In a case that Chattanooga police described as a gang-motivated double homicide, 17-year-old Rayshann Underwood, a Black male, was found deceased from gunshot wounds on June 20, 2017. His body, alongside that of 20-year-old Thomas Holder, was discovered in the Highland Memorial Gardens cemetery in the North Brainerd area of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The investigation into the deaths of the two young men led authorities to identify two suspects: William Howard Wright and an unnamed
17-year-old juvenile. An affidavit filed in Hamilton County General Sessions Court detailed the evidence that pointed to their involvement. According to the document, video surveillance from the East Lake Courts Public Housing Development captured both Underwood and Holder getting into a silver PT Cruiser with Wright and the juvenile suspect in the early morning hours of June 21, 2017.
Further investigation, including the analysis of cell phone tower data from Underwood's phone, allowed police to track the vehicle's movements from East Lake Courts to the East Chattanooga area and eventually to the vicinity of the Highland Cemetery. The affidavit also noted that a witness reported hearing a gunshot from the direction of the cemetery at approximately 1:28 a.m. Later, the PT Cruiser was seen on video surveillance returning to East Lake Courts without Underwood or Holder.
Based on this evidence, a warrant was issued for the arrest of William Howard Wright on charges of first-degree felony murder in the deaths of both Rayshann Underwood and Thomas Holder, as well as a charge of especially aggravated robbery related to Thomas Holder. Information regarding the specific charges filed against the juvenile suspect and the final outcomes of the legal proceedings for both individuals, including trial verdicts and sentencing, are not available in the public online sources.
