Huntsville, Texas (ap)
In sparing the life of Thomas “Bart” Whitaker, Abbott accepted the state parole board’s rare clemency recommendation. Whitaker’s father, Kent, also was shot in the 2003 plot at the family’s Houston home but survived and led the effort to save his son from execution. Abbott commuted the sentence to life without parole.
“I’m thankful not for me but for my dad,” Bart Whitaker said in a statement to prison officials. “Any punishment that I would have or will receive is just, but my dad did nothing wrong. The system worked for him today. And I will do my best to uphold my role in the system.”
The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor, recommended unanimously on Tuesday that Abbott commute the sentence. Abbott, a Republican had the option of accepting the recommendation, rejecting it or doing nothing.
“Mr. Whitaker’s father, who survived the attempt on his life, passionately opposes the execution of his son. Mr. Whitaker’s father insists that he would be victimized again if the state put to death his last remaining immediate family member,” Abbott said in a proclamation issued on Thursday evening.