On the morning of August 7, 2014, 46-year-old Danny Wright was outside a home on Kings Road in Smyrna, Tennessee, working on a vehicle in the driveway. Suddenly, a masked individual approached him and shot him multiple times at close range before fleeing the scene in a light-colored vehicle. Emergency services arrived to find Mr. Wright with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and torso.
He was quickly transported by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries. The initial investigation described the suspect as a tall, thin Black male wearing dark clothing. Despite law enforcement's efforts and a reward being offered for information, the case went cold for several years, leaving a family without answers and a community on edge.
For more than five years, the investigation into Danny Wright's murder continued, a persistent effort by the Smyrna Police Department in cooperation with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. A significant break in the cold case finally came in December 2019, leading to the arrest of 30-year-old Enrique Dane Decourcey. He was charged with criminal homicide in connection with Wright's death and was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. This development was a long-awaited step towards justice for Danny Wright and his family.
After his arrest, Enrique Dane Decourcey was released on bail in January 2020. While out on bond, he became the focus of another murder investigation in Mayfield, Kentucky, in August 2021. This new, tragic event brought renewed attention to his case in Tennessee and involved the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in both states. Ultimately, in February 2023, Decourcey accepted a plea agreement in Rutherford County. He pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Danny Wright and received a 25-year prison sentence. As part of the legal proceedings against him, he also pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the homicide in Kentucky, which carried a life sentence. The resolution of these cases brought a close to a years-long quest for justice for the families of both victims.
