Erin Caffey, 16, Orchestrated Family Murder

Terry and Penny Caffey had three kids: 16-year-old Erin, 13-year-old Matthew ("Bubba"), and 8-year-old Tyler. The family lived in a cabin in rural Alba, TX, near 500 people.well-known in the community.specifically for their faith.

The family attended a local church. They attended Miracle Faith Baptist Church, participating in Sunday services and midweek Bible study. Father Terry preached; Penny played piano. Erin sang in the choir and performed worship solos on Sundays. Terry worked as a home aide, and Erin worked at Sonic, delivering food on roller skates.

In 2004, the family moved to Alba from another small Texas town near Miracle Faith. The children started public school, but another girl kissed Erin at middle school. Penny then homeschooled them with Bible-centered lessons. They thought homeschooling helped Erin because she had ADD and fell behind her classmates.

After turning 16 in the summer of 2007, Erin started working as a carhop at the town Sonic. This is where she met...Charlie Wilkinson, who was about to start his senior year at the local high school. Wilkinson often visited Erin at work over the next few months. Just after Halloween, Wilkinson gathered the nerve to ask Erin out. A friend of Wilkinson later told police Wilkinson saw Erin as his soulmate.Erin’s parents stopped teenagers from dating alone. They let Erin and her brothers spend time together during work breaks and at the Caffey home. Erin and her brothers often built bonfires; Wilkinson joined before leaving at nine pm. Erin called him after he arrived home to talk until her ten o'clock phone curfew. After they started dating, Wilkinson began attending Miracle Faith with Erin.

Erin’s parents stopped teenagers from dating alone. They made Erin and her brothers spend time together during work breaks and at the Caffey home. Erin and her brothers built bonfires. Wilkinson joined them before leaving at 9 pm. Erin called him after he returned, talking until her 10 pm phone curfew. After dating, Wilkinson started attending Miracle Faith with Erin.

Shortly after Christmas, Wilkinson pulled over on a dirt road. He knelt down and gave Erin his grandmother's engagement ring as a promise. Erin's parents felt the action was too serious for the teens and told their daughter to return the ring. Terry confronted Wilkinson, telling him Erin was too young for such a commitment.

After Christmas, Wilkinson stopped on a dirt road. He knelt down and gave Erin his grandmother's engagement ring as a promise ring. Erin's parents thought this act was too serious for the teens. They told their daughter to return the ring. Terry confronted Wilkinson about the incident. Terry told him Erin was too young for that commitment.

Erin’s parents limited how much time Erin could spend with Wilkinson. The teenager did not like this restriction. Erin reportedly told her aunt she would run away with Wilkinson when she turned 17.

Early in February, the Caffeys grew tired of their daughter's relationship. Penny found Erin on the phone with Wilkinson after curfew and...Parents grounded her.Wilkinson was forbidden from visiting. Terry and Penny also took Erin's car.

Near the end of the month, Erin’s aunt told Penny to check Wilkinson’s MySpace.Penny checked Wilkinson's MySpace.Penny found comments on Erin's MySpace page about sex and alcohol.

Erin's father claimed his daughter changed after dating Wilkinson. Terry said he and his wife disagreed with Wilkinson's lifestyle. Erin began arguing with her mother more after dating Charlie [Wilkinson]. Terry said, “Erin had always been a good kid… But once she started dating Charlie, she changed a lot.” Terry also explained what ended the relationship: “We found out Charlie’s character, with the drinking and the sex, and told her to end it.”

When Erin returned from school that day, her parents demanded she...break up with Wilkinson.Erin broke down in tears with Wilkinson. She told her parents she planned to break up with him and promised they would.

Erin's behavior at school showed a different story, even though she told her parents she would end the relationship.Erin's behavior at school showed a different story.Erin told Wilkinson their only option was to kill her parents if they wanted to be together. They talked about this multiple times daily at high school; another student overheard them. Wilkinson told many friends about the plan, but some felt he hesitated to act.

Wilkinson's close friend said Wilkinson only wanted to run away with Erin. He claimed he wished he could get Erin pregnant. Wilkinson thought if they had a baby, Erin's parents would accept him. Erin disagreed, telling Wilkinson she was not ready for a baby and that her parents would keep them apart.

Students at their school told investigators Wilkinson would do anything Erin asked to make her happy. Wilkinson’s father often joked about his son's actions around Erin, saying the teenager had "lost puppy dog syndrome" and would do what was needed for someone he felt needed rescue. His father argued that Wilkinson saw Erin as someone needing rescue.

On the night of February 28,February 28,Wilkinson and Waid went to Erin’s home with Waid’s girlfriend, Bobbi Johnson, who did not know about their plans. The Caffeys’ dog barked loudly, so the teens drove away until Erin called, saying she would quiet the dog.

Around 1:30 am, Wilkinson and Waid entered the Caffey home through the unlocked front door. Erin and Bobbi waited outside in the car.

The two boys brought two samurai swords and a .22-caliber gun. Wilkinson aimed at the parents' room and fired until the gun jammed. After fixing the pistol, Waid shot twice more. Gunfire woke Erin’s brothers, Bubba and Tyler. Bubba walked out of his room first and saw Wilkinson. Bubba and Tyler then ran and hid in Erin's room. Wilkinson claims he and Waid coaxed the boys out of the room. Terry recalls.Bubba saidCharlie asked, “Why are you doing this?” before Wilkinson shot the child.

The boys stood near the second-floor balcony. Waid walked upstairs to reach Tyler. Waid and Wilkinson stabbed him with the samurai swords alternately. Then, Wilkinson and Waid took a suitcase Erin packed and a lockbox full of money. They also took Terry’s wallet and Penny’s purse. They used cigarette lighters.cigarette lightersThey set furniture and clothing on fire so the house would burn down.

Police called about the shooting just before 5 am onMarch 1, 2008Only one officer worked then. Officer Charles Dickerson drove to the Caffey home. He called the fire department after seeing the cabin engulfed in flames. Dickerson then went to Tommy Gaston, the Caffey neighbor who called 911.

Dickerson found Terry on Gaston’s living room floor. Blood covered Terry; he had been shot five times. Before the hospital, Terry spoke a few words to the deputy. The deputy asked what happened. Terry said, “They’re all gone… Charlie Wilkinson shot my family.” Terry knew Wilkinson attacked because he heard Bubba say something. Terry also recognized Wilkinson’s voice.

Later, Terry said he passed out after being shot. He woke up to fire everywhere. Trying to stand, he saw Penny’s throat cut. The bathroom was the only exit. He crawled out the first-floor window and fell.Terry had to crawl nearly 500 yards from his home to the closest neighbor’s house.This took nearly an hour. Terry fell in the creek on the way.

Caffey said his only motivation was hoping the attackers would face consequences.

Police searched for Wilkinson after hearing Terry’s statement. As more officers arrived, someone told a detective Wilkinson’s truck was parked nearMatthew Waid’sThe pair sometimes hung out with friends at Waid's place to drink. Police found Wilkinson at Waid’s trailer. Someone else opened the door, but authorities eventually found Wilkinson.

An officer handcuffed Wilkinson and read him his rights. The officer told him what happened at the Caffey home and asked if he was involved. Wilkinson denied involvement. He claimed he drank all night and then passed out. A deputy went back inside, grabbed Wilkinson’s shirt and cowboy boots, and found blood spatter on them.

Police took Wilkinson to county jail. They secured a search warrant for Waid’s trailer. Inside, they found a box of ammunition, shell casings, and a girl curled under a blanket. That girl was Erin. She claimed she did not know where she was. Another deputy later said she seemed confused. She talked about two men with swords who entered her house. She told police they gave her a drink in the trailer and someone was coming for her.

Medics checked Erin for injuries. They took her blood for a toxicology test.The toxicology test came back negative for drugs that could cause memory loss. Erin showed no signs of smoke inhalation.Police took Erin and her grandparents to the hospital to see her father. Officer Sanders, driving, got a call to arrest Erin on the way.

Erin's toxicology test was negative for drugs causing memory loss. She showed no smoke inhalation symptoms. Waid confessed to police. Johnson also told them the plan was Erin’s idea.

Officer Sanders pulled the car over and told Erin to get out. Erin's grandmother asked if Erin was involved in the family's death. Erin insisted she was not. Because Erin was a minor, authorities took her to a justice of the peace instead of the police station. The judge later said he was surprised to see a young, small blonde girl after learning about the crime.

The judge read Erin her rights and asked if she would talk to police. Erin refused. She chose to write a statement instead. She wrote the same story she told police, saying she remembered little besides the smoke. She also wrote about the two figures with swords and her memory of drinking something in the trailer.

After writing her statement, Erin was charged with capital murder. She was taken to a detention center for minors.

While Erin told one story about the attack,Wilkinson and Waid told a different story about the attack.During questioning, Wilkinson said Erin called him the day before. He said Erin was angry at her parents for separating them and that she wanted them dead. Wilkinson reportedly asked her again if they could just run away, but she insisted they had to die. Waid and Wilkinson allegedly picked up Erin that night and drove around for an hour making a plan.

Wilkinson asked Erin to run away several times, but they drove back to the Caffey house. Their plan involved Wilkinson killing the parents and Waid killing Erin's brothers. Then, the pair would set fire to the house. Wilkinson told police he promised Waid $2,000 if he helped with the murders. Erin said the money was in a safe box in the Caffeys’ cabin; however, Wilkinson told police they found less than $400 cash in the home.

Erin insisted Wilkinson wanted her parents dead and thatShe was a victim.Police first thought Wilkinson planned the acts. Phone records from that night proved this wrong. Erin called Wilkinson six times between 11:45 pm and 1 am from inside her home. Seven more calls came from outside between 1:20 am and 2 am.

These records matched Wilkinson’s timeline. He told police Erin called many times during the attack asking why it took so long.

When discussing the trials for all three suspects,the death penaltyWilkinson and Waid carried out the murders, so the death penalty was on the table for both. Terry wrote a letter to the District Attorney in Rains County about Wilkinson's and Waid's sentences. Terry asked the courts to remove the death penalty option for both men's cases instead of seeking the maximum punishment.

Terry felt the death penalty would make a terrible situation worse. He said, “My heart tells me there have been enough deaths… 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. Killing them will not bring my family back.” Finally, Terry asked District AttorneyRobert Vititow.to seek life sentences without parole instead.

Erin's maximum sentence was lower than Wilkinson's and Waid's because she had no physical role in the murders. Terry stayed by Erin during sentencing, even after hearing evidence that contradicted her statements.

They showed Terry a packed suitcase and the safe with the combination only Erin knew. A student gave Terry a statement. The student overheard Erin and Wilkinson talking about their plans and told Terry the couple slept together after the murders. Terry did not grasp why Erin would hurt her family but chose to support her anyway.

District Attorney Vititow agreed with the attorney general’s office and honored Terry’s request to drop the death penalty option. Vititow also offered Wilkinson and Waid a plea deal, which they both accepted. The pair agreed to plead guilty to three counts of murder in exchange forHe received life in prison.avoiding the death penalty.

Johnson got 40 years in prison for her part in the murders. She tried to leave when she saw the other three planned to kill the Caffey family. Johnson told reporters she wanted to go home, but Wilkinson threatened her. He told her she knew too much; anyone who talked would face trouble.

Erin also accepted aErin, Wilkinson, and their accomplices pleaded guilty to capital murder.Her father helped with the plea deal. Terry told the courts he wanted his daughter to live outside prison someday. Erin pleaded guilty to three capital murder counts, getting two life sentences plus 25 years. These sentences can run together; she can get parole when she turns 59. Her father will be over 80 then, but he still hopes to see her outside prison.

Terry visited Erin in prison before the trial.Terry visited twice a week.They could not discuss the case while awaiting convictions. They talked about other things instead. They recorded all conversations; the recordings could be used against Erin. Terry told reporters their meetings were hard at first. Even with mixed feelings, he always told Erin he loved her at the visit's end.

Despite the evidence and the accomplices' testimonies against Erin, Terry chose to...Terry believes Erin’s...version of events. He thinks she just planned to run that night before Wilkinson changed his mind. Erin told Terry she called Wilkinson all night trying to stop him. Terry mainly thinks Wilkinson wanted him and Penny dead.

Since Erin's sentencing, Terry drives three hours from home to the Gatesville prison once a month. Now they talk freely about the case, but Terry says they are touching on the topic slowly. In an interview, Terry said, “I have many questions, and I do not want to hit her with them all at once.” InTerry conducted another interview.He told reporters he had forgiven Erin for what happened.