The murder of Don Fluitt by Terry Lee White is highlighted on The Murder Tapes on Investigation Discovery.
Fluitt was a 54-year-old firefighter with the Bernalillo County Fire Department who was in the middle of a custody disagreement with his ex-wife, Christine White, for their 11-year-old daughter.
They had an upcoming hearing regarding changes to his child support payments; however, Fluitt never made it. He was found dead in his home in Northwest Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 29, 2016, by two of his co-workers who went to check on him, after his daughter was unable to get ahold of him by phone.
Fluitt’s murder went unsolved for three months until investigators uncovered that the DNA found under his fingernails belonged to his ex-wife’s husband, Terry.
The then-50-year-old was arrested at a truck stop, Hopi Travel Plaza off Interstate 40, in Holbrook, Arizona, on charges of murder and tampering with evidence.
Investigators said Fluitt went to drop off his daughter to her mother at a nearby restaurant. When he returned to his home around 8pm, Terry was waiting for him. He followed him into his garage and stabbed him to death with a steak knife.
While in custody, Terry told a fellow inmate that he stabbed Fluitt because he and his wife were worried that they were going to lose custody of her daughter.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelHe went on to say that she told him to kill her ex-husband for their family. Terry later told the court that he did not kill Fluitt, and he only admitted to murdering him because he wanted to avoid jail time.
Christine was initially charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but those charges were dropped.
In 2018, a jury found Terry guilty of murdering Fluitt. He was sentenced to 42 years in prison.
The Murder Tapes — Albuquerque Ambush, airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.
Is the daughter still in the custody of the mother ?
I would like to know that as well. Is she still in the custody of Mom? Even tho she hasn’t been charges YET!!!! The family should take her to court. You know they can sue her for wrongful death and win. They can then sue for custody ..
Our justice system is horrible. It’s the worse in divorce because the fathers are punished so badly by the courts they destroy families as in Kids and Fathers, sometimes it the mothers too. But let the government get involved and they destroy everything. Why did the mother not go to Jail? How can you intentionally kill somebody for no reason not get a life? It should not be any prison time why should taxpayers pony up millions, it should cost $1.00 for the rope. The mother who planned it, wanted it done did not even serve a day? She probably has custody of her daughter, got Don’s Life insurance, benefits, money for the home they sold. What injustice. I bet if Don had realized and Killed that guy before he killed him, 100% guaranteed the justice system would have thrown Don in prison for 80 years. I know that is exactly what would happen just because he defended his life. I bet you could look up cases and you will find thousands of men fought and killed the person before they killed them. Bet all the men are serving time and more time than this guy got for murder and wife got ZERO.
What a horrible tragedy, lock mom up forever