Two brothers who embarked on a horrific murder rampage involving the torture and systematic sexual assault of petrified housemates are now begging Kansas's Governor for mercy. Jonathan Carr and Reginald Carr, both now in their mid to late 40s, are desperately attempting to avoid their death row fate — but the sibling of one victim has now urged: "We don't want to keep reliving it."
They're infamously dubbed the Wichita mass killers, and here we examine their spine-chilling atrocities — plus how one woman incredibly survived their savage execution attempt.
'Wichita Massacre'
On December 14, 2000, the Carr siblings, wielding firearms and golf clubs, invaded a residence in Wichita, Kansas, home to three males and two females, all described as young working professionals. Wichita Police Sergeant Jim Merrick subsequently characterised the friends as "salt of the earth people" who each contributed positively to society. Yet they endured unthinkable terror when Jonathan and Reginald violently entered the property.
The five companions were confined to a single room while the savage brothers, who were continuing a criminal rampage begun days prior, pillaged the house where they discovered an engagement ring hidden inside a popcorn container. Tragically, this was how one woman, identified by authorities as H.G, learned that her partner and housemate, Jason Belfort, intended to propose to her.
Three of the flatmates who possessed debit cards were subsequently forced to accompany the killer brothers to cash machines, where nearly $2,000 was extracted. Yet upon their return to the property, the sergeant outlined how a "disgusting series of sex crimes" commenced. The men endured beatings with golf clubs before being compelled to witness the Carr brothers assault the two women. According to harrowing court records, the three males were then forced to take part in the violation of the women while the despicable siblings observed.
The torment and sexual abuse continued for hours until the brothers eventually transported the five victims to a snow-covered deserted sports facility. At this location, the friends were positioned in a line before each was struck with a gunshot to the head, after which the perpetrators used one of the victim's vehicles to run them over. This resulted in the heartbreaking deaths of Aaron Sander, 29, Brad Heyka, 27, Jason Befort, 26, and Heather Muller, 25.
Incredibly, the woman identified as H.G survived solely because her plastic hair clip diverted the bullet aimed at her skull. Following a period lying beside the corpses of her partner and housemates on the frozen ground in sub-zero conditions, H.G, who was unclothed and bleeding from her head wound, eventually rose and fled seeking assistance. After trekking almost a mile through the snow, she reached the home of a couple and subsequently alerted authorities, later providing identification of the brothers.
Other Crimes
Chillingly, the sexual assault, torture and killings perpetrated by Jonathan and Reginald that evening marked the culmination of several terrifying days that had gripped Wichita residents. The spree began on December 8 with a vehicle theft when baseball player Andrew Schreiber found himself at gunpoint, forced by the siblings to empty his bank account before they released him. Though traumatised, he managed to escape with his life intact. Days afterwards, on December 11, librarian Ann Walenta was gunned down in her own driveway as she attempted to flee by reversing her car. Three days following that incident, the pair targeted their subsequent victims, resulting in the flatmates' deaths. Tragically, Ann, who had managed to identify her assailants, succumbed to her wounds days after the brothers' capture.
Regarding their motives, former FBI Special Agent Michael Tabman explained to 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 apprehended, with the survivor giving evidence against them in 2002. The cowardly siblings betrayed each other, each blaming their brother for the barbaric offences. They were convicted on numerous charges, encompassing abduction, theft, sexual assault, four counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree murder.
In more recent times, the Kansas Supreme Court determined that the murderers received fair proceedings and confirmed their death penalties. This follows the temporary overturning of their death sentences in 2014, only for the US Supreme Court to reinstate them two years later. The brothers are now seeking to evade their death penalty sentences by petitioning for clemency, a move that has been met with opposition from the victims' family members.
Earlier this month, Lisa Befort, wife of Mark Befort whose brother Jason was among those murdered, questioned: "How would you feel if you've been through 26 years of this and someone took away the severity of their penalty?" She added: "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 his own sentiments, stating: "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 expressed: "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.
