Normally, Texas gets things right when it comes to its version of justice. Putting killers and other criminals behind bars with little sympathy for the situation has been a part of the fabric of Texas for decades. Now, Harris County, TX, has changed that reputation.
Facing an all-woman jury, Carey Birmingham pled guilty to murdering his wife Patricia back in December 2021. After finding out about her infidelity, the two got into an argument that lasted roughly 30 minutes. Exchanging insults and barbs, Carey’s confrontation with his wife was captured on video, and he openly told her that he was done. He told her: “Alright, goodbye. You’re (going to) meet Jesus,” before unloading on her three times just outside their Spring, TX home.
It was this exchange that his lawyer tried to use as a way to explain how the years of issues simply boiled over. Never using her infidelity or the tension as an excuse for her murder, they simply wanted to explain what had happened to the couple.
Of the family members, it was their daughter Olivia who was impacted the most by the events of that fateful day. Happening while she was in school, she had no chance to say goodbye to her mom. “I lost both my parents that day. My dad died that day, too, because the person who did that to my mom and my father aren’t the same person.”
Given ten years with the possibility of parole in five, the father heard from his daughter in court. According to a transcript, she told him, “No matter what was said in this trial, you know what type of woman she was, and you know what you did and how he took away my favorite person in this world.” She testified that he had never been physically abusive to her mother in front of her but claimed he emotionally and financially abused her.
