Gov. Abbott spares death row inmate whose father asked for clemency

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has accepted the state parole board’s recommendation and is sparing the life of convicted killer Thomas “Bart” Whitaker.
The 38-year-old Whitaker was set for execution Thursday evening for masterminding a murder plot that took the lives of his mother and younger brother at the family home in suburban Houston in 2003. His father also was wounded in the shootings and has favored clemency for his son, saying he’s forgiven