Woman Claims That AHS Inspired Her To Murder Her Grandfather
We've all heard it before, right? Someone killing their parents, best friend, teacher, boss, or grandpa for money, or just because. We go through the motions from being shocked to curious to questioning why we've spent the last hour and a half reading every article about the case. But what's so troubling about this specific crime, is not just that an Australian woman named Brittney Jade Dwyer murdered her grandfather for his life savings, but that her act was allegedly inspired by the television show, American Horror Story.
American Horror Story is a pretty gruesome show, with each season revolving around a different side of crime and death with the same cast. In the fourth season, Freak Show, a demonic clown captures children and holds them captive in a broken down school bus, using them as an audience for his tricks before eventually killing them. In the sixth season, Roanoke, a tribe of terrifying woods people play horrific tricks on a family that has just moved into a neighboring house. After watching the horrible crimes committed on the show, it's hard to imagine wanting to carry out some of them in real life - and yet, that's just what this young woman did.
She Stabbed Her Grandfather In The Chest, Then Washed The Dishes While He Bled To Death On The Floor
When 19-year-old Brittney Jade Dwyer arrived at her grandfather's house unannounced, she quickly found herself getting cold feet and nearly backed out of her plan to murder and rob him.
She texted her friend, Bernadette Burns, who was waiting out in the car, and said she couldn't do it. After receiving some words of encouragement, Dwyer stabbed her grandfather in the chest and neck as he was walking her to the front door. He then apparently tried to ask her why she had stabbed him, and she simply didn't respond. She did, however, proceed to do all the dishes in the kitchen sink while he bled to death on the floor beside her, because nobody likes a messy kitchen.
His Body Wasn't Discovered For Three Days
After the dishes were washed and they had scoured the home for his hidden fortune, they fled, leaving a dead Whitwell on the kitchen floor. He was reportedly not found for three whole days. You have to wonder what 19-year-old Dwyer was thinking during that time. Could you imagine murdering a close family member and then leaving their corpse to rot in their home for that long?
She Helped Him Put A Bandage On One Of His Wounds
Dwyer stabbed her grandfather as he was showing her out the front door. Allegedly, he put his hand on her shoulder and she guided him into the kitchen, even helping him bandage up one of his wounds before laying him on the floor and resorting to doing the dishes while he bled to death. When she was done with her house chore she texted Burns, who was still waiting in the car, a simple "its done," which gave Burn the green light to come inside and assist Dwyer in searching for her grandfather's hidden fortune.
They Spent Their Last Moments Together Looking Through Old Photos
Moments before Dwyer mustered up the courage to stab and kill her grandfather, they had been looking through old photos of her and her brother as children. Her grandfather was surprised by her visit, since they hadn't planned on getting together. They pulled out some photo albums and made small talk, at which point Dwyer began feeling guilty and texted Burns, who was applying makeup in the car, that she couldn't do it. Burns eventually convinced her via text to follow through with their plan, since "they had come all this way," and she did.
The Two Women Had Planned The Murder In Advance
Dwyer and her best friend Burns traveled across Australia from their home in Redbank Plains to the home of Robert Whitwell in Adelaide in order to murder him and steal his fortune, which they believed he kept hidden somewhere in his house - and they would allegedly do "whatever was necessary" to find it. Additionally, there is substantial evidence that suggests that this was a premeditated murder.
Dwyer's Own Brother Wants Her To Receive The Death Penalty
In a court statement given by Dwyer's brother, Ryan Whitwell Dwyer, he said that he thinks the two women deserve the death penalty for their crimes.
"My grandfather Robert Whitwell was a proud and giving family man, always went above and beyond for anyone in need. The upset and anguish that you have both cast upon [the] Whitwell and Dwyer families is unforgivable," he stated.
Not only did this family lose a beloved father and grandfather, but also, in a sense, Brittney. It appears that the family is in no position to forgive her and Burns for these atrocities.