In the winter of 1930, a cross-country crime spree culminated in the tragic death of Deputy Sheriff Robert Lee Wright in Chandler, Arizona. A man and a woman, already wanted for the murder of a Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol corporal, had made their way to Arizona, where they were joined by a third accomplice recently released from a Texas prison.
Their violent journey continued as they abducted a Pinal County sheriff's deputy, drawing the attention of law enforcement in the region.
Deputy Wright, a 32-year veteran of law enforcement, along with another deputy, located the suspects' vehicle and managed to force it to a stop in front of the San Marcos Hotel in Chandler. A fierce shootout erupted between the officers and the criminals. In the exchange of gunfire, Deputy Wright was struck. The outlaws then callously pushed their abducted deputy from the car and managed to escape the immediate scene.
Two weeks after being shot, Deputy Sheriff Lee Wright succumbed to his wounds. In the days following the shootout, a massive posse of several hundred officers and citizens was formed to track down the fugitives. The relentless pursuit led to their apprehension in the Estrella Mountains. The man and woman responsible for the murder of the Pennsylvania patrolman were extradited to that state, where they were convicted, sentenced to death, and subsequently executed. The third individual involved in the crime spree was convicted for the murder of Deputy Wright and received a life sentence in prison.
