Who is Carey Birmingham and what did he do? Shooting video sparks outrage as Texas man receives 10 years for shooting wife

Carey Birmingham, a 60-year-old man from Spring, Texas, was sentenced to ten years in prison for killing his wife, Patricia Birmingham. On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, an all-woman jury sentenced Birmingham to 10 years in prison with the possibility of parole after five years after being shown a video of the shooting.

According to ABC, the incident occurred on December 6, 2021, in the 19800 block of Rose Dawn Lane when the couple’s 16-year-old daughter Olivia was at school. At the time, neighbors reportedly told authorities they heard the couple arguing in the driveway when two shots were fired. The argument was reportedly sparked by the suspect's learning of his wife’s alleged affair.

Trigger Warning: The following video is graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised

Video of the incident shown during the trial by the defense to prove their argument of a crime of passion was taken by the victim when she was confronted with a shotgun by her seemingly inebriated husband in their driveway after he learned about the alleged infidelity. In the video, Carey Birmingham, who was pointing a shotgun at his wife, was heard saying:

"Alright, goodbye. You're (going to) meet Jesus."

When the wife alerted him that he was being filmed, the suspect said, “I’ll pull it. I’m mad enough to pull it,” before he fired the gun three times. At the time, ABC, citing neighbors, reported that the suspect was seen not helping his wife after he shot her.

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Carey Birmingham has two sons from a previous marriage

An obituary for Patricia Birmingham in Family First cremation services revealed her husband, Carey Birmingham, had two sons, Chad and Cory Birmingham, from a previous marriage.

The obituary said Patricia, who worked as a Registered Cardiovascular Technologist until 2020, was survived by her daughter Olivia and two loving stepsons, Chad and Cory Birmingham, daughters-in-law Maggie Birmingham and Nikki, as well as two grandsons, James and Cohen.

The shooting video, which has since been shared online by Collin Rugg and viewed over ten million times, has sparked outrage among netizens over the lenient sentence for the crime.

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Carey Birmingham's daughter speaks out after sentence

Shortly after Carey Birmingham was sentenced, Olivia questioned her father’s crime of passion defense in the trial, saying:

"I don't know, sudden passion? You have to have something. You have to have made that decision within yourself for a while; I feel like doing something, to do that to someone you really love."

During the trial, Olivia testified her father was never physically abusive toward her mother but inferred her mom suffered emotional and financial abuse in their marriage. Olivia told ABC13 she spoke to her father in court after the sentencing and accused him of killing her favorite person in the world.

"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."

Olivia said while she loved her father, she could never forgive him for killing her mom. The obituary revealed the strong bond shared by Olivia and her mother.

“Nothing sparked a bigger smile or more sparkle in her eyes than the mention of Olivia, fondly known as Oli. If you had a minute to listen, she would graciously share all she could about her redheaded, volleyball-loving beauty. They were best friends.”

The suspect, who will be eligible for parole in 5 years, was also asked to pay a fine of $5,000.