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Erin Caffey, Charlie Wilkinson: ‘Killer Women’ On ID, TLC With Piers Morgan — Texas Teen Daughter Had Mother, Brothers Murdered For Love

By Traciy Reyes
Published on: 09:24 PST, Jul 12, 2016

Erin Caffey, the baby-faced teen who orchestrated the murder of her family to be with her boyfriend, Charlie Wilkinson, will speak tonight on Investigation Discovery’s Killer Women with Piers Morgan and on Friday on TLC. In the episode “Mastermind To Murder,” Piers Morgan will visit convicted killer Erin Caffey at the correctional facility in Gatesville, Texas, where he will speak to the former teen about her role in the deaths of her mother and her two brothers, according to the Telegraph.

It’s one of the saddest cases you’ll read about, one that involves two God-fearing parents who raised their children to the best of their ability only to be left vulnerable to wickedness during the early morning hours of March 2008. Authorities say that’s when a group of teens ambushed the Caffey home in Alba, Texas, and shot and stabbed 36-year-old Penny Caffey, and her two sons, 13-year-old Matthew Caffey and 8-year-old Tyler Caffey, to death, according to The Texas Monthly. The father, Terry Caffey, was also shot multiple times but survived his injuries. Police investigators say a samurai sword was used in the attacks.

Right away, authorities were directed to a boy named Charlie Wilkinson, a 19-year-old who had been dating the Caffeys’ 16-year-old daughter, Erin. She had been forbidden to see Charlie Wilkinson, and it was believed at first that this attack took place out of revenge. It turns out that revenge was a basis for the murders, but what was shocking was that the murders were masterminded by Erin Caffey.

Had Terry Caffey not survived, it’s possible no one would have learned of Erin’s plot to kill her parents. Terry Caffey described his terrifying experience this way, according to CBN.

“About 3:00 in the morning, Penny and I would be awoken to the sound of our door knob hitting our dryer in the laundry room, which was next to our bedroom. Very quickly, the gunfire began to erupt, the loudest sound you could ever imagine. I took several rounds up the arm and in the shoulder. I took one round in the right cheek and that round blew out my left ear. That would be the shot that would blow me out of bed. When I realized I could not save Penny, I crawled toward the woods at the back of our house. We lived out in a rural area, very, very dark—very few houses around. My closest neighbor was 400 yards away.”

News of the brutal family killings shook East Texas to the core. It’s not the kind of thing that anyone would have expected to happen to the Caffeys, a Christian church-going family who did good things in the community.

Despite their good deeds, the family would no longer remain intact because Erin Caffey was in love with a boy, and her parents didn’t approve. Being with Charlie Wilkinson was a different way of life for Erin, one that made her stray far away from her religious upbringing. The forbidden teen romance was rife with sex, passion, and out-of-control emotions. There was no way Erin was going to give him up.

Investigators say that when Erin Caffey was told to break off her relationship with Charlie Wilkinson, she decided to get rid of her parents. It was also alleged that she was adamant that they had to be killed, even when it was suggested that she could just run away.

According to the New York Times article “Young Love: The Good, The Bad and The Educational,” love and romance during the teen years can be especially intense. Some key points about teen romance show the following.

  • Teen are vulnerable.
  • The emotions of teens are raging and uncontrollable.
  • Parents are often times on edge about who the child is dating.
  • When a child is troubled, the risk of a dangerous or tragic type of love can develop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbMh6hs4LHE

In addition to those key points, it’s important to note that delinquent and rebellious behaviors can start to emerge, especially when a teen in love begins to isolate themselves from friends and family members. It is also important for parents to warn their children about certain red flags to look for in an individual so they can recognize them even before they start dating the person.

For the murders, Erin Michelle Caffey was sentenced to two life sentences with an extra 25 years added on. Accomplices Charles Allen Waid (aka Charles Wade) and Charlie James Wilkinson were sentenced to life in prison. Bobbi Johnson was sentenced to 40 years. Erin Caffey won’t be eligible for parole until she is in her late 50s.

Tonight, Investigation Discovery viewers will get to hear from Erin Caffey first hand during Piers Morgan’s interview, where he’ll question her about the events that led up to the murders, why and how she concocted the plot, and how she feels about it now.

Erin Caffey’s father, Terry, the lone survivor, told his story on Dr. Phil and continues to speak about it in his ministry. Since the tragedy, he went through a period of depression and even contemplated suicide, but he later decided to take his life back and forgive his daughter and the other killers. Today, he is remarried and visits with his daughter, Erin Caffey, in prison.

Watch Killer Women with Piers Morgan tonight at 8 p.m. on Investigation Discovery (ID). It will also air on the TLC channel this Friday at 7 p.m., according to TV Guide. Recently, the Inquisitr covered the teen murder case of Jason Sweeney and Justina Morley.

[Photo by The Tyler Morning Telegraph, Mark Roberts/AP Images]

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