For an instant, he thought he had found a doll. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. The only motive appears to be that a few days before the murder spree, Penny and Terry told their daughter she could no longer see Wilkinson. I knew she was gone.". Too much has been lost already, it seems, for him to give that up as well. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. In the end, Caffey, Wilkinson, Waid, and Waids girlfriend were all charged with three counts of capital murder. Charlie Wilkinson and Erin Caffey's Dangerous Relationship Massacre of the Caffey Family The Trial And Sentencing Of Erin Caffey. Terry and Bubba played harmonica, with Penny on piano. 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. When Erin turned sixteen, in July 2007, she got her drivers license and an old Chevy pickup and started working at the Sonic. 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. He wore a starched white inmates uniform, a buzz cut, and a doleful expression. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. Finally, they turned back toward the Caffey home and parked down the road. I have to forgive her., I was very angry, Caffey told Nightline. Caffey has remarried and lives in Wills Point, Texas with his wife and two stepsons. As they had driven away from the burning house, he said, Erin had cried out, Holy shit, that was awesome!. 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. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. . Before the conclusion of the interview, he added a detail to the story that Charlie had left out. His face and upper body were caked with blood. Her father Terry was shot five times and left for dead as the house was torched to the ground. For more information about Terry Caffey, visit his website: http://www.terrycaffey.com 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. Terry was rushed into emergency surgery, after which he was stable enough to talk. Knowing everything he knew, I asked him, did he still love her? It took me about an hour to crawl the lengths of about four football pitches. He did not care for Charlie, and he was not happy about how much time the high school senior was spending with his daughter. He thought for a moment before answering my question, and I studied his face behind the Plexiglas. And she said, Why are you asking me this? His son Bubba had come out of his bedroom to the railing to see what was happening and was shot in the face. 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. Erin had invited him over to her house before and considered him to be her boyfriend. Waid was a few years older than Charlie, and Charlie and his buddies sometimes drank at his place and stayed the night. But nothing happened. He began searching the back bedroom where Charlie had been found. It took him an hour to crawl to his nearest neighbors house where the authorities were called. Tommy Gaston, the neighbor, said Monday that Terry Caffey was improving and should recover. "The hardest thing [was] to hear that. The two men did the killing. She couldnt have asked for a better mom or dad. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Terry started dating Sonja 4months after the horrific murders of his entire family & they were married just 7 months after the tragedy. You know them family pictures that they print in movies and stuff? he said. Terrifying video footage has emerged of the moment a gunman killed a homeless man in an execution-style attack in the USA. 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. 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. (On the weekends, they had until eleven.) Almon crouched beside the gurney and asked him a few hurried questions. In fact, Caffey is the most dangerous woman I have met in my life. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. 1969-1976. Fischer told them he needed to talk to Charlie Wilkinson. Several kids had already seen her sitting on a picnic table behind the church, kissing the boy while he eased his hand up her shirt. The Caffeys were also heavily involved with their local church, and this merged with their passion for music. Upon visiting his burned-out property, Terry noticed a . Prosecutors believe Erin plotted the crime, but her father can't bring himself to believe that. The Caffey childrenwho had been homeschooled for three yearswere shy and well mannered, though sixteen-year-old Erin was the least reserved. When Erin came home that afternoon, her father and mother were waiting for her in the living room. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers. She spoke with tears in her eyesGod will save me. Penny informed her daughter that she was grounded. The helpless father drifted out of consciousness as Tyler was shot in the face and Matthew was brutally killed when the pair took turns using the sword on him. Im still here. I didnt want to grow into a bitter angry old man. At his urging, she received a lesser sentence than life without parole; he wanted to make sure that she had something to live for, he said. He was totally in love with her and considered her his soul mate, Dion Kipp Jr., a friend of Charlies, later told investigators. Today, he is remarried and visits with his daughter, Erin Caffey, in prison. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. "About 3:00 in the morning, Penny and I would be awoken to the sound of our door knob hitting our dryer in the laundry room, which was next to our bedroom," Terry tells The 700 Club. I hope that God forgives me, Charlie added. 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. 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. Courtesy Terry CaffeyErin Caffey with her boyfriend, Charlie Wilkinson. He always seemed to be broke, and he drove a beat-up 1991 Ford Explorer that had to be push-started. Terrance Michael Caffery (April 1, 1949 - August 3, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Wilkinson and two other men, Charles Wade and Bobbi Johnson, then age 20 and 18 respectively, were also arrested. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? There were just things about him that didnt sit right with me, he later said. The most unsettling aspect of Caffeys crime is that it is so utterly inexplicable. Investigators were putting the case together quickly, however. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. June 26, 2012— -- Terry Caffey is a survivor of a brutal murder attempt. The Caffeys lived in a modest cabin set deep in the woods along a one-lane gravel road outside Alba, a rural community of 492 people halfway between Sulphur Springs and Tyler. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. In rural communities as small as Alba and Emory, there are no strangers, and Fischer shook his head when he heard Charlies name. That Saturday I got home at midnight, I came in from a 14 hour shift and I was tired. 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. When the police arrested them all, she claimed to have been drugged and kidnapped. But the other three all immediately said she was the ringleader. 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 mean, its over now. To their surprise, she did not protest. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry's wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. She was disoriented, and Fisher thought that she appeared to be under the influence of some kind of drug. I want them, in this lifetime, to have a chance for remorse and to come to a place of repentance for what they have done. 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. He was good-looking in an unassuming kind of way, with sandy hair and light-blue eyes, and he nearly always wore Wranglers, black cowboy boots, and an oversized black Western hat. Their detailed accounts of the night were consistent with Charlies. In school, she brought up the subject once or twice a day; during a lunch break in mid-February, a junior overheard her tell Charlie that killing her parents was the only way they could be together. So two or three days I pondered on this. On the day of the massacre, Wilkinson and Waid pulled into the driveway of the Caffey home. But the other three all immediately said she was the ringleader. Just a few minutes into the drive, however, Sanders cell phone rang. Terrys father had died of a heart attack on February 21, and though none of the Caffeys had been close to him, they performed Amazing Grace in his honor. Often they went to a friends house where they could be alone, and after Christmas, they had sex for the first time. Nov. 5, 2021. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! With Erin and Bobbi nearby, the two Charlies break into the house in the middle of the night, March 1, 2008. He didnt bring me through all that for nothing. Documentary Biography A family suffers multiple tragedy in a deadly home invasion. Height, Age,. And then in walks this tiny, meek, blond-headed girl who couldnt fight her way out of a wet paper sack. The judge informed Erin of her rights and asked if she would be willing to speak with investigators. Outside, Erin Caffey and Waids girlfriend waited in the car. He now travels the country preaching what he has become good at, forgiveness. That comported completely with what Charlie told us, which was that she kept calling and saying, Where are yall? The website cannot function properly without these cookies. According to Charlie, the girls had stayed behind in the car while he and Waid went inside. She couldnt sing a lick.. I wanted them to die. During the many hours in which they made polite conversation, he ventured only once to ask her a question of substance. And so Erin accepted a plea dealtwo life sentences to be served concurrently, plus an additional 25 yearswhich ensures that with good behavior she will be eligible for parole when she is 59 years old. I went back to our property as soon as I was better. Do you believe her version of events? I asked Terry. ", "I am sound asleep in my bed and just immediately the gunshots went off," he said. Public DomainThe mugshot of Erin Caffey, taken after she orchestrated the murder of her own family. For the many people who puzzled over his loyalty, there were many others, in the pews of Miracle Faith and elsewhere, who understood it as the scriptural imperative of unconditional love. THIS is the chilling moment police tell Terry Caffey that his 16-year-old daughter Erin was behind the murders of her mother and two young brothers. 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. They were shocked and asked me why. Tommy and Helen called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. Erins parents believed she appeared to have accepted their decision. I showed him the statement that a friend of hers had given to investigators about how Erin had wanted them to be killed. 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 spoke first to Waid, who remained impassive, and then to Charlie. All of them played instruments, and Erin used to sing so passionately during services that she would sometimes break down in tears, according to Texas Monthly. Fischer drew his gun and commanded her to show him her hands, but she just stared at him. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. I told them that killing these boys will not bring my family back. Webbs boysBlake, who is seventeen, and Tanner, who is ninebear a passing resemblance to Bubba and Tyler. Erins anointing had lifted, she said. 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. Ive got so many questions, and I dont want to hit her with them all at once, he said. Wilkinson, however, was openly heartbroken and angry, according to Killer Couples. And friends of Erin told Texas Monthly that the same month, Erin started talking about killing her parents. In a timid, childlike voice that Sanders had to strain to hear, Erin spoke haltingly, offering few details. She could get him to do whatever she wanted. ", "When you hold on to that un-forgiveness or that bitterness, it's like that person still has a part of you," he continued. 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. It was a question that preoccupied him more than his doubts about her innocence. 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. Wilkinson even gave her a promise ring that had belonged to his grandmother and was open about his desire to marry her. I didnt find mucha Hot Wheels car; a broken ceramic cup; a horseshoe-shaped belt buckle that the kids gave me for Christmas. As Emig carried them out to the porch, he noticed that they were spattered with blood. Terry found the visits agonizing, but he felt compelled to be in the presence of his only living child. Terry found a good listener in Sonja Webb, a pretty divorce he met in the course of his work as a home health aide. With gunshot wounds all over his upper body, including one in his face, Caffey miraculously was able to crawl to a neighbor's house. The police had arrested Erin for plotting the murders of her family. Terry Caffey suffered a broken nose, two fractured cheekbones, and minor nerve damage in his right arm. He had never been arrested, and at school, he had no serious disciplinary problemsbut he was hotheaded, and other students knew it was easy to get a rise out of him. A teaching assistant who was brutally bashed by a 122kg student has denied her attackers claims that she sparked the classroom assault. I do forgive her, he said. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry L. Caffey. The Caffey family were very devout Christians. The father, Terry, was a pastor. Photograph by O. Rufus Lovett I. Charles Dickerson was the only officer on duty on March 1,. The grieving process is definitely a journey. I felt someone kick me in the foot and heard heavy breathing. Near the closet, he lifted up a blanket that was piled on the floor and noticed a shock of blond hair. There were no warning signs, no history of trouble. The murders shocked the nation especially when the police revealed that Erin Caffey was the mastermind behind the entire massacre. At a bend where the trees thinned out, he spotted a murky orange glow in the distance. Charlie, who turned eighteen that month, wanted to be with Erin, and he promised to do whatever it took to make her happy. 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. "It was so loud and it's even hard to describe. Virginia Daily became hysterical and grabbed Erins face. Erin Caffey's. There had been two guys with swords dressed in black who had ordered her to get down on the floor. Terry fell into deep depression and planned to kill himself, but God intervened. They were ridiculous reasonsnot even reasonsjust an excuse, Waid told me. I dont really like to talk about that, he said. terry caffey today remarried. November 16, 2022 2 Mins Read. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Caffey is serving a minimum of 42 years and wont be eligible for parole until shes 59. Then I heard Bubba cry out, Charlie why are you doing this? So thats who I had just seen Charlie, Erins boyfriend. Almon clambered out of the ambulance and shared what he had learned with chief deputy Kurt Fischer. All I heard was the word home. I thought, I dont have a home. I ended up buying me a used RV, and I moved it back up on my land. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Well, Id read the story countless times before, but I read it again and it was almost like I was there with Job. And it was Erin who had insisted that her brothers be killed, according to both Johnson and Waid. I wanted to die where they died. Charlie dropped by the Sonic every afternoon during Erins half-hour break, and at night, he was a frequent guest at the Caffeys house. Blood was coming out of my mouth, nose, eyes and ears. Fire, she said, her voice trailing off. Her parents decided to take to the internet to learn more about this bad-news boyfriend. This is totally inappropriate, he told the boy, who shrugged. "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. Johnson, who had recently played a minor role in the Rains High School production of Oklahoma!, seemed to be in high spirits. For a man who had been shot five times and climbed out the window of a burning house, he could consider himself lucky; he had a broken nose, two fractured cheekbones, and minor nerve damage in his right arm. Erin Caffey's father Terry was shot several times in the attack, but survived. That turned me around and got me thinking that God might have a plan for me. Somehow I pulled myself up and climbed over the mattress. Its time to forgive. During a Valentines Day dinner that was hosted by her youth group, she stood idly by, too preoccupied to even fill water glasses. Rebecca sensed that something was spiritually wrong with the girl. Let me see your hands.. In December that year, Erin asked her parents to return to public school and, after they agreed, she and Wilkinson became inseparable, according to Texas Monthly. Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. I have worked with some good liars, but Erin was one of the best, said Lewis, who has nineteen years experience counseling juvenile offenders. Terry Caffey has maintained a relationship with his daughter, even after the massacre. Terry Caffey's daughter Erin made international headlines when she murdered her mother and two young brothers back in 2008. I knew why he was there: he was getting revenge because we had made them break up. The Caffey is a church-going family in Texas. ABC's new TV series, "Final Witness," recreates the 2008 tragedy Wednesday at 10 p.m. Wilkinson and an accomplice shot Caffey's wife Penny to death and set the family's home on fire. That's probably better than being all alone in this world. Recover your password As his home burned around him, Terry awoke and made the unimaginable decision to crawl out a window for help. I want to go. Items related to Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas. Records of calls between Caffey and Wilkinson nailed her lie that she had been the victim of a kidnap. Terry stepped in, however, still believing in the forgiveness his faith taught him, and asked prosecutors to take the death penalty off the table, according to Killer Couples., All four eventually pleaded guilty. Has become good at, forgiveness good at, forgiveness has been lost,. 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