Trial is underway for the man accused of murdering former Bernalillo County firefighter Don Fluitt, and tonight, Dateline NBC will investigate the specifics of the case.
Terry White was charged with murdering Fluitt, his wife’s ex-husband. Authorities say the murder was planned during a custody battle over their 11-year-old daughter, according to KRQE.com.
Police named White as a suspect after Fluitt’s DNA was found under his fingernails. White now faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, and tampering with evidence.
According to Kob 4, Christine White, Fluitt’s ex-wife, was initially charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but those charges were dropped.
After Christine was released from jail without bond, Don Fluitt’s brother, Dennis, said he was horrified, “Something like this happens and it almost opens up all those wounds.” He added, “There’s too much information that leads me to believe she had something to do with it and I’m not ashamed to say that,” said Fluitt. “I cleaned up my family’s blood in that garage. I know what they did to my brother.”
According to the Albuquerque Journal, prosecutors say that White told a fellow inmate in jail that he stabbed Fluitt with a steak knife. He said he and his wife were “worried their custody arrangement was going to change.” White’s defense attorney, however, said the inmate was only speaking up in an attempt to avoid jail time.