Erin Caffey, a 16-year-old from Texas, orchestrated the murder of her mother and two brothers after her parents banned her from seeing her boyfriend. Her father, Terry Caffey, survived despite being shot 11 times and dragged himself 300 yards to a neighbour's home for help.
Family Life Before the Tragedy
Erin appeared to be a well-mannered, church-going teenager, working at a local café and studying at a Texas high school. Her parents, Terry and Penny Caffey, lived in Rains County with their sons Tyler, eight, and Matthew, 13. The family regularly played musical instruments together, with Penny singing at their local church.
Everything changed when Erin began a relationship with Charlie Wilkinson. Her behaviour deteriorated rapidly—she stayed out late, neglected schoolwork, and devoted increasing time to her older boyfriend. Concerned, Terry investigated Charlie online and found troubling posts about sex and alcohol on his MySpace profile, according to 10 Minute Murder, as reported by the Daily Star.
The Attack and Its Aftermath
Terry banned Erin from seeing Charlie. Two days later, on March 1, 2008, Charlie arrived at the family home with Charles Allen Waid, 20, and Waid's girlfriend, Bobbi Gale Johnson. Erin rushed out in her pyjamas to greet them, then remained in the vehicle as the two men entered the house dressed in black.
Terry described the attack: "They burst into our bedroom and opened fire, shooting me several times. Not only did they come in shooting, they also came in with a samurai sword. After they shot Penny, they shot me three more times in the back and once in the back of the leg. All in all, I think I had been shot 11 times. I could not feel the right side of my body, and nothing would come out of my mouth. I felt I had been shot in the face. Then one of them took the sword and stabbed Penny in the neck, nearly decapitating her."
The assailants then went upstairs and shot Matthew, took turns stabbing Tyler (who was hidden in a wardrobe), and set the house on fire. Terry, seriously injured, dragged himself to neighbour Tommy Gaston's home. When Gaston called 999, the operator asked where Caffey was bleeding. Gaston replied: "Where isn't he bleeding from? It's a miracle he's here at all."
Investigation and Convictions
Police quickly found Wilkinson, Waid, and Johnson at a nearby caravan park. Erin was discovered hiding under bedclothes, claiming no knowledge of the events. She said men in black had stormed in, and she had been drugged. However, the others in custody insisted the plot was her idea, and she had promised £1,500 for "helping take care of business."
Police found no drugs or smoke on Erin, and phone records corroborated the accomplices' account. She was charged. Both men faced death by lethal injection, but Terry intervened to request they be spared. In October 2008, Wilkinson and Waid received life sentences; three months later, Johnson and Erin pleaded guilty to murder. Erin received two concurrent 40-year sentences, with eligibility for parole at age 59.
Terry continues to visit Erin in prison, saying: "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."
In the documentary series Killer Woman, Erin reflected: "When I look back on it now, this was all just stupid. I mean, for what? They weren't beating me; they weren't starving me to death. I had it made."
