A jury convicted David Wright, 51, of first-degree murder on Wednesday for killing his ex-girlfriend Mariah Samuels in Minneapolis minutes after she wrote on Facebook that he threatened her family and damaged her car, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
Wright was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree murder, second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
The first-degree premeditated murder conviction means Wright will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the attorney’s office said. He will be sentenced on Friday at 10 a.m.
“We are happy with the results that justice was served today. While it will not bring back my sister, we will always honor her and keep her spirit alive,” said Salina Owens, Samuels’ sister.
He had dated 34-year-old Samuels for a few months before she broke up with him, Samuels’ family said. She had a restraining order against him and had also posted a video online that she said showed him hitting her several times.
She was shot just feet from her front door on North 14th and Russell avenues in the Willard-Hay neighborhood, according to the criminal complaint.
“Just in disbelief that someone could get up on the stand and say that they shot through the window, went around the other side, shot her while she was still screaming and let her fall to the ground. said Simone Hunter, Samuels’ sister. “I was baffled that he could be so smug the entire trial. So knowing that he was convicted guilty on every charge, he got exactly what he deserved. And I’m hoping the judge’s sentence will be heavy and long. He just should never see the light of day again. He’s a dangerous person.”
