Man Kills Mother and Partner, Sets House on Fire before Being Shot by Deputies

In a tragic incident in Greenville, a man identified as Gary Pratt Whitten, 36, killed his mother and his partner, set the house on fire, and was later shot and killed by deputies. The authorities have revealed the details of the incident that occurred on January 17.

The suspect, Gary Pratt Whitten, was identified by Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger. According to a news release from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Whitten was in a relationship with one of the victims, 55-year-old Anissa Henderson.

Investigations revealed that Whitten violated his house arrest for pending domestic violence charges by spending the night with Henderson on January 16. The following day, a 911 call was received around 1:44 p.m. reporting a house fire on Millbrooke Circle near Paris Mountain State Park.

After the fire was extinguished, investigators discovered the bodies of Henderson and another woman, 55-year-old Kelli Whitten. Both victims had suffered blunt force trauma caused by multiple tools, according to the news release. Kelli Whitten was identified as Gary Whitten’s mother.

Witnesses reported seeing Gary Whitten leaving the scene in a stolen truck. Investigators were able to track him down in Landrum, a small town 30 minutes away next to the North Carolina border. The Greenville and Spartanburg county sheriff’s offices, along with Landrum City Police, surrounded a house on Kirby Street in Landrum where Whitten was located.

Despite several attempts to negotiate with Whitten, he exited the residence brandishing a firearm, resulting in an officer-involved shooting, according to Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Bobo.

Whitten was struck by several gunshots and died at the scene. Coroner Rusty Clevenger confirmed Whitten’s identity through fingerprints, which matched a state database from a prior arrest in December on domestic violence and gun charges. Anissa Henderson had filed the domestic violence complaint.