On a hot June night in rural South Carolina, 16-year-old Trey Dean Wright believed he was meeting his girlfriend. Instead, he walked straight into a deadly trap.
By the time deputies arrived on First Neck Road near Johnsonville just before midnight on June 24, Wright lay in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.
The rising high school sophomore died shortly after arriving at the hospital, the Florence County Coroner later confirmed.
Nine teenagers, including the slain boy’s girlfriend, have been arrested in connection with his tragic death that authorities say began with a romantic rivalry “over a female” and ended in tragedy.
Devan Raper, 19, allegedly shot and killed Wright. Police say not only was the killing planned, it was recorded by another teen.
But in a recent interview, Wright’s mother Ashley Lindsey told the Daily Mail that she believed the truth was much more complicated than a love triangle.
“My son wasn’t about dumb stuff like a love triangle,” Lindsey said. “He told me just two days before he was killed that being with Gianna felt like a dream come true. He really liked her, but he might have been clueless to whatever else was going on.”
She said the two met through Raper, the alleged gunman, just earlier this year and had only been dating a few weeks.
“I believe she just wanted them to fight, not for it to end this way,” Wright’s best friend Ethan Kirby added. “It was all a childish act that turned real.”
Nine teenagers are accused of playing a role in Trey’s death. And now, according to News 13, a 10th suspect is also expected to turn themselves in.
Here’s what we know about the tragic killing:
The alleged shooter
Raper, 19, of Conway, South Carolina, was arrested the day after the shooting.
Authorities allege he’s the one who pulled the trigger during a verbal altercation, gunning down Wright in the middle of the deserted country road.
Raper was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He remains behind bars without bond.
“This was an altercation between two people,” Florence County Sheriff T.J. Joye said, according to News 13. “It’s not like ‘I’m just going to go to Johnsonville and shoot somebody’’. They had issues with each other and it was over a female.”
“The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life,” he added. “You’ve got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?”
Wright’s mother told the Daily Mail: “None of this makes sense. How do you go from s**t talking to killing somebody? When I was growing up, if kids had a problem, they’d meet on a dirt road, fight with their hands, and go home. You didn’t pick up a gun.”
The girlfriend
Days after the shooting, authorities turned their attention to Wright’s 17-year-old girlfriend, Gianna Helene Kistenmacher, of Myrtle Beach, who they say played a pivotal role in the killing.
“Kistenmacher is alleged to have brought the murder suspect, Devan Raper to the incident location knowing that Raper was armed and that there would be a confrontation for violence likely to lead to death based on statements made in her presence,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
She has been charged with murder and accessory before the fact of a felony, and was released on bond but is under house arrest until her court appearance next month.
Investigators claim she “brought Wright to a desolate section of First Neck Road knowing that Raper was armed and that there would be a confrontation for violence likely to lead to death based on statements made in her presence.”
The arrests
As detectives dug deeper, the circle of suspects expanded.
On August 3, police announced the arrests of three more teens: Hunter Matthew Kendall, 18, Corrinne Elizabeth Belviso, 18, and Sydney Marissa Kearns, 17.
Four additional minors, whose names have not been released, were also taken into custody.
“They were complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation,” Major Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office told News13.
“They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him.”
Under South Carolina’s “hand of one is the hand of all” law, each teen involved in the plan can be charged equally. No pleas have yet been entered in the case.
Who was Trey Wright?
To his mother, Trey Wright was “one in a million.”
“My baby never deserved not one thing that happened to him, period. He was one in a million,” she told News 13. “He was good for people’s souls. His happiness was so contagious. He always spread joy and he was one of the most kind-hearted kids you’d ever meet. I will fight for justice for my baby. If it takes every last breath in me.”
A sophomore at Johnsonville High School, Wright played both varsity football and baseball, according to a GoFundMe campaign. He worked at Vox Deer Processing and loved dirt bikes, fishing, and spending time outdoors.
“He was a true outdoorsman who loved riding dirt bikes, spending time in nature, and living life to the fullest,” his obituary read. “Known for his infectious smile and ability to make everyone laugh, Trey was the kind of person who left a lasting impression on those around him.”
Trey’s best friend, Ethan Kirby, remembered him as fearless.
“Trey was a great kid but he was a little tough ass too,” Kirby said. “I once saw him get a fish hook stuck in his hand and he pulled it out without flinching. I think Devan got scared.”
For Wright’s family and friends, the loss is immeasurable.
“To me, it’s a nightmare nobody would ever want to live,” his mother said.
“He was everybody’s friend. He loved hard. He loved fishing. He loved making people laugh. That’s who my baby was.”
