In the early morning hours of August 27, 2018, the quiet of the Twin Lakes subdivision in DeRidder, Louisiana, was shattered by the sound of gunshots. When the noise subsided, Marquita Wright, a 24-year-old female, was found dead on the front porch of her home. A dedicated dispatcher for the Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office, she was returning from her night shift to her three young children, who were sleeping peacefully inside, unaware of the tragedy unfolding just outside their door.
The news of her violent death sent ripples of shock and grief through the community, leaving many to mourn the loss of a beloved mother, fiancée, and public servant.
The investigation into her murder quickly launched, involving a combined effort from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the DeRidder Police Department, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office, and Louisiana State Police. The community rallied in support of Marquita's family, organizing fundraisers and events to honor her memory and provide for her children. A week after the fatal shooting, a significant breakthrough was made in the case. The suspect, identified as her 35-year-old ex-boyfriend, Phil Oliver of Marrero, was apprehended in Jefferson Parish.
Initially, Oliver was charged with second-degree murder. The legal proceedings that followed brought some measure of closure to a community desperate for justice. In January 2021, Phil Oliver pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of one count of manslaughter and one count of obstruction of justice. For these crimes, he received a total sentence of 80 years in prison, forty years for each count to be served consecutively.
