Erin Caffey, 17, gets 2 life terms in family deaths

EMORY, Texas — A teenage girl charged with capital murder for her role in the deaths of her mother and two young brothers agreed to a plea deal that could make her eligible for parole when she's 59, her attorney said.

Erin Caffey, 17, accepted the agreement Friday, said defense attorney William McDowell. She had been scheduled to be tried as an adult next month in Hopkins County.

"I think it was a just sentence," McDowell said. "Everyone is pleased with it."

Authorities said Caffey, her boyfriend and two other co-defendants plotted to kill Caffey's parents because they didn't approve of her boyfriend. Caffey was 16 at the time of the crime.

Police reports said she and Bobbi Gale Johnson waited in a car down the road from Caffey's home in Alba while boyfriend Charlie James Wilkinson, 19, and Charles Allen Waid, 20, went on a shooting and stabbing rampage before setting fire to the house.

Penny Caffey, 37, and her sons Mathew, 13, and Tyler, 8, died in the attack in March. Terry Caffey, 41, was shot five times but escaped from the burning house, saying he recognized Wilkinson shooting him and his wife in their bed, sheriff's officials said.

Caffey has since recovered from his gunshot wounds.

All four defendants were initially charged with three counts of capital murder. Prosecutors had said they didn't plan to seek the death penalty against Erin Caffey.

Wilkinson and Waid also avoided the death penalty in November by pleading guilty for their involvement in the killings. McDowell said both would likely receive life sentences with parole.

Johnson, named as an accomplice who did not use a weapon, was sentenced to 40 years in prison and may be eligible for parole in 20 years, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported Saturday.

Alba is about 60 miles northeast of Dallas.

Comments

[Norge]

There is an enormous amount of history about the girl which is unknown. Perhaps she had been sexually, verbally and physically abused by other members of the family over a period of time in childhood. ???????

Frattreside(spelling) where siblings kill parents happens though is not so common an occurance in western societies from what I have read though when it does, abuse is most often the motive. The child strikes out as the child feels its' life and future is threatened.

We can just imagine the abuse the girl suffered if her family disapproved of her choice of mates and such verbal abuse can over periods of time cause a total disconnect from anger, bitterness, rage, grief, histeria, fear, panic, lose, humiliation and combine some of these extreme emotions and the person becomes a ticking bomb.

I am merely speculating about this case as back ground information about what happened behind closed doors seldom is revealed to the public.

[concernvoter]

Fault the Governors of the United States. They passed the law. 1. Don't whoop children.
2. Children can call 911.
3. Put parents in jail for child abuse.
When I was a child my parents whooped me and I'm still alive. If we had parents today like yester years this mess would not be going on. The children would have turned out better. What could we say when babies are having babies. This is what the Governors should have been trying to get control of.
This young lady is going to have to pay for her mistakes as well as her friends.

[Mikeeee]

That's about the stupidest comment I've seen here in a while. Sounds like a repub mindset out of control.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/loeb/index_1.html

[MajorKong]

"When I was a child my parents whooped me and I'm still alive."

Alive yes, but you might want to have that brain damage checked out.

[MsLiz]

Excellent! LOL

[Nikola Tesla]

Something was seriously wrong with this whole family. The acorn does not fall far from the tree.

[javaz]

There is an 8 year old boy, who has since turned 9, in Arizona whose father "whooped" him and he k.illed his father for one too many "whoopings" and another man.

[denicast]

You grew up tolerating domestic violence. Yes -- hitting is violence especially when it is a stronger, older human over a weaker, smaller human.

Millions of teenage girls were having children out of wedlock back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, back when corporal punishment was in vogue -- they just hid and locked the girls in maternity homes across the country. Shame and violence based societies do not result in a better society. The shame based society created abortion, because it established that there were such things as shameful births that needed to be hidden. The hippy dippy late sixties resulted from the oppressive 50s.

While I would prefer teens to wait for childbirth, it isn't the worse thing in the world to happen. All births are blessed regardless of who has given birth.

[Joye]

What a sad world we live in. I remember when I got my first boyfriend. My mom, also, didn't approve of him. IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND TO DO ANY HARM TO HER.. He wound up "messing up" and I dumped him, by the way... The poor mother and her brothers; didn't get to live out the rest of their days...

[canadiansoccermom]

You wrote what I was thinking. Agreed. Those poor children and mother.
At sixteen she should have to face the consequences of her actions.

[dutchman]

She is, isn't she?

[canadiansoccermom]

"They didn't approve of her boyfriend"

Gee I wonder why?

[DragonFly]

The number of murders committed by children is on the rise and not likely to improve anytime soon - if ever.

No doubt, the reason for this is multifaceted, ranging anywhere from societal attitudes to mercury toxicity and a multitude of other largely ignored topics.

Although incarceration is sometimes required for the safety of communities, it is ultimately shortsighted and vengeance based, and does nothing to address the cause for this growing blight.

But then, prisons are more profitable for their corporations when filled, so ...

[bigmaddy]

the sad part is all these young aduts lifes are for ever wasted.

[javaz]

The sad part of this story is that the mother and two young boys are dead.
The woman and her sons are the victims and NOT those who m.urdered them.

[Brillig]

What is sad about it? That is what FREE CHOICE IS for. The longer we keep pretending that "children" can have sex ( used to be for adults only) and yet not develop the MORAL responsibilities that go along with that..the longer they will throw childish tantrums.

If the child had been a child, and if America did not feel it a SIN for parents to guide their children, and if we did not foist our teenage girls on football studs or FORCE them to use their bodies to gain acceptance, MAYBE they would use their brain.

The girl is a typical rebellious teenager, gone amok, and the SOCIETY allows it because you think it is SAD that someone with the Free choice to have sex and behave like an ADULT in every way, did not use that FREE CHOICE to behave appropriately toward her mother and brothers and father.

She CHOSE her life! get over it already!

[lunchlady]

I've followed this case closely and I'm still perplexed by it. Frustrated teen lust isn't enough explanation, as isn't any other explanation. Especially when two other people got involved to help carry out the plan, apparently for $2000. Did they really think they wouldn't get caught? I wouldn't get involved in something like this for $100 million, but I guess I think differently.

Another perplexing things is that there is evidence that other teens in town knew that there was a plan to do something violent and no one reported anything to the police or warned the family. Did they think it was a joke or did they just not want to get involved?

I've decided to just think about this case as a reminder of how selfish, shortsighted, and downright stupid people can be. Should Erin and the rest rot in prison for the rest of their lives? I don't know, but I do wonder about their moral fiber if they could plan and carry out such a crime. If Erin got out in 10 years would she get another guy to do something horrible? Who knows. I hope at least one young person who thinks of doing something like this is deterred by the sentences these 4 young people received.

[AnnfromCA]

She obviously has some mental illness, but is not legally insane.

[Jaqu]

Locking up someone for life because of what she did at 16 ridiculous in my book. A justice system that does not allow any form of rehabilitation, not even for minor, is a failure.

[davism97]

no offense but I think you've been smoking a little too much crack this morning...

[javaz]

What do you suggest then?
The girl is a cold and calculating m.urder.er, responsible for the deaths of her mother and two younger brothers.
You think therapy would rehabilitate her?
Would you want this young woman living next to you and your family?

[Chaimirija]

ahhh, a little Ann Coulter humor

skol!

[ltyler01]

What type of punishment is suitable then? 5yrs probation? In some cultures 16 is considered adulthood. At what age is someone responsible for their actions using your logic?

[AnneOlivia]

Rehabilitation, including finishing her high school education, and then training for a career. Then, she should be released on lifetime parole, during which she has to hold down a full-time job, and 25% of her pay for the rest of her life should go to the survivor of the crime.

[PartyofLogic]

try for a moment to think back to your days as a 16 year old. now recognize that at that age, which seems quite young when you are looking at it from the other side, you are in fact quite aware of your actions and quite capable of making rational, thoughtful, even responsible decisions. I am not a believer in the death sentence; I think prison is the tougher sentence in the end. And i believe criminals are society's responsibility. So in my opinion, this girl should not ever be eligible for parole.

[Palemoon]

While I agree with you on none of them being eligible for parole since they all seemed to have planned it together and carried it out together.

I have a slight disagreement on the maturity that you talk about. I actually agree with you that at 16 we are capable of making rationale, adult, decisions on a daily basis. However, you have to also look at why the government doesn't allow anyone to drink beer until they are 21 years old. It's simply because they are not mature enough. In other words, a person isn't considered an adult until they are 21 years old in the eyes of the law.

[MaybeMilo]

"Authorities said Caffey, her boyfriend and two other co-defendants plotted to kill Caffey's parents because they didn't approve of her boyfriend."

With good reason, it seems. Disgusting.

[ResistanceisFutile]

More guns for everyone!

[Pronto]

So, she had a bad day.

[Chaimirija]

PMS

[farseer]

This shows that the schools fail to teach children (a) what is meant by "crime" and (b) that if they commit serious crime, they will do serious time. I'm sure that if these kids had really been taught that lesson, they wouldn't have done this. As it is all the know comes from silly crime tv shows based on fictional stories with actors and fictional criminals.

[cdub1991]

A sixteen year old does not need to be taught that slaughtering their family is a bad thing. Being young does not automatically make you a little sociopath.

[Bozwellian]

So , was the "schools" fault that these "kids" did NOT know better ? Think it lies more within first of all, with the family and their values and perhaps the religious influence and culture of the community perhaps too. Somewhere along the line, these kids failed to "leanr" right from wrong as well that "consequences" come from ones actions. They'lll hae a long time to ponder and learn behind bars, they will be likely learning alot more than they ever imagined. Heartbreaking on so many levels, no child comes into this world with malice in their heart,minds,souls...they learn it, they absorb it when unable to have had benefit of better guidance but it is NOT just a matter of the "school", it is the culture at large that incurs such debasement of how prescious life is and can be.

[Chaimirija]

just tg they were dumb enough to get caught

[hortonhearsawho2]

Okay class, whip out your 44's and lets get right to it...wtf.

[redkim]

Aside from the fact that it is not the school's responsibility to teach kids about crime (that belongs to the family), it is absolutely ridiculous to assume that she did NOT know this wrong. She knew what she was doing. This whole thing was planned and plotted.

[anewdayinDC]

I have an idea: why don't we teach children VALUES and PRINCIPLES that wil.l teach them the VALUE of a LIFE. Teach them that life is PRECIOUS.

[Chaimirija]

Where are you? that IS a basic tenet of America

[blue42]

this crime has nothing to do with religion i am not a fan of organize religion and have a lot of doubts about the magic man in the sky. i do believe in something greater than myself. this crime was about a generation that is selfish and was raised around instant gratification. this is the me generation they want to have it now not latter or in time. this is also a generation who grew up around violence. all there answers come a the end of a gun. can't get the sneakers by working for it they just take it along with your life no biggie. can't be with the man i want just kill my parents no biggie. this is also a generation that is having sex with out understainding everything that goes with it . that little 5 minute of pleasure they get seems to turn them mad i tell ya.

[maxbianco]

The punishment ought to fit the crime whether you are 15 or 50, uterus or no uterus(man or woman) the punishment should be the same!

i taught school for many years and can tell you for a fact there are many 14 and 15 yr olds who should be locked away forever. those who disagree would certainly change their minds when one of those "children" has a gun pointed in your face.
the world is a different place.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Your not allowed to reveal that when you teach...um, never mind.

[amyeom]

The human brain isn't fully developed until age 20. What on earth is a person like you doing teaching children?

[DaveTheMouse]

You say the human brain isn't fully developed until age 20 so these teens were not completely responsible and should not face the full punishment available.

Then surely you believe that one must be 20 to do the following:
Own a weapon for any reason
Serve in the military
Operate heavy or dangerous machinery
Hold public office
Vote
Drive
Live on one's own
Have sex
Get married
Have children

All of those require responsibility and stability, which according to you, someone under the age of 20 does not have.

[Fudgefase]

Whether the brain is 'developed'or not, a sixteen year old DOES know that shooting two children and her parents is wrong.
And children a lot younger than 16 are pointing guns and pulling the trigger every day now - sometimes at their teachers, more often at each other. In fact, the 'undeveloped' mind is easier to manipulate for those who are sociopathically inclined, and when two or three of them meet up, it's hell to pay. As demonstrated by this case.

[ltyler01]

The brain may not be fully developed, but the cognitive realizations between determining right from wrong are fully established by age 16. Maybe all the juveniles with violent tendencies should be moved to your neighborhood so those like you can work with these poor souls. Maybe those who think like you can find all the answers.

[freeus]

murder is age-old, as is violence; the difference is that now, 14 / 15/ 16-year-olds can acquire very dangerous and stealthy handguns and automatic assault weapons.
is the problem the children?

[Norge]

You taught school ah, what class, was it old testement bible thumping Eye for and Eye?

Some societies in the world have developed beyond primitive solutions.
You have taught school ah, did you ever mention to your class http://www.amnesty.org ?
Perhaps in your next carreer you could use some time to read about it.

[ltyler01]

What societies? It appears the more "civilized" our modern societies become, the vicious and insensitive they get. There is no single solution for today's violence...since there are no single reasons for it. Why should we have to depend on schools teaching what should to taught in our homes.

Who do we blame when such violence is rising among our children....media, television, computers, schools....? When do we look in the mirror to see we all have failed collectively as a "modern society"?

[whatfreshhellisthis]

Why on earth would you expect maxbianco to have mentioned an amnesty organization to the students, without knowing what class he was teaching? It would be entirely inappropriate, for instance, to mention it in an algebra class, or in wood shop.

[maxbianco]

just a little FYI
i now work in law enforcement and those very same 14 and 15 yr olds are now one of two places. The are either dead. or in jail. funny how when they see me all these years later they still refer to me as Mr "Max"
So there you have it. im in my "next career" and im dealing with the very same trouble makers i taught in middle school only now i tell them when to eat, when to sleep... the whole jail thing pretty much and you are paying for it.
so you see, you only think you know what you're talking about

[scoopy]

True, she cannot be sentenced to death in the State of Texas because she is a juvenile; however, she could have been convicted of Capital Murder which carries life without parole in TX. She made a wise decision to take the plea offered from the prosecutors. Its called the law of parties. She didn't pull the trigger, but she aided and conspired with the other co-defendants.

[ResistanceisFutile]

It is going to cost the state of Texas two mill to house her for the next forty years.