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Savage Son
A Horrific Execution. . .
It was a night of celebration for the Whitaker family. Their son Bart was graduating from college. But when Bart's brother Kevin opened the door to their house, a masked intruder shot him point blank. His mother took the next bullet, followed by Mr. Whitaker and Bart. Blood was everywhere, but somehow Bart and his father survived. . .
A Sordid Double Life. . .
To the cops the story didn't add up, and their investigation discovered a stunning web of lies. Bart was living a double life. He hadn't been enrolled in college since his freshman year. Instead of attending classes, he'd spent his days playing video games with his friends--while planning to murder his family to inherit their million-dollar estate. . .
A Heartless Murderer. . .
Now bestselling author Corey Mitchell takes us inside this chilling murder case to reveal the twisted motives of a seemingly All-American-Boy-Next Door who turned into a cold-blooded killer now residing on Death Row. . .
It was a night of celebration for the Whitaker family. Their son Bart was graduating from college. But when Bart's brother Kevin opened the door to their house, a masked intruder shot him point blank. His mother took the next bullet, followed by Mr. Whitaker and Bart. Blood was everywhere, but somehow Bart and his father survived. . .
A Sordid Double Life. . .
To the cops the story didn't add up, and their investigation discovered a stunning web of lies. Bart was living a double life. He hadn't been enrolled in college since his freshman year. Instead of attending classes, he'd spent his days playing video games with his friends--while planning to murder his family to inherit their million-dollar estate. . .
A Heartless Murderer. . .
Now bestselling author Corey Mitchell takes us inside this chilling murder case to reveal the twisted motives of a seemingly All-American-Boy-Next Door who turned into a cold-blooded killer now residing on Death Row. . .
417 pages, ebook
First published June 1, 2010
164 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 13, 2013
The only reason I read this book is because my husband was the lead investigator. It was full of misinformation and inaccuracies. It seems the author used only court documents and didn't check basic facts or interview anyone involved. Very poorly done.
April 5, 2014
Bart Whitaker had a problem, he had lied to his parents. They thought he was graduating from college, his father had bought him a place to live while he went to classes, his mother bought him a Rolex as a graduation gift. They were celebrating with a dinner at a fancy restaurant, so what was the big lie? Bart wasn’t graduating from college, he had spent his days playing playing video games and hanging out with his friends. He decided that instead of owning up to his parents about what he had done or not done, he would kill them. He enlisted his friends to help with promises of a huge payout when he got the insurance money. He had a perfect plan …..
If Bart had read as many true crime books as I have he would know there is no such thing. As the detectives investigated, things didn’t add up, Bart’s lies began to catch up with him and he fled to Mexico.
This case was unique in that the victims were testifying to not have the death penalty. But the only surviving victim was Bart’s father and fathers can be kind of stupid at times.
This was a very interesting book, up to a point. The reporting of the crime and the biographical information was good. There were some areas that were lacking, the investigation and trial were sketchy, but the penalty phase was horrible. The author decided he want to make sure the readers knew why Bart got the dealth penalty, and he did this by giving word for word reporting of the testimony in the penalty phase of the trial. For me this ruined an otherwise informative and engaging book.
Corey Mitchell is not a horrible writer, in fact there are a couple of his books that I absolutely love, I just find him to be inconsistent. I keep reading his books because he does have a way with words.
While I didn’t love this book, I feel it does have some redeeming qualities. Someone who like to read the testimony, so they can decide for themselves, instead of reading a summary would like this book. It just didn’t appeal to me.
If Bart had read as many true crime books as I have he would know there is no such thing. As the detectives investigated, things didn’t add up, Bart’s lies began to catch up with him and he fled to Mexico.
This case was unique in that the victims were testifying to not have the death penalty. But the only surviving victim was Bart’s father and fathers can be kind of stupid at times.
“Now you’ve said that you only have one son left, and that’s the reason you want this jury to spare the defendant. You realize you only have one son left because he’s killed everyone else?”
This was a very interesting book, up to a point. The reporting of the crime and the biographical information was good. There were some areas that were lacking, the investigation and trial were sketchy, but the penalty phase was horrible. The author decided he want to make sure the readers knew why Bart got the dealth penalty, and he did this by giving word for word reporting of the testimony in the penalty phase of the trial. For me this ruined an otherwise informative and engaging book.
Corey Mitchell is not a horrible writer, in fact there are a couple of his books that I absolutely love, I just find him to be inconsistent. I keep reading his books because he does have a way with words.
The evil-genius mastermind Bart Whitaker had elected to take the stand in an attempt to humanize himself before the jury of his peers, who had already found him guilty of first-degree murder.”
While I didn’t love this book, I feel it does have some redeeming qualities. Someone who like to read the testimony, so they can decide for themselves, instead of reading a summary would like this book. It just didn’t appeal to me.
November 26, 2021
This is one of those cases that would have been better as a 45-minute Primetime special or a blog post. It wasn't worth two books, let alone one! It felt like this was an attempt to capitalize on the attention the case received after it was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show. "Case Seen On Oprah!" the cover proclaims.
But this is an old story we've heard before. Rich, entitled, spoiled brat decides he needs even more than he already has, so cons his college buddies into doing the dirty work for him and killing his family for the insurance money. This so-called "Savage Son" was so unbelievably stupid that it's hard to understand how he could have managed to convince anyone else of anything. After even the police are aware of his plot to kill his family, he still goes through with it. What a complete moron. Not to mention his lack of moral character.
Because there's really not much to it, but for some reason the author decided we needed almost 400 pages of this story, we get in-depth courtroom coverage, including every word of the attorneys' statements, the perpetrator's extremely boring testimony in the sentencing phase, the surviving father's continuous diatribes about Jesus, etc. And then, as if that wasn't dull enough, we get to read social media posts from the killer's fans and groupies, and emails that some anonymous blog follower wrote the author.
Just when I thought it couldn't get more bizarre, the author decided to use his acknowledgments to talk about this big dispute he got into with his colleagues, and basically make them out to be ruthless keyboard warriors hellbent on destroying his career (we don't have their side of the story, of course). So many anonymous people got thrown under the bus that I wondered if an editor was even involved at that point.
Two stars because I made it through the book, aside from skimming the never-ending trial transcript.
But this is an old story we've heard before. Rich, entitled, spoiled brat decides he needs even more than he already has, so cons his college buddies into doing the dirty work for him and killing his family for the insurance money. This so-called "Savage Son" was so unbelievably stupid that it's hard to understand how he could have managed to convince anyone else of anything. After even the police are aware of his plot to kill his family, he still goes through with it. What a complete moron. Not to mention his lack of moral character.
Because there's really not much to it, but for some reason the author decided we needed almost 400 pages of this story, we get in-depth courtroom coverage, including every word of the attorneys' statements, the perpetrator's extremely boring testimony in the sentencing phase, the surviving father's continuous diatribes about Jesus, etc. And then, as if that wasn't dull enough, we get to read social media posts from the killer's fans and groupies, and emails that some anonymous blog follower wrote the author.
Just when I thought it couldn't get more bizarre, the author decided to use his acknowledgments to talk about this big dispute he got into with his colleagues, and basically make them out to be ruthless keyboard warriors hellbent on destroying his career (we don't have their side of the story, of course). So many anonymous people got thrown under the bus that I wondered if an editor was even involved at that point.
Two stars because I made it through the book, aside from skimming the never-ending trial transcript.
September 27, 2016
Very poorly researched and badly written book. Presented as a 'true crime' book but it is actually fiction. The author never bothered to interview anyone involved or do basic fact checking and he makes up conversations that he was never privy to.
Note that the wife of Marshall Slot (the police detective) has said below that it is very inaccurate. The author wanted his 'blood money' without doing anything to earn it. Which is what he accuses Whitaker of doing, ironically. A much better book is 'Murder by Family' by Kent Whitaker, Bart's father. That book deals with the facts, not fiction.
Note that the wife of Marshall Slot (the police detective) has said below that it is very inaccurate. The author wanted his 'blood money' without doing anything to earn it. Which is what he accuses Whitaker of doing, ironically. A much better book is 'Murder by Family' by Kent Whitaker, Bart's father. That book deals with the facts, not fiction.
November 28, 2010
This was a good read but I did miss some parts of the story, like the police investigation. I wanted also to know more about the 2 other guys, how they felt. Which lawyers they had, what those lawyers managed to do for them. What happened when Bart was confronted by the cops when he was finally caught. What did he say, did he deny it? What did his dad say?
So I ended up with lots of questions. I did like the afterword by Corey.. Good book. 3.5 stars
So I ended up with lots of questions. I did like the afterword by Corey.. Good book. 3.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2019
I first read Kent Whitaker’s book Murder By Family a few years ago. As Bart’s father he wrote predominantly about his faith and forgiveness regarding the crime. Now that I’ve read THIS book it’s patently obvious Kent is in deep denial as to the level of evil that IS his son & also premeditation behind the 2 attempts to murder his family before finally accomplishing the killings.
Barts arrogance, narcissism & self importance is something that is odd considering he really is a nobody
Barts arrogance, narcissism & self importance is something that is odd considering he really is a nobody
July 21, 2017
Such a well written true crime novel, had me captivated from the start!
October 13, 2024
Thomas Bartlett Whitaker was born in Houston, Texas, in 1979. His parents, Kent and Trish, spoiled and coddled this child throughout his life. They bought him a townhouse that they paid the utilities for. They bought him luxury cars. They bought him expensive clothes and accessories. They paid for his education, which he lied about. He was in trouble frequently, being convicted of a string of burglaries at age 17. In December 2003, he lied to his parents about graduating from college, getting them out of the house so that two people he hired to murder them could get prepared. One of the men entered the home, shooting and killing the mother and brother. The father was also shot but survived. Of course, this genius didn't plan his actions very well and was subsequently convicted in these murders. His father plead for him to not be sentenced to death, which I think is absolutely stupid.
This book offered plenty of details about this case that were not covered as in depth on the Dateline episode featuring this case. I like this true crime author and was pleased with the book. I just watched the rerun of this episode the other day, and didn't realize I had the book from the reading list. If you haven't heard about this case, it is a solid book.
This book offered plenty of details about this case that were not covered as in depth on the Dateline episode featuring this case. I like this true crime author and was pleased with the book. I just watched the rerun of this episode the other day, and didn't realize I had the book from the reading list. If you haven't heard about this case, it is a solid book.
July 1, 2018
The event is interesting only in that it is a family murder however if you're looking for any insight as to why this happened or who the person is that committed the murders of his Mother and Brother look elsewhere. This is a what and when and where with not an iota of why. I'm not blaming the author, I suspect the why is exactly as he states but that isn't in the slightest satisfying. I think the person responsible for the murders is just a narcissistic self involved slug (please forgive me garden slugs) with no insight himself, but the book has nothing else to offer. It's diverting for a few hours, but you end up with no insight at all. The words of the prosecuting attorneys were very forceful and persuasive and interesting to read, but otherwise I can't say that this book had a lot to offer.
July 18, 2010
This is very disturbing... My kind of True Crime!
December 3, 2015
Fascinating story but so poorly written that it's unreadable.
January 31, 2017
I liked the book, but I found 3 discrepancies in it.
December 6, 2024
Trying to explain the unexplainable.
As others have observed, public reaction to a crime depends not on the brutality of the crime itself, but on our skewed perceptions of human nature. We associate brutal, irrational violence with poverty, addiction, and abuse. We DON'T associate it with wealthy families who have "everything."
So when the son of a prosperous, well-known Texas family was arrested for arranging the murders of his parents and younger brother, the public was shocked and horrified. Surely there must be some rational explanation. If this book tells the story accurately, we must believe (and I do) that this "savage son" is an incomplete human with no conscience or capability of remorse.
This explains what happened, but it leaves us facing a horrifying truth - that there are monsters living among us who are rarely identified until (unless) they commit some terrible crime. That these potential murderers can be charming and even lovable, while hiding their true natures. It's a conclusion that is simply too frightening for many people to acknowledge, leading some to believe even the most bizarre excuses offered by those who don't fit our perceptions of the word "murderer."
While I can accept that the son is a sociopath, the person whose actions I have most difficulty explaining is the father. Kent Whitaker is the real mystery man in this book, a shadowy figure who is now revered by many for preaching the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation. But where was he while his oldest son was growing up? How could he have missed so many red flags?
How did he feel about the wealthy, powerful family he married into and worked for most of his adult life? Was he resentful? Did his resentment affect the emotions of his oldest son or would the son have acted as he did regardless? How could ANY father of two sons be so naive and gullible as to NEVER check up on the unbelievable stories his son was feeding him? Was he really "fond and foolish" or was his common sense over-ridden by his wife's strong personality, backed by her powerful family?
A stronger, more aggressive man would have insisted on getting some answers to his son's inconsistent stories. But would a stronger, more aggressive man have survived as a well-paid employee of the prosperous family business he married into? Would standing up to his son mean standing up to his wife's relatives, something he couldn't afford to do and maintain his lavish life-style?
How far can police afford to push members of wealthy, politically powerful families? Any cop would have seen through the inconsistencies of the son's "explanations" and realized that the parents were in denial. Did some of them try to persuade the parents to look deeper? Or were they afraid to offend a family that could pick up the phone and be put through to the Governor?
The book is readable. The story itself is fascinating, but this telling of it leaves many questions unanswered. I suspect that answering those questions would force us to face realities we aren't prepared to acknowledge. Do we want to admit that there is one law for the rich and one law for the rest of us? Do we want to admit that we know very little about the people we love dearly?
A writer can't go farther than his readers are willing to accompany him. As long as we insist on living in a rosy dream world, crimes like this will continue to shock us.
As others have observed, public reaction to a crime depends not on the brutality of the crime itself, but on our skewed perceptions of human nature. We associate brutal, irrational violence with poverty, addiction, and abuse. We DON'T associate it with wealthy families who have "everything."
So when the son of a prosperous, well-known Texas family was arrested for arranging the murders of his parents and younger brother, the public was shocked and horrified. Surely there must be some rational explanation. If this book tells the story accurately, we must believe (and I do) that this "savage son" is an incomplete human with no conscience or capability of remorse.
This explains what happened, but it leaves us facing a horrifying truth - that there are monsters living among us who are rarely identified until (unless) they commit some terrible crime. That these potential murderers can be charming and even lovable, while hiding their true natures. It's a conclusion that is simply too frightening for many people to acknowledge, leading some to believe even the most bizarre excuses offered by those who don't fit our perceptions of the word "murderer."
While I can accept that the son is a sociopath, the person whose actions I have most difficulty explaining is the father. Kent Whitaker is the real mystery man in this book, a shadowy figure who is now revered by many for preaching the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation. But where was he while his oldest son was growing up? How could he have missed so many red flags?
How did he feel about the wealthy, powerful family he married into and worked for most of his adult life? Was he resentful? Did his resentment affect the emotions of his oldest son or would the son have acted as he did regardless? How could ANY father of two sons be so naive and gullible as to NEVER check up on the unbelievable stories his son was feeding him? Was he really "fond and foolish" or was his common sense over-ridden by his wife's strong personality, backed by her powerful family?
A stronger, more aggressive man would have insisted on getting some answers to his son's inconsistent stories. But would a stronger, more aggressive man have survived as a well-paid employee of the prosperous family business he married into? Would standing up to his son mean standing up to his wife's relatives, something he couldn't afford to do and maintain his lavish life-style?
How far can police afford to push members of wealthy, politically powerful families? Any cop would have seen through the inconsistencies of the son's "explanations" and realized that the parents were in denial. Did some of them try to persuade the parents to look deeper? Or were they afraid to offend a family that could pick up the phone and be put through to the Governor?
The book is readable. The story itself is fascinating, but this telling of it leaves many questions unanswered. I suspect that answering those questions would force us to face realities we aren't prepared to acknowledge. Do we want to admit that there is one law for the rich and one law for the rest of us? Do we want to admit that we know very little about the people we love dearly?
A writer can't go farther than his readers are willing to accompany him. As long as we insist on living in a rosy dream world, crimes like this will continue to shock us.
January 18, 2019
I Have Been Against The Death Penalty
Ever since I became aware that not only does it put victims, their families, and communities through all the details of the crime over and over again with each and every appeal that the defense could and will bring up, which in itself is bad enough,
but .. it is actually MORE expensive, because of all these appeals to stop the penalty of actual death, than if the penalty of life without the possibility of parole was given, and this includes what it would cost to care for the inmate for the rest of their natural life, and let’s not forget most, if not nearly all death penalty cases are not actually carried out.
However ..
In cases like this, with people like Bart Whitaker I am completely and utterly FOR it !
Forget all about penalizing him for his actions, forget about making him a deterrent for others, this is purely a protective measure for anyone else.
He has proven himself to be a master at manipulating people to do his dirty business, and he holds grudges that most people wouldn’t even pick up in the first place.
Given life, he would have all the time in the world to devise ways of getting back at anyone he considers to of wronged him.
He would have a massive captive court of prisoners, most of who would be far less educated than himself, who he could begin to cherry pick and work away at to get them to do any of his future sociopathic acts, and most of them would be highly motivated by cold hard cash.
I know his father has forgiven him, but if I was Kent Whitaker I’d be watching my back, as we should all know by this point that this boy has at least two faces and one of those is pure evil.
Ever since I became aware that not only does it put victims, their families, and communities through all the details of the crime over and over again with each and every appeal that the defense could and will bring up, which in itself is bad enough,
but .. it is actually MORE expensive, because of all these appeals to stop the penalty of actual death, than if the penalty of life without the possibility of parole was given, and this includes what it would cost to care for the inmate for the rest of their natural life, and let’s not forget most, if not nearly all death penalty cases are not actually carried out.
However ..
In cases like this, with people like Bart Whitaker I am completely and utterly FOR it !
Forget all about penalizing him for his actions, forget about making him a deterrent for others, this is purely a protective measure for anyone else.
He has proven himself to be a master at manipulating people to do his dirty business, and he holds grudges that most people wouldn’t even pick up in the first place.
Given life, he would have all the time in the world to devise ways of getting back at anyone he considers to of wronged him.
He would have a massive captive court of prisoners, most of who would be far less educated than himself, who he could begin to cherry pick and work away at to get them to do any of his future sociopathic acts, and most of them would be highly motivated by cold hard cash.
I know his father has forgiven him, but if I was Kent Whitaker I’d be watching my back, as we should all know by this point that this boy has at least two faces and one of those is pure evil.
February 21, 2018
As a big fan of true crime books, and more especially of books by Ann Rule, I read this new author (to me) with quite low expectations. In my experience I thought no one could write this genre of book as well as Ann, I was wrong!
It’s hard to enjoy a book like this, but to read a book so clear, concise and well constructed was a pleasure.... the subject not so much so.
I downloaded this book onto my kindle 4yrs ago, yet only decided to read it this week. This morning I was checking the international new and lo and behold the main protagonist is in the news, appealing his sentence..... spooky!
If you are a true crime reader I do thoroughly recommend this author and I shall be reading more by him.
It’s hard to enjoy a book like this, but to read a book so clear, concise and well constructed was a pleasure.... the subject not so much so.
I downloaded this book onto my kindle 4yrs ago, yet only decided to read it this week. This morning I was checking the international new and lo and behold the main protagonist is in the news, appealing his sentence..... spooky!
If you are a true crime reader I do thoroughly recommend this author and I shall be reading more by him.
August 15, 2018
unbelievable
how can someone be so cruel?
I loved the writing, it was non-stop wow
really this book left me speechless
I was unhappy at the end to find out the author of this book Corey Mitchell passed away.
The son got what he deserved, I hope he is never ever released. What a heartless person. He had the whole world all he had to do is go to college, how hard is that? He had a loving family, nice condo, great vehicle, money....how is your life now???
Cherie'
how can someone be so cruel?
I loved the writing, it was non-stop wow
really this book left me speechless
I was unhappy at the end to find out the author of this book Corey Mitchell passed away.
The son got what he deserved, I hope he is never ever released. What a heartless person. He had the whole world all he had to do is go to college, how hard is that? He had a loving family, nice condo, great vehicle, money....how is your life now???
Cherie'
November 4, 2018
Without A Conscience
A crime beyond description and a son's behavior beyond understanding. This book is well written and worth reading. It gives a look into the dark evil world of a sociopath , truly chilling and tragically sad for anyone who had the misfortune of crossing paths with him.
A crime beyond description and a son's behavior beyond understanding. This book is well written and worth reading. It gives a look into the dark evil world of a sociopath , truly chilling and tragically sad for anyone who had the misfortune of crossing paths with him.
March 4, 2020
I could hardly put this down. What a horrific story! Author kept my interest from the first page to the last. I recommend to anyone who liked true crime.
Great book! Unbelievable story. Author nailed it. I will look for more of his books.well researched and interesting . A crime you won't forget!
Great book! Unbelievable story. Author nailed it. I will look for more of his books.well researched and interesting . A crime you won't forget!
September 14, 2018
True Crime
A very good book. The author's style is interesting and engaging. He is able to supply good information on such a style that keeps the reader from losing interest. I think this is one of the best true crime books I have ever read.
A very good book. The author's style is interesting and engaging. He is able to supply good information on such a style that keeps the reader from losing interest. I think this is one of the best true crime books I have ever read.
October 11, 2021
Good read.
Senseless and completely avoidable crime that had so many opportunities to be stopped yet three young men eventually went through with it and in doing so destroyed a family.
Senseless and completely avoidable crime that had so many opportunities to be stopped yet three young men eventually went through with it and in doing so destroyed a family.
July 8, 2018
Well written book. I finished it the weekend before Bart was scheduled for execution. I was following the news minute by minute like it was an extension of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2019
Horrifying!!!
November 26, 2019
Good one.
January 18, 2020
it was hard for me to get into this book, and i wasn't hooked from the beginning.
August 11, 2020
Excellent book
Well written and easy to follow. The author did an excellent job of describing events, as terrible as they were. Must read for true crime readers.
Well written and easy to follow. The author did an excellent job of describing events, as terrible as they were. Must read for true crime readers.
March 22, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I knew a little bit about the case prior, but this book goes much deeper into detail. This book held my attention from the very first page.
November 10, 2021
Absolutely captivating from beginning to end.
January 1, 2022
Surprised at some of the poor reviews . I found this a good read :-)
May 21, 2022
IDK??
Very sporadic. The book wasn’t very organized and read more like a school journal. DNF’d, but read as far as I could because I was interested in the case.
Very sporadic. The book wasn’t very organized and read more like a school journal. DNF’d, but read as far as I could because I was interested in the case.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews