In the winter of 2014, the life of 19-year-old Daresha Cole was tragically cut short in a calculated act of violence that silenced a potential witness to a connected murder. Her death was intertwined with the killing of her boyfriend, 26-year-old Gregory 'Pee Wee' Johnson, the day before in Nashville, Tennessee. Investigators believe Johnson was the victim of an attempted robbery gone wrong on February 23, 2014, when he was fatally shot.
The following day, on February 24, 2014, Daresha
Cole was found deceased, also from a gunshot wound. It quickly became clear to law enforcement that her murder was not a random act. The prevailing theory was that she had been killed because she possessed knowledge about the individuals responsible for Johnson's death. This belief set in motion an intensive investigation to find the person or persons who had now claimed two lives in as many days.
The investigation led police to Michael Dewayne Wright Jr. as a primary suspect in both slayings. As detectives delved into the case, evidence began to mount against him, including information gleaned from social media posts that would later be presented at trial. Wright was subsequently arrested and faced a grand jury indictment that charged him with the murders of both Daresha Cole and Gregory Johnson.
In court, the prosecution laid out its case against Michael Wright, painting a picture of a man who would stop at nothing to cover his tracks. He was tried on charges of first-degree premeditated murder for the death of Daresha Cole and felony murder for the death of Gregory Johnson. After hearing the evidence presented, a jury found him guilty on both counts. The conviction brought two consecutive life sentences, ensuring that Wright would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the brutal deaths of the young couple. An appeal of his conviction was later denied, cementing the finality of the court's decision.
