Susan Wright (murderer)
Encyclopedia
Susan Lucille Wright was a Harris County, Texas
housewife and mother of two young children who made headlines in 2003 for allegedly stabbing her husband, Jeff Wright, 193 times and then burying his body in their backyard. She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004, and is currently serving a 20-year sentence at the Hobby Correctional Facility in Marlin, Texas
.
. At the age of 18, she became a topless dancer for two months. In 1997, while working as a restaurant waitress in Galveston
, she met Jeff Wright. In 1998, the two married when Wright was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with their first son, Bradley. A few years later, a daughter Kailey was born. During the first few years of her marriage, Wright claimed that was when the abuse began.
backyard. She also made an attempt to clean up the crime scene by painting. The next day, Wright filed a domestic abuse report to get a restraining order from her husband, intended to explain his absence. She claimed that her husband had been abusive, fearing that his body would be discovered.
On January 18, Wright invited her attorney Neal Davis to her home, where she admitted to stabbing her husband. From there, Davis called the Harris County
district attorney
's office to inform them that a body was buried under Susan Wright's house and that she had confessed to the crime.
Wright turned herself in to authorities at the Harris County Courthouse on Friday, January 24. She was arraigned on murder charges the following Monday.
.
Wright's prosecutor and defense attorney had very different portrayals of her. Assistant district attorney Kelly Siegler depicted Wright as a scheming wife who seduced her husband into bed, tied him up, repeatedly stabbed him, and then buried his body in their backyard, all at the hopes of collecting a $200,000 life insurance
policy. Wright's defense attorney Neal Davis claimed that his client had suffered years of physical and emotional abuse by her husband, and killed him to protect herself and her two young children.
At her trial, Susan Wright testified in her own defense. In her emotional testimony on the stand, Wright claimed: "I couldn't stop stabbing him; I couldn't stop. I knew as soon as I stopped, he was going to get the knife back and he was going to kill me. I didn't want to die." She testified that on the night of the murder, Jeff Wright was on a cocaine
binge and was violent, having allegedly beaten and raped her. Wright once again persisted that she stabbed her husband in self-defense. Susan Wright's mother, among others, testified for the defense, claiming they witnessed Wright's bruises.
ADA Siegler was not impressed by Wright's statements; Siegler believed that Wright's tears were faked for the jury's benefit. While presenting their case, the prosecution presented an unusual demonstration by bringing the Wrights' actual bed into the courtroom. Using her co-counsel, Siegler depicted how she believed Susan Wright had tied her husband to their bed and stabbed him to death.
During closing arugments, Siegler brought up to the jury how Wright had been a topless dancer, and reiterated how she believed Wright's emotions were insincere. She contended that Susan Wright was a "card-carrying, obvious, no-doubt-about-it, caught-redhanded, confirmed, documented liar", whose frequent shows of emotion during the trial were deliberate efforts to influence the jury. Wright's defense never strayed from their claims, however, that Wright had stabbed her husband to death in order to protect herself and her young children.
. In sharp contrast to her emotional testimony during the trial, Wright showed little reaction to the guilty verdict.
The following day came Wright's sentencing. Prosecutors were hoping for at least a 45-year sentence, while Wright's attorneys argued for probation for their client. In the end, the jury met in the middle, sentencing Wright to 25 years in prison.
in 2004, 48 Hours Mystery in 2005, and on an E!
special entitled Women Who Kill in 2011. Author Eric Francis
wrote a book about the case entitled A Wife's Revenge in June 2005.
In 2008, Wright re-appealed. This time, a new witness, Misty McMichael, the wife of former NFL Super Bowl champion Steve McMichael
and ex-fiancee of Jeff Wright, came forward to tell her story of how she endured abuse and violence during her four year relationship with Jeff Wright.
In 2009, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
granted Wright a new sentencing hearing, after determining that Wright's “counsel rendered ineffective assistance during the punishment phase of trial” in 2004. On November 20, 2010, Wright is re-sentenced to 20 years in prison, five years less than her original sentence. Barring another appeal, Wright will be eligible for parole on February 28, 2014, when she will be 37 years old.
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
housewife and mother of two young children who made headlines in 2003 for allegedly stabbing her husband, Jeff Wright, 193 times and then burying his body in their backyard. She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004, and is currently serving a 20-year sentence at the Hobby Correctional Facility in Marlin, Texas
Marlin, Texas
Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the county seat of Falls County, and has been so since 1851...
.
Early life
Susan Wright was born Susan Lucille Wyche on April 24, 1976 in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. At the age of 18, she became a topless dancer for two months. In 1997, while working as a restaurant waitress in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, she met Jeff Wright. In 1998, the two married when Wright was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with their first son, Bradley. A few years later, a daughter Kailey was born. During the first few years of her marriage, Wright claimed that was when the abuse began.
Crime
On Monday, January 13, 2003, Susan Wright, 26, tied her husband of four years, Jeff Wright, 34, to their bed, stabbed him 193 times, and then buried his body in their HoustonHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
backyard. She also made an attempt to clean up the crime scene by painting. The next day, Wright filed a domestic abuse report to get a restraining order from her husband, intended to explain his absence. She claimed that her husband had been abusive, fearing that his body would be discovered.
On January 18, Wright invited her attorney Neal Davis to her home, where she admitted to stabbing her husband. From there, Davis called the Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office to inform them that a body was buried under Susan Wright's house and that she had confessed to the crime.
Wright turned herself in to authorities at the Harris County Courthouse on Friday, January 24. She was arraigned on murder charges the following Monday.
Trial
Only thirteen months after her arraignment, Susan Wright's murder trial commenced on February 24, 2004. She had already pled not guilty to killing her husband by reason of self-defenseSelf-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
.
Wright's prosecutor and defense attorney had very different portrayals of her. Assistant district attorney Kelly Siegler depicted Wright as a scheming wife who seduced her husband into bed, tied him up, repeatedly stabbed him, and then buried his body in their backyard, all at the hopes of collecting a $200,000 life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
policy. Wright's defense attorney Neal Davis claimed that his client had suffered years of physical and emotional abuse by her husband, and killed him to protect herself and her two young children.
At her trial, Susan Wright testified in her own defense. In her emotional testimony on the stand, Wright claimed: "I couldn't stop stabbing him; I couldn't stop. I knew as soon as I stopped, he was going to get the knife back and he was going to kill me. I didn't want to die." She testified that on the night of the murder, Jeff Wright was on a cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
binge and was violent, having allegedly beaten and raped her. Wright once again persisted that she stabbed her husband in self-defense. Susan Wright's mother, among others, testified for the defense, claiming they witnessed Wright's bruises.
ADA Siegler was not impressed by Wright's statements; Siegler believed that Wright's tears were faked for the jury's benefit. While presenting their case, the prosecution presented an unusual demonstration by bringing the Wrights' actual bed into the courtroom. Using her co-counsel, Siegler depicted how she believed Susan Wright had tied her husband to their bed and stabbed him to death.
During closing arugments, Siegler brought up to the jury how Wright had been a topless dancer, and reiterated how she believed Wright's emotions were insincere. She contended that Susan Wright was a "card-carrying, obvious, no-doubt-about-it, caught-redhanded, confirmed, documented liar", whose frequent shows of emotion during the trial were deliberate efforts to influence the jury. Wright's defense never strayed from their claims, however, that Wright had stabbed her husband to death in order to protect herself and her young children.
Verdict
On March 3, 2004, after only five-and-a-half hours of deliberations, Wright's jury convicted her of murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. In sharp contrast to her emotional testimony during the trial, Wright showed little reaction to the guilty verdict.
The following day came Wright's sentencing. Prosecutors were hoping for at least a 45-year sentence, while Wright's attorneys argued for probation for their client. In the end, the jury met in the middle, sentencing Wright to 25 years in prison.
In the Media
Susan Wright's murder trial had been nationally televised on CourtTV. Wright's case was first profiled on SnappedSnapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
in 2004, 48 Hours Mystery in 2005, and on an E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
special entitled Women Who Kill in 2011. Author Eric Francis
Eric Francis
Eric Francis is an American investigative reporter, essayist, author, editor and photojournalist...
wrote a book about the case entitled A Wife's Revenge in June 2005.
Appeal
In 2005, the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of Texas in Houston upheld Susan Wright's conviction.In 2008, Wright re-appealed. This time, a new witness, Misty McMichael, the wife of former NFL Super Bowl champion Steve McMichael
Steve McMichael
-World Wrestling Federation :After the end of his NFL career, he appeared at ringside in the WWF for Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI on April 2, 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut. Taylor was wrestling Bam Bam Bigelow and there were several football players at ringside to keep wrestlers from...
and ex-fiancee of Jeff Wright, came forward to tell her story of how she endured abuse and violence during her four year relationship with Jeff Wright.
In 2009, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in the State of Texas, United States. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge and eight judges....
granted Wright a new sentencing hearing, after determining that Wright's “counsel rendered ineffective assistance during the punishment phase of trial” in 2004. On November 20, 2010, Wright is re-sentenced to 20 years in prison, five years less than her original sentence. Barring another appeal, Wright will be eligible for parole on February 28, 2014, when she will be 37 years old.