napkin rings accented at each edge by a vermeil border, and a Fabergé-inspired presentation egg mounted on a Brazilian rock crystal base. The Fabergé egg was hinged with clock movement contained within the lid for display when the egg was opened. Whiteside also contributed to the Fighting AIDS fundraiser by designing a jacket for Design Industries Foundation that had sold for a large amount. Another display Whiteside created was at the invitation of Anita Madden of Louisville, Kentucky. Whiteside's work was representative of the Kentucky Derby Eve Party. He described the theme of his work as "horsy". Death On Wednesday, November 1, 2006, Robert Whiteside, aged 56, was found by his partner, Warren Butler, murdered at the Veranda. It was apparent that the murder occurred during a robbery the night of October 30. The shooter, Mark Aaron Rains, a 21-year-old local once employed by Whiteside to help in his kitchen, was quickly found and arrested in Dallas based on evidence of his repeated use of Whiteside's credit card at a local gas station. Rains, who admitted three times to the crime, was convicted. He escaped once from jail. In exchange for the release of friends who aided in his escape and in order to avoid the death sentence, Rains pleaded guilty on July 1, 2008, at the Franklin County Courthouse. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. The second assailant, Jose Chavez, was arrested days later and pleaded guilty in February 2009. A third suspect, Elbis Torres, 28, also known as "Cuz," was arrested in Cockrell Hill, Texas, on October 28, 2008. He entered a guilty plea on March 24, 2009. Instead of a funeral, Butler and Whiteside's brother Harry decided on a simple service at the pond located on the Veranda property. Butler has lived at the Veranda since Whiteside's death. The business closed at the end of 2009. References External links American artists 1950 births 2006 deaths People from Tupelo, Mississippi People murdered in Texas Male murder victims