Wisguen Marc, a 25-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot on the night of November 20, 2020. Born in Haiti, he had become a part of the Orange, New Jersey community where he was known for his vibrant and fun-loving personality. Friends and family remember him as a jokester who enjoyed making people laugh and playing games with his siblings.
He was a high school graduate and the father of a son named Mason.
On that Friday evening, on the 100 block of Main Street in Orange, Marc was shot. Law enforcement officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area around 9:15 p.m. and found him with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was quickly transported to University Hospital in Newark, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at 9:53 p.m. The investigation into his death was handled by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the Orange Police Department.
For a period, the case remained unsolved, with no arrests made. However, an investigation led to the identification of a suspect. Marcus Wright, 34, of Newark, was arrested and charged with the murder of Wisguen Marc. Surveillance video captured the incident, which showed Wright confronting Marc, brandishing a handgun, and after a brief altercation, shooting him once in the back.
In May 2025, an Essex County jury found Marcus Wright guilty of first-degree murder and related weapons offenses. During the three-week trial, Wright claimed he acted in self-defense, a claim the jury did not accept. In September 2025, Wright was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. Under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, amounting to more than 63 years, before being eligible for parole.
