The shocking motive behind a brutal family murder | Forensic Files

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This episode involves a crime against children. It may not be suitable for all listeners.
If you travel down Rains County Road 2370 in Texas, just outside the city of Emory you will eventually come across a narrow gravel road.
Following the private road is a bumpy and somewhat lonely journey - it’s surrounded by dense woodland
and tall pine trees hang overhead forming a canopy above you. The gravelled ring road has
two properties situated 400 yards apart from one another. Aside from that, there is nothing but thick forest and the sound of birdsong to welcome a weary driver. It’s peaceful.
At the entry to one property, Max, a black labrador waits patiently. He’s a loyal dog who takes it upon himself to protect his family at all costs.
Max sits next to the remains of what was once a beloved family home. There is rubble
everywhere and some embers are still hot on his paw pads as he walks through the ashes.
A sign, one of the few things that wasn’t destroyed in the blaze, is visible amongst the
debris. Engraved on split cedar wood, the sign announces the family that resided in the home,
reading “The Caffeys'' in large letters. Beside it is engraved “Joshua chapter 24,
verse 15” a scripture from the bible which in part reads, “If it seem evil unto you to serve the
Lord, choose ye this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Well wishers concerned about Max’s welfare sneak under the police tape to bring him food and water
but Max isn’t interested. It’s Monday March 3 2008 - two days since the fire that destroyed the Caffey house and Max is still waiting. He’s waiting for his family.
Two years earlier, Terry and Penny Caffey proudly displayed the split cedar wood sign at the
entrance to their new home. Made for them by their good friend and only neighbour, Tommy Gaston,
the sign, complete with a meaningful Bible quote, was a fitting gift for the religious family.
Their twenty acre property was situated approximately sixty miles north of Dallas,
in the tiny town of Alba. It offered the Caffey family ample room to play and explore.
When Terry Caffey heard from his friend Tommy that the house had become available,
he jumped at the chance to purchase it. Now, as he watched his youngest son Tyler play on
a rope swing in their front yard, he knew he had made the right decision. The Caffey family quickly settled in. The move placed them even closer to their family church,
the Miracle Faith Baptist Church and Penny homeschooled their three children - Erin, Matthew
and Tyler. The layout of the two storey cabin style home meant that Terry and Penny could sleep
downstairs while the children had the upstairs largely to themselves, offering everyone space
and privacy. Terry worked long hours delivering medical equipment to people who required it at
their homes. Although he enjoyed his job, he felt he could relax when he took the turnoff to the
private road he shared with Tommy Gaston and his wife Helen. His fourteen year old daughter Erin
often ran out the front door to welcome him home, give him a hug and enquire about his day. His wife
Penny met him at the door each night with a smile and a kiss. Terry Caffey was living his dream.
Terry met Penny in 1989 at a church service. They went on their first date a week later and
in eight months, the two were married. Terry and Penny wanted nothing more than to start a family.
Their wish was fulfilled in July 1991, when they welcomed daughter Erin into the world.
In June 1994, the family of three expanded with the birth of son Matthew. Five years later in
April 1999, another son Tyler came along. Deeply religious, the Caffey family were
described by Alba locals as Good Christians who embodied the “All American Family.”
Prior to the birth of his children, Terry had spent time working with youth in his church
when he felt a higher calling from God. He began studying to become a minister with his goal to become a pastor or evangelist and spread the word of God.
Penny, on the other hand, devoted her time to playing in the church gospel band.
A gifted pianist who played every day, Penny also performed at other area churches and recorded
albums with family friend Tommy Gaston. When she wasn’t practicing piano, doing household chores
or homeschooling the children, Penny volunteered her time delivering meals to the sick and elderly.
The three Caffey children were vastly different from one another. The youngest child Tyler was a shy boy with an adventurous streak. He loved nothing more than
jumping into the pond on the Caffey property, much to the concern of his careful mother. Middle child
Matthew was affectionately known as Bubba due to his size and stature. Although large, Matthew was
a kind and gentle boy who loved playing the harmonica and guitar as well as journaling.
Oldest sibling Erin inherited her mother’s long blonde hair and sparkling eyes. At four
foot eleven, Erin made her presence known with her loud but angelic voice that echoed
around the church walls. According to the Texas Monthly, Erin's pastor joked that if he had five Erin Caffey’s he would fill his church on Sundays. Boys followed the
teen wherever she went and attended Miracle Faith Baptist Church just to see her. Her father Terry
would lovingly tell her that her voice was so beautiful he wanted her to sing at his funeral.
The Caffey family finished 2007 excited for the future. In April 2008, Terry was due to finish his
studies and fulfill his dream of being ordained in the ministry. The children were doing well
in their studies. Now sixteen year old Erin had attended a youth camp where she was voted “Most
likely to succeed” and “Most fun loving person.” Then Charlie Wilkinson entered the picture.
18 year old Charlie entered the Sonic fast food restaurant in Emory. He noticed Erin Caffey working as a waitress and was immediately attracted to her. She had just
started working there part time to gain some independence and earn a small amount of money.
Charlie caught her eye also and the pair began to talk. Charlie began dropping by
on Erin’s work breaks to see her. A few weeks later, he worked up the courage to ask her out.
Erin, whom friends described as naive and sheltered, happily gave Charlie her number.
They soon began dating. Erin had casually dated before but this was her first serious
relationship. Erin and Charlie’s relationship started with long phone calls to one another.
Then Charlie would come to the Caffey home after school. He draped himself across their
furniture and made a nuisance of himself when the Caffey’s were doing household chores.
From the book, “Terror by Night,” his constant presence in the house irritated Terry. He found
Charlie to be disrespectful and a know it all. He swore around Terry’s children and didn’t have
a job, although he did intend on joining the Army when he finished his schooling.
Penny tried to reassure her husband that Charlie seemed nice and was probably harmless,
however agreed that they should keep a close eye on the young couple. In mid-January 2008, Erin came to her parents with a request. She asked if she could transfer
from homeschooling to a high school so she could be with other peers her own age and make friends.
Terry and Penny agreed, hoping that the move would distance her from Charlie who seemed to spend all his spare time with Erin. She enrolled in Rains High School.
Terry and Penny were dismayed to learn that Charlie also attended the school as a senior.
Erin and Charlie stopped socialising with other students and became inseparable at school,
sometimes going to Erin’s old Chevy pickup truck to fool around over the lunch break.
Charlie also began attending the Miracle Faith Baptist Church with Erin. The pair were always seen holding hands throughout the services.
Parishioners commented to Terry and Penny that their daughter had a bad case of “puppy love.”
Terry was concerned. Charlie’s friends also noticed how much his relationship with Erin
had changed him. He talked about her non stop, gushing about his love for her. Erin couldn’t understand why her parents didn’t approve of their relationship. Charlie was known
to be a bit of a hot head but was generally well behaved. He didn’t cause any trouble at school,
aside from the odd occasion where he was asked to remove his cowboy hat for class.
One day in January 2008, Charlie and Erin went out for an early dinner. As mentioned in the
Texas Monthly, on the way home, Charlie pulled over his run down Ford Explorer and asked Erin
to hop out of the car. On a deserted road he bent down on one knee and presented Erin
with an expensive and intricate ring. Once his grandmother’s engagement ring, Charlie
offered the ring to Erin as a sign of their friendship and his promise to always be hers.
It wasn’t a formal proposal but by giving her the ring, Charlie made it clear that he wanted to
propose when the time was right. Erin accepted and later spent the night at church proudly showing
the ring to her friends in the congregation. Terry found out about the ring from a fellow parishioner
and was furious with Charlie, confronting him about it after church. Charlie agreed
to go to the Caffey home the following night. Terry wanted to lay down some ground rules.
Terry, Penny, Charlie and Erin sat around the dining table. Both teens listened intently as Terry told Charlie that he was no longer permitted to come
around to see Erin every night. Instead, he could visit one night a week and had to leave by 9pm.
Given that the pair saw each other every weekday at school, Erin’s parents saw this as a fair and reasonable request. Although not thrilled with the decision,
the young couple agreed. For a while things at the Caffey home went back to normal.
Charlie continued to see Erin at church, the pair even singing solo parts one night.
However, Terry and Penny noticed a difference in their daughter. She seemed withdrawn and
the happy-go-lucky, friendly Erin began snapping back at them in conversations.
She lost interest in her appearance, leaving the house without doing her hair and
makeup - completely out of character. When Charlie visited, he regarded the Caffey family coolly.
There was tension in the Caffey household when he was around. On February 27 2008, Penny Caffey sat nervously at the public library.
The Caffey family did not have a computer at home so relied on public or family members’ computers every time they needed to access the internet.
Penny searched for Charlie Wilkinson’s MySpace page and what she saw horrified her.
She called Terry in tears, explaining that her sister had told her that Erin had been
on Charlie’s MySpace at her house and forgotten to log out of her account. According to “Terror By Night,” Terry dropped what he was doing to join his wife at the library.
The two read posts on Charlie’s page including one comment telling Charlie to bring his “b***h
of a girlfriend over for the weekend so they could get drunk and have sex.” Terry and Penny confronted Erin about the MySpace page later that night. She bowed
her head and stared at the floor as Terry told Erin she was not allowed to see Charlie again.
Deeply concerned, he told Erin that when she was 18 she was free to make her own decisions
but in the meantime, he was looking out for her and doing what he thought was right.
Erin burst into tears but her response surprised him. She told her father, “I’ve wanted to break up with Charlie for a while, but I just don’t know how to do it.”
Erin broke it off with Charlie later that night after a church service. At the behest of her
father, Erin chose a public place where she would be safe in case Charlie lost his temper.
Parishioners watched on as Charlie slammed his car door and sped out of the church car park, tyres squealing.
On Friday February 29, two days after Erin had called things off with Charlie, Terry drove down the gravelled road to home. From “Terror By Night,”
it was pitch black and Terry was exhausted from working a fourteen and a half hour day.
He reheated some dinner and his sons, Matthew and Tyler, giggled as Terry accidentally spilled some
on the floor and fell in it. Terry cleaned up the mess and tickled the boys as they wrestled.
Erin, who had been happy and content since the break up, joined in and a pillow fight ensued.
Afterwards, Terry kissed all his children goodnight and went to bed. --- At around 5am the next morning, Terry’s neighbour, Tommy Gaston, awoke to a strange banging coming
from the front door. It started as a soft thud but became louder and more insistent as Tommy
rose to investigate. Aside from what Tommy and his wife Helen assumed was an early morning storm,
with thunder rolling in the distance, the two had slept peacefully through the night.
Tommy opened his front door. Lying on the ground of the porch was Terry Caffey,
who had used his forearm to bang on the door. Although it was a freezing cold night, Terry
was only wearing a t-shirt, pajama pants, and one wet sock. He was covered in blood and dirt,
so much so that it was impossible to tell where the bleeding was coming from. Spluttering, he told Tommy that he and his family had been shot at and the house set alight.
He was the only one to make it out alive. Tommy and Helen assisted Terry and called 911.
Once inside, the warmth of the home brought Terry to his senses and the pain from his
injuries kicked in. Paramedics arrived and as Terry was loaded into the ambulance,
he was met with Detective Richard Almon from the Rains County Sheriff’s Department.
He gasped to the detective, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” Meanwhile, firefighters arrived at the Caffey house and were confronted by a blaze that had
engulfed the entire building. Once they had contained the fire, investigators combed through the ashes and rubble. They soon located who they believed to be Penny,
Erin, Matthew and Tyler and sent their bones away for examination. The family dog,
Max could not be coaxed from the area, instead standing sentry to the property.
-- Members of the Miracle Faith Baptist Church wept for the Caffey family during the sermon
that Sunday morning of March 2. The family’s longtime Pastor, Todd McGahee, struggled to
maintain his composure. He affectionately remembered the Caffeys who were like family
to those in the congregation. Quote, “I don’t even think I would have crawled out of the house.
But god had a purpose for Terry’s life. God has a reason. God gave him the strength to get out.”
The parishioners mourned the loss of the Caffey family, but there was also a lingering question in their minds. What had gone on that night?
Terry Caffey was admitted to the East Texas Medical Centre intensive care unit.
He had been shot five times, but none of the bullets had penetrated major organs. Several
of the wounds had clear entry and exit points and two bullets were lodged in his right arm.
The most severe injury was from a bullet that entered Terry’s right cheek, passing through
his sinus cavities before exiting out his left ear canal. Drifting in and out of consciousness
due to shock and painkillers, surgeons waited until Terry was stable enough to undergo surgery.
When safe to do so, Terry successfully underwent surgery to remove the bullets lodged in his upper
body. He regained consciousness and became more lucid the following day. Terry’s miraculous survival enabled police to understand what exactly had taken place at the
Caffey home on Friday February 29. That night, each family member retired to bed one by one.
The house was in total darkness when Terry was roused from his deep sleep by Max, who was barking
at the front of the house. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was just past midnight. Assuming Max was
hunting a wild animal that had strayed into the yard, Terry rolled over and went back to sleep.
A few hours later, a loud noise jolted Terry wide awake. It was the sound of the bedroom door knob hitting the dryer that was located just behind the door.
Terry initially thought son Tyler had suffered a nightmare and was coming in to sleep in their bed.
He sat up to reassure him when the sound of gunfire rang out. Penny screamed. A black silhouette of a man appeared in their bedroom doorway,
highlighted by the kitchen night light beyond. Terry could not recognise his features but did see the gun he held pointed at Penny.
He reached out his arm to shield his wife from the gunfire and was struck five times. The final
shot hit Terry in the face and he was thrown into the space between the bed and the wall.
He lay motionless, face down on the floor as the gunman approached. He felt someone kick
his feet to see if he was dead. Terry squeezed his eyes shut and kept as still as he could.
The gunman made his way out of the bedroom and into the lounge. He was not alone. The intruders
began rummaging through the Caffey’s belongings, taking all the jewellery and cash they could find.
They overturned furniture and pulled items from the top of the piano. One slammed his
fists on the piano keys. Then they stopped. They could hear screaming coming from upstairs.
--- Terry woke to the taste of blood and gunpowder and realised he had momentarily passed out.
He couldn’t feel the right side of his body but knew he had to get up. Using all
the strength he could muster, Terry lifted his body with his left arm up onto the bed.
Penny lay slumped over at the head of the bed in a large pool of blood. His thoughts
immediately turned to Matthew, Tyler, and Erin. Terry could hear screaming and then a further
round of gunshots coming from upstairs. The house became silent and Terry passed out again.
The smell of smoke roused Terry once more. Blood ran into his eyes, making it difficult to see.
He tried to make it to the stairs leading to the top floor where his children were located. But by
this stage a fire had well and truly taken hold, and the flames made it impossible to progress.
Realising he would never make it upstairs from the inside of the house, Terry escaped through
the bathroom window that joined his bedroom. The injured Terry fell five feet to the ground below
and took cover behind the property’s propane tank. He knew he had to reach his three children. Moving
to the front of the house, he tried to find an entry point but the house was engulfed in flames.
Terry felt weak and lightheaded. He crawled into the dense forest at the rear of his house and
waited for emergency services to respond, certain that someone would have noticed the blaze from the
road or the deafening explosions that rocked the early morning air. As minutes ticked by,
Terry realised that nobody was coming. Their house was so remote, that even their closest
neighbours mistook the sounds for distant thunder. Terry didn’t care if he died as well,
he wanted to be reunited with his family in heaven. But he had one more mission to complete.
He knew who was responsible for the attack and had to tell someone. Terry began the long trek to his neighbour Tommy’s house four hundred yards away. Unable to walk for
any longer than a few yards at a time, he began crawling through the dense forest,
leaving a trail of blood behind him. Every so often he had to rest, laying his head on logs
while he mustered the strength to continue on. Terry fell into an ice cold creek and struggled
to crawl up the bank to get out. Still, he continued, eventually making it to Tommy’s porch.
Detective Almon rode in the ambulance that escorted Terry to the hospital. He quickly asked Terry questions in case he were to suddenly lose consciousness
or pass away. With much difficulty, Terry recounted a critical moment in the attack - he
heard screaming coming from the upper level of his home as he lay motionless beside the bed.
The voices weren’t from the attackers but were from his son Matthew screaming, “Charlie, why are you doing this? No, Charlie, No.” It then went silent.
Detectives theorised that Charlie Wilkinson had killed the Caffey family in retaliation
for Erin breaking up with him. Chief Deputy Sheriff Kurt Fischer already knew where Charlie was staying. Being a small town where everyone knew one another,
he had seen Charlie’s car parked outside his friend Charles Waid’s trailer that morning. He returned to the blue trailer with Deputy Sheriff Ed Ewig and knocked on the door.
Charles Waid’s brother answered. He was unsure if Charlie Wilkinson had spent the night in his trailer but let the sheriff’s in to have a look around.
The trailer was in disarray, with clothes and beer cans strewn about. Deputy Sheriff Fischer came across Charles Waid and his girlfriend Bobbi Johnson sleeping in one
room. According to the Texas Monthly, he continued down the hallway of the trailer
when he came across a room with a blanket hanging on the door. Pulling it aside,
he shone his flashlight into the room and found Charlie Wilkinson lying awake on his bed.
He was wearing blue jeans with no shirt. A semiautomatic handgun lay on the floor beside him.
Deputy Sheriff Fischer handcuffed Charlie to take him in for questioning. He denied being anywhere near the Caffey property the night before, explaining he had gotten drunk
and passed out in the trailer. Deputy Sheriff Emig went back into the trailer to retrieve some
clothes for him to put on. When he picked up his cowboy boots, they were covered in blood spatter.
While holding Charlie at the county jail for questioning, Deputy Sheriff Fischer
obtained a search warrant and went back to the trailer. In the living room, he found a purse.
The drivers licence inside belonged to Erin Caffey. He returned to the bedroom Charlie
Wilkinson had been sleeping in and began searching for more evidence to tie him to the attack.
He picked up a long sleeved button up shirt from the floor and a used condom fell out.
Fischer moved a blanket that was lying on the floor near the closet. As he did,
he saw a wave of long blonde hair. Thinking it was a wig, he pulled it aside. He got a
shock when he realised it wasn’t a wig at all. The hair was attached to a person. It was Erin Caffey.
Fischer studied Erin as she opened her eyes and scanned the trailer. He brought her into the loungeroom, still dressed in the pajamas she was wearing the night before.
Erin was dazed and confused. Fischer asked Erin how she got to the trailer. She looked around her and asked, “Where am I?”
She groggily explained how she had been kidnapped and drugged. The last thing she recalled was two
men entering her room in the middle of the night. She smelled smoke and knew the house was on fire.
The two men were brandishing swords and ordered Erin to get out of her bed and lay face down on
the floor. That was the last thing she remembered before being roused by Deputy Sheriff Fischer.
Erin’s pupils were dilated and she appeared to be suffering from shock so Fischer organised for
her to be transferred to hospital for assessment. She recalled further details of the night before.
She had tried to call Charlie after the fire but had been unable to reach him. She also recalled
drinking something at the trailer but then passing out. In a frightened voice, Erin whispered,
“They’re coming to get me.” Meanwhile, Terry’s sister Mary visited Terry in the ICU to tell him
the fantastic news that Erin had been found alive with only minimal injuries. Terry was overjoyed.
Charlie Wilkinson was questioned and he soon broke down. He openly acknowledged his role in the fire
and the murders of Penny, Matthew and Tyler and the attempted murder of Terry, telling detectives,
“I’m in a lot of trouble.” As suspected, Charlie didn’t act alone. He named two others - friends Charles Waid and Bobbi Johnson as accomplices. However,
Charlie was adamant about one aspect of the attack on the Caffey family that detectives had wrong.
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Charlie Wilkinson’s version of events on the night of the attack varied significantly to the details
provided by Erin. According to Charlie, the pair had been plotting the night’s events for over a
month. They even had a code name for the plan - “FUBAR” standing for “F***ed Up Beyond All
Recognition.” Together they planned to FUBAR the Caffey family so they could be together.
Charlie offered his friends, 20 year old Charles Waid and his girlfriend 18 year old Bobbi Johnson,
who attended the same high school as Charlie and Erin, two thousand dollars for their help.
Erin explained that the cash was in a lock box that they would find inside the house. She would help them open it after the attack.
On the night of the murders, Erin joined in a pillow fight with her father and brothers.
As detailed in the documentary by journalist and television personality Piers Morgan,
just before midnight, Charles Waid, Bobbi Johnson and Charlie Wilkinson travelled to the Caffey
residence. The men tried to gain entrance to the property while Bobbi stayed in the car,
but Max the black labrador spotted them and became agitated, barking and scaring them off.
Erin moved Max to the back of the house and when the coast was clear, they returned to pick her up.
Sitting in the car at a nearby cemetery, Charlie, Erin, Charles and Bobbi discussed
the plan for just over an hour. At approximately 4am, they drove back to the Caffey residence
and parked on the main road. The girls stayed in the back seat of Charles Waid’s car
as Charlie and Charles wandered down the gravelled road and entered through the front door that Erin
had left unlocked for them. They made a beeline for Terry and Penny’s bedroom. Charlie shot Terry
five times and turned the gun on Penny. He fired a few shots but the pistol then jammed.
Charlie had bought another weapon with him in case of emergency - a long samurai type sword
that he used to cut Penny’s throat as she sat in bed. Confident that Erin’s parents were dead, the
pair ransacked the lounge area and made their way upstairs to the boys’ rooms. Charles Waid led the
way. He found thirteen year old Matthew first who pleaded with Charlie to stop what he was doing.
Charlie told detectives, “They were scared, and I could not stand to look at their faces.”
Matthew tried to kick Charlie in self-defence. In response, Charles Waid shot him multiple times.
They found eight year old Tyler hiding in the back of Erin’s closet. Charles and Charlie then stabbed Tyler to death. The pair then used lighters to set
furniture in the house on fire and made a hasty getaway out the front door. On the way, Charlie
grabbed a travel bag that Erin had packed with her belongings. They joined the girls in the car.
Charlie told detectives that Erin smiled at him and said, “I’m glad that’s over.” Charles Waid
drove them back to his brother’s trailer. Inside, Charlie and Erin had sex and then went to sleep.
Charles Waid and Bobbi Johnson were quickly apprehended. They confessed to their involvement
in the murders and their stories closely matched the version of events given by Charlie Wilkinson.
Charles Waid added that as they drove away from the Caffey house, Erin exclaimed, “Holy s**t! That
was awesome!” Bobbi told detectives that on the night of the attack, Charlie Wilkinson repeatedly
asked Erin to run away with him instead, asking “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Erin replied, “Why are you asking me this? If you love me, you’ll do it.” As her alleged accomplices were being questioned, Erin Caffey was assessed in hospital.
She stuck to her original story that she had been kidnapped and drugged. According to the documentary, “Killer Women with Piers Morgan,” Detective Richard Almon
spoke to one of the officers waiting with Erin. He ordered a toxicology screen to check the
presence of any drugs in her system that might have been used to sedate or incapacitate her.
He also asked the officer to smell the clothes that Erin had been wearing when apprehended. Had
she been in the house at the time of the fire as she maintained, he reasoned that her clothes would
smell heavily of smoke. The officer soon reported back - the tox screen was clear of any drugs.
As for her clothes, they smelled of nothing. She showed no signs of smoke inhalation either.
Erin was discharged from hospital as the interrogations continued with Charlie, Charles
and Bobbi. Erin left with Penny’s mother Virginia, who was still dealing with the shock of losing her
daughter and grandsons. Their destination was to the East Texas Medical Centre to visit Terry.
As a likely suspect in a murder investigation, their car was tailed by police. Nearing the
hospital, Virginia’s car was pulled over. Erin Caffey was arrested and charged on three counts
of capital murder after Charlie, Charles and Bobbi signed statements implicating her in the attack.
Erin was held at a juvenile detention centre on a one and a half million dollar bond.
The other three teens were charged with the same counts and held at the Rains County Jail.
As he recovered in hospital, Terry Caffey noticed the staff around the ward acting strangely.
Nurses spoke to him without making eye contact and others tried to avoid him altogether. As
soon as he thought about it, the pain medication would kick back in and he’d drift off to sleep.
On Monday March 3, Terry pleaded with his sister to tell him what was wrong. She eventually conceded, telling Terry that Erin had been arrested and why.
Deputy Sheriff Kurt Fischer visited Terry in hospital to tell him the news. Terry asked how his daughter was, explaining that no one would tell him a whole lot and he
wasn’t allowed to watch the news. Deputy Sheriff Fischer reassured Terry that she was doing fine.
Terry then said he doesn’t want to know a whole lot of details but asked what her level
of involvement was. The Deputy Sheriff paused before responding , “Her involvement is great.”
Terry sobbed as Fischer explained that Erin was believed to be the mastermind behind the attack on his family.
Rains High School was also feeling the emotional impact of the crime, with word quickly spreading that three of their fellow students had been arrested.
Of particular shock was the alleged involvement of Bobbi Johnson, the friendly teen who was well known for her involvement in the school theatre.
As reported in the Associated Press, the Rains school Superintendent said, “These were students
who had not been in trouble a great deal. Maybe some tardies and absences but that’s it.”
State Prosecutor Lisa Tanner continued to gather evidence to prove the extent of Erin’s involvement in the murders. Phone records revealed that Erin had called Charlie’s
cell phone repeatedly in a short burst in the early hours of Saturday morning. This corresponded with Charlie’s version of events that after Erin restrained Max for
them she then called Charlie many times, asking where they were and when they were coming back.
Erin was at a loss to explain the records, given that she maintained she was in bed asleep.
Additionally, both Charles Waid and Bobbi Johnson admitted that Erin was the one responsible for
the murders. From the book “Terror By Night,” by Terry Caffey, Erin had spoken to them for a
month about the killings, saying she wanted her parents dead because she was so angry at them
for not condoning her relationship with Charlie. As for her siblings, she told the pair that she
wanted Matthew killed because he would talk and Tyler killed because she just didn’t like him.
Charlie, Charles and Bobbi all maintained that they had tried to talk Erin out of the murders
in the lead up, suggesting that she run away with Charlie instead. But Erin insisted she
wanted them dead. She told them that her parents repeatedly punched and slapped her.
However, all teens admitted they had never seen any markings on Erin to prove her allegations.
The most startling revelation came from Michael Washburn, an ex-boyfriend Erin had been seeing very casually prior to meeting Charlie. Erin
had also called this relationship off at the behest of her parents who didn’t approve. When questioned by detectives, Michael said Erin had confided in him that she was
going to hire someone to go to her house and kill her parents. Erin told him it was because
every time she got a boyfriend that she really liked her mum and dad tried to break them up.
In a decision that stunned many people, Terry chose to visit Erin. As soon as he was well
enough, he drove the forty minute journey from where he was residing at his sister’s house
to the detention centre where she was being held. Separated by a thick piece of plexiglass, the father and daughter saw each other
for the first time since the attack. Terry was concerned by Erin’s appearance, she looked pale
and exhausted. He asked if she was being looked after to which Erin responded yes.
Forbidden to talk about the case before it went to trial, the two made small talk and tearily reminisced about old times. When nobody could overhear,
Erin told Terry she had tried to stop the attack but it had gotten out of hand. Terry believed her.
From “Trial By Fire,” Terry wrote the following entry in his journal: “I never thought that I would lose my entire family in one night and be all alone
at the age of 41. Erin is all that I have left and I will stand by her side no matter what.
I know she needs me, and I need her. I believe God saved my life that night for a reason, and one of
those reasons is to be here for her. I couldn’t imagine her going through this without anyone,
so I stand by her side and pray every day. There are a lot of questions that I have about
that night, and some of those questions may never be answered in this lifetime.
One thing that I do believe is that Erin loved her family and wouldn’t want us dead. I believe they
came that night and things went bad very fast, and she had no control in it. So I keep trusting
God to see us through, and that in the end he will get the victory and that his will be done.”
The callousness of the attack stunned State Prosecutor Lisa Tanner. On “Killer Women with Piers Morgan,” she discussed how horrified she was
that the four of them sat together for over an hour prior to the murders and not one of them brought up that perhaps they shouldn’t follow through. She was flummoxed that
they thought they would get away with it and there would be no repercussions for their actions.
The prosecution sought the death penalty for both Charlie Wilkinson and Charles Waid. Because Erin
was a minor, she escaped a possible death penalty. Still, the prosecution wanted Erin
tried as an adult. This meant that she could still face a maximum sentence of life without
the possibility of parole. Terry Caffey was for the death penalty for both Charles and Charlie,
looking Lisa Tanner dead in the eyes and saying, “Charlie ate at my table.” As for Erin, Terry
hoped she would be tried as a minor instead of an adult as he did not want her in an adult prison.
In the juvenile detention centre, Erin met with Israel Lewis, an experienced mental health
counselor hired to evaluate her for the defense. She told Lewis that she had been framed by Charlie
who had a volatile temper. With tears in her eyes, she told Lewis many times, “I’m innocent, God will save me.”
As Lewis became familiar with the intricacies of the crime, he realised he had been played by Erin.
He told the Texas Monthly, “I have worked with some good liars, but Erin [Caffey]
was one of the best. 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. I cried every time I left her jail cell.”
Father’s Day in June 2008 marked three months since the murders. It was an extremely difficult time of year for Terry Caffey.
On that day, he received a letter from his only living child. It read: Dear Daddy, Let me start by saying Happy Father’s Day.
I hope you get this before then, but I don’t need a date to tell you that you have been an
awesome Dad. You have done a great job, and not for one second do I think different. None of this
was your fault. If anything it was mine… I feel like I don’t deserve your love and
that I let you and Mama down. But in this family we stick together and I have always loved you,
Mama and the boys very, very much. I never wanted any of this to happen. I was just going with what
he was telling me. He was feeding me all these lies. I got caught up in him and I feel so guilty.
I’m glad that you’re here with me now. If it wasn’t for you I don’t know what would have happened to me. I love you. Even though this has happened, I still feel sad,
but at the same time glad that I’m free from the pressure that was being put on me.
I miss Mama and the boys! But I know where they are. I know they would be proud of you. I am too….
No matter what anyone says, you have been a great dad and did a great job of raising me.
No matter where I go or who I’m around, I will never forget where I came from. And I dream
one day of walking together in our property, hand in hand. I do believe that will happen.
Anyway, I love you, and happy Father’s Day! Keep the faith. God’s about to show us his mercy!
Love Erin Terry’s eyes filled with tears as he read the letter. It reaffirmed his decision to always be around for his daughter.
On June 26 2008 there was a very brief certification hearing to determine whether Erin would be tried as an adult. The District Attorney argued that Erin should stand
trial as an adult and was a danger to both herself and the community. The judge agreed
and both Terry and Erin cried as she was led away and transferred to Hopkins County Jail where,
due to her age, she was placed in protective custody to await trial. In October that year, Terry Caffey had a change of heart. He wrote a letter to the Attorney General’s
Office to request that the death penalty be taken off the table for Charlie Wilkinson
and Charles Waid. Terry reasoned that there had been enough deaths already and rather a life sentence without parole would give them a chance to show remorse and repentance.
In meeting with Lisa Tanner the following day, Terry said to her, “When it comes time for them to die, I want that to be in God’s hands, not mine.”
Three months later on January 2 2009, Bobbi Johnson and Erin Caffey were sentenced for
their roles in the murders after both pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder.
As an accomplice to murder who did not use a weapon, Bobbi accepted a plea deal in exchange for a trial and received a forty year sentence with
the possibility of parole in twenty. Prosecutor Lisa Tanner requested that Erin serve three life
sentences with an additional 50 years, meaning she would never see the world outside of a prison.
After some negotiation with Terry, Erin signed a plea bargain for a sentence of
two life sentences and an additional 25 years with the possibility of parole. Four days later, Charlie Wilkinson and Charles Waid faced sentencing. Both teens
also avoided a trial because they had already pleaded guilty. A trial would have only been
conducted to ascertain whether they were to receive the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Because the death penalty had been taken off the table, it rendered a trial unnecessary.
Before the formal sentencing, Terry met with both Charlie and Charles separately.
Charles Waid expressed remorse for what he had done, saying he only agreed to the plan
because he needed the money promised to him by Erin and Charlie to pay for court fees.
He was trying to gain custody of his children. As mentioned in “Trial By Night,” Terry Caffey asked
him, “So you were willing to kill children to get children? Where’s the logic in that?” Charles Waid
shook his head and said, “I really don’t know. I can’t answer that. I have kids of my own.”
When Terry spoke with Charlie, he also expressed remorse for his actions. His eyes welled with tears and he hung his head, refusing to make eye contact.
He told Terry he did it out of love for Erin. In the courtroom, Terry read a victim impact statement to Charlie and Charles. Excerpts read,
“At first I had so much anger, so much bitterness towards you, but in time God has shown me what it means to forgive. So I want to say to you today, I forgive you,
not so much for your sake, but for my own. I refuse to grow into a bitter old man.
If I am going to heal and move on, I must find forgiveness in my heart. That has been the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do, because you have taken so much away
from me. You took my wife of eighteen years, whom I’ll never be able to see or talk to again.
You took my boys away from me. Matthew, only thirteen years old. Tyler, only eight years old...Because of you, I’ll never be able to see my boys grow up.
Then, after you took my family away, you didn’t stop there. You burnt our house down, taking from me all my family photos,
all the little special gifts and cards, all the things that were so precious to me...But
in spite of your hatred and evil efforts, I’ll carry on with all the wonderful memories that
will forever be ingrained in my heart. And that is something you will never be able to take from me.”
Both Charlie Wilkinson and Charles Waid were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
In April 2009, Terry Caffey became an ordained minister. He has spent countless hours telling his story in churches, schools and prisons to encourage
people to make good choices and forgive others. Following the murders, Terry found Max a new and
loving home, unable to care for his family dog due to his state of health. Once a month, Terry makes the 6 hour round trip from his new home to visit Erin at
the Texas Department of Criminal Justice women’s prison at Gatesville. Whilst Terry
believes that Erin must have had some degree of participation in the murders, he doesn’t believe
that she was the ringleader nor that she wanted her family dead. He told the Texas Monthly,
“I think she thought Charlie was just blowing smoke. I don’t think she actually thought he would go through with it. I know my daughter. She
cried one time when we were in my truck and I ran over a squirrel; she’s tenderhearted.
No kid’s an angel, but I know what she is capable of, and I know she’s not capable of murder.”
Erin also still denies being the mastermind behind the attack, alleging that she wanted
to run away but the others forced her to stay in the car while they carried out the murders.
She has even appeared on the Dr Phil show via prison to defend herself. On “Killer Women with Piers Morgan,” Erin said she is no longer in love with Charlie Wilkinson whom
she has not seen or spoken to since their arrest. With good behaviour, Erin could be out on parole
at 59 years of age. Erin says the first thing she will do when she gets out of prison is to go
to the gravesites of her mother Penny and brothers Matthew and Tyler to pay her respects.
Charlie Wilkinson was incarcerated in the Polunsky Unit in Livingstone. He questioned whether Erin ever loved him or if he was just a pawn she could order about.
He told the Texas Monthly that “I would have done anything for her. She was very smart, very caring.
I don’t know why she wanted it done, why it had to be like that, but she was a very nice person.”
When asked if he still loved Erin, Charlie responded, “Once you love somebody, you can’t quit. You always will.”
In the aftermath of the murders, Terry Caffey considered taking his life, unable to deal with the despair of losing his family. He desperately searched for a sign from
God for any kind of guidance to help him move forward. Six weeks after the attack, he found it.
Terry stood amongst the rubble where his house used to be. Bulldozers had cleared most of the
debris and levelled out the block. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a piece of paper
that had blown against the trunk of a nearby pine tree. The paper, burnt black around the edges,
had survived the fire and the subsequent clearing of the land. It was from a book owned by his wife.
The first few lines of the page were of one of the book’s characters talking to God. It read,
“I couldn’t understand why You would take my family and leave me to struggle along without them. And I guess I still totally don’t understand that part of it.
But I do believe that You’re sovereign, You’re in control.”

Case 170: The Caffey Family

On February 29 2008, intruders stormed the Caffey family home in Texas, attacking those sleeping within. After setting the house on fire, the intruders fled, unaware that one family member was still alive...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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Brief Summary

The Caffey family tragedy reveals betrayal, murder, and survival in a shocking tale of love gone wrong.

Key points

The Caffey Family's Tragic Night. Terry Caffey survives a brutal attack that leaves his family dead.
Terry's Miraculous Survival. Despite being shot five times, Terry Caffey's survival leads to crucial evidence.
Erin Found Alive. Erin Caffey is discovered alive after being kidnapped and drugged.
Charlie’s Confession. Charlie Wilkinson admits to his role in the murders and implicates others.
Erin's Arrest. Erin Caffey is arrested and charged with capital murder after being implicated.
Father's Day Letter. Terry Caffey receives a heartfelt letter from Erin on Father's Day.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I don’t think I’m going to make it.

Terry Caffey's desperate words to Detective Almon after the attack.

20:28WatchMar 27, 2021

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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