Two brothers convicted of a horrific killing spree involving torture and repeated rape of their housemates are now appealing for clemency from the Governor of Kansas. Jonathan Carr and Reginald Carr, both in their mid-to-late 40s, are attempting to avoid execution. However, a brother of one of their victims has urged: "We don't want to keep reliving it."
The Wichita Massacre
Known as the Wichita mass murderers, the Carr brothers committed their crimes on December 14, 2000. Armed with guns and golf clubs, they forced their way into a property in Wichita, Kansas, occupied by three men and two women, described as young professionals. Wichita Police Sergeant Jim Merrick later described the group of friends as "salt of the earth people" who all made a positive difference in the world.
The five friends were herded into a single room before the brothers, who had already been on a crime spree for several days, ransacked the home. They discovered an engagement ring concealed inside a popcorn tin. Tragically, this was how one woman, identified by police as H.G., discovered that her boyfriend and housemate, Jason Belfort, had intended to propose to her.
Three of the housemates who held debit cards were compelled to go with the killer brothers to cash machines, where almost $2,000 was taken out. After returning to the property, Sergeant Merrick outlined how a "disgusting series of sex crimes" commenced. The male victims were attacked with golf clubs and forced to witness as the Carr brothers assaulted the two women sexually.
Harrowing court documents show that the three men were then made to take part in the assault of the women while the brothers watched. The nightmare of torture and sexual abuse went on for hours until the brothers finally transported all five victims to a snow-blanketed, derelict sports facility. The group was positioned in a line and each victim was killed with a gunshot to the head. The attackers then ran over the bodies using one of the victim's trucks.
This led to the heartbreaking deaths of Aaron Sander, 29, Brad Heyka, 27, Jason Befort, 26, and Heather Muller, 25. Incredibly, the woman known as H.G. survived, as a plastic hair barrette diverted the bullet aimed at her head. After remaining next to the bodies of her boyfriend and housemates on the frozen, snow-laden ground, H.G., unclothed and bleeding from her head injury, found the courage to stand up and find assistance. After trudging nearly a mile through the snow, she reached the door of a nearby couple and contacted police. She was subsequently able to identify the brothers.
Other Crimes
The rape, torture, and murders committed by Jonathan and Reginald that night were a deeply disturbing continuation of what had already been a terrifying few days for the residents of Wichita. It began with a carjacking on December 8, when baseball player Andrew Schreiber was held at gunpoint by the brothers before his bank account was emptied. Despite the harrowing ordeal, he escaped with his life.
Several days later, on December 11, librarian Ann Walenta was shot in her own driveway as she attempted to flee by driving away. Then, three days after that, the brothers targeted their next victims, which ultimately led to the deaths of the roommates. Tragically, Ann, who had been able to identify her attackers, succumbed to her injuries shortly after the brothers were apprehended.
As to their motive, former FBI Special Agent Michael Tabman told Oxygen's Killer Siblings: "What was their motivation? And we can't answer that. We can't find the motivation other than evil."
Justice
Following H.G.'s survival, Jonathan and Reginald were taken into custody, and the survivor testified against them in 2002. Shamelessly, the brothers turned on one another, with each pointing the finger of blame at the other for carrying out the appalling crimes. They were found guilty on multiple charges, including kidnapping, robbery, rape, four counts of capital murder, and one count of first-degree murder.
In recent years, the Kansas Supreme Court determined that both killers had received fair trials, and their death sentences were maintained. The death sentences were temporarily overturned in 2014 before the US Supreme Court reinstated them two years later. The brothers are now attempting to avoid execution by pursuing clemency applications, but relatives of their victims have voiced strong opposition.
Earlier this month, Lisa Befort, wife of Mark Befort, whose brother Jason was killed, said: "How would you feel if you've been through 26 years of this and someone took away the severity of their penalty? We would want to know what the reasoning is because they showed no mercy to Jason, to the rest of them. There was no mercy given to them at all."
Mark added: "People just don't, you know, you can try to imagine what we've been through, what we've seen and what we've heard, and you can get pretty deep into imagining but you're not gonna get all the way there." He further commented: "We've fought damn hard for 25 years every step of the way and we're getting tired."
Relatives of the victims continue to await the execution of the brothers, who remain on death row at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas.
