On June 8, 2010, Harold Wright, a 25-year-old African American male, was fatally shot in Tampa, Florida. The incident occurred near his vehicle on 51st Street, where he was robbed and then killed with a gunshot to the head. Investigators later identified Dontae Morris as the perpetrator. Morris's fingerprints were found at the crime scene, and an acquaintance informed authorities that Morris had planned to rob Wright.
Between May 18 and June 8, 2010, Dontae Morris was responsible for a series of murders in Tampa, including the killings of 21-year-old Derek Anderson and 42-year-old Rodney Jones. On June 29, 2010, Morris shot and killed two Tampa police officers, Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis, during a traffic stop. Ballistic evidence linked the same weapon used in these murders to the killing of Harold Wright.
Although Morris was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of the two police officers and Derek Anderson, the prosecution decided not to pursue charges in Wright's case. Consequently, Morris was not tried for the murder of Harold Wright, despite the evidence connecting him to the crime.
