faith, and he had told the Texas Ranger that Erin had spoken to him about her desire to have them killedseveral months before she had started dating Charlie. Caffey, you can go home now, Terry told me when I visited him this spring. "The house is exploding, it's totally engulfed, and I'm forced back in the bedroom," Caffey said. TOP 5%. If Erin and her brothers built a bonfire in the backyard after supper, as they often did, he lingered by her side. November 16, 2022 2 Mins Read. After taking multiple bullets himself, Terry Caffey watched his wife die as he lay beside her, unable to move or speak. Fell to the Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, in Sulphur Springs, where yall. And i studied his face behind the Plexiglas some guys would really tease him pick. The boys to come out of Erins room and go to their beds seemed sweet guileless! 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