Houston jury reduces Susan L. Wright's sentence by five years

On Nov. 2, a Harris County jury returned a verdict shaving five years off Susan L. Wright’s prison sentence for stabbing her husband to death in 2003. Wright, who was sentenced to 25 years after she was convicted of murdering Jeffrey Wright, received a new punishment hearing after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found in 2009 that Wright’s “counsel rendered ineffective assistance during the punishment phase of trial” in 2004. Following a new punishment hearing in 263rd Judge Jim Wallace’s court in Houston that lasted two weeks, on Nov. 2 a jury returned a unanimous verdict finding Wright did not act “under immediate influence of sudden passion” and assessed her punishment at 20 years for the murder. The jury gave Wright credit for time served in prison; Houston solo Jonathan Munier, one of Wright’s new criminal-defense attorneys, says she has served nearly seven years, and will be eligible for parole in about three years. Munier did not represent Wright at her 2004 trial. Wright’s 2004 trial received considerable attention, because then-prosecutor Kelly Siegler re-enacted the stabbing by bringing a mattress into the courtroom and showing the jury how Wright might have stabbed her husband nearly 200 times while he was tied to the bed. The mattress in the courtroom was one basis for Wright’s appeal to Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals, which upheld her conviction in 2005. Prosecutor Connie Spence of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office says she respects the jury’s Nov. 2 verdict. “We were happy that they did not give her probation and they did sentence her to prison,” Spence says. “We believe she was unjustified to take the life of Jeff Wright.” Siegler, now of the Law Offices of Kelly Siegler in Houston, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. Munier has mixed feelings about the verdict. “The jury did reduce her sentence by five years. Any showing of mercy is a beneficial result. Would I have liked to do better? Absolutely,” Munier says. Brian Wice, a Houston appellate lawyer who obtained the new punishment hearing for Wright, says he’s gratified Wright got “some relief” on Tuesday, but he’s disappointed the jury didn’t find she acted as a result of sudden passion. Houston solo Neal Davis, who represented Wright during her trial in 2004, also is disappointed her sentence wasn’t reduced further, but says the verdict is "not entirely surprising." Todd Ward, an attorney at DeGuerin & Dickson in Houston who also represented Wright during the 2004 trial, says, “It’s really a wash.”
-- Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

Comments

[Carole]

Evidently none of you have been married to someone doing drugs.

My husband was a person just like Jeffrey Wright. Probably worse. Thank G-d I was strong enough to get away from him.

My husband name called and belittled us, wrecked our house. He did horrible things like urinate in our food.

Don't sit in judgement of Susan unless you've been there!

[Diane]

She has served enough time already, let her out of prison now so that she can finally find happiness. This woman was abused so badly and this is the only way she knew to get away to save herself and her children. She should not be punished any longer. It is so sad that she had to live with a horrific drug addicted husband that made her life terrifing. She is a wonderful person for saving herself and her children and shoul NOT be punished, please help this woman.

[Mike]

I'm going to have to agree with Kristen's Jan post:

"those of you fools taking up for this vile, disgusting, depraved woman should be ashamed of yourselves. Evidently you all are morally bankrupt as well. This ugly witch wasn't abused...she was a greedy, vacuous twit who deserves to spend the rest of her twisted, pathetic life rotting in prison."

This woman deserved the death penalty, and she got off easy for what was a scary torture-murder. I've read enough on the case to know the self-defense claim is complete BS.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Doctor-Man-tied-down-in-Wright-attack-1627610.php

I can only hope she dies of a slow, debilitating disease--whether in prison or not.

[Joseph III]

Suzanne, I agree. Susan and her sister paint a "perfect" picture of Jeffrey, all smiles, not a tear. In Susans sisters case, it was a "protective reaction", to paint a perfect picture gone wrong. I stongly believe that Susans mother was as good an actress on the stand as Susan though. Did you see how quickly and well-versed her Mother was when she referred that their family was not the "Cleavers"? One would only say something like that to defend an imperfect family in a major degree, such that it sounds okay to be a "normal family" which most of us are, but they weren't. Her Mother was too composed to be telling the truth. After all was said and done, at the end of the interview, Susan states she "still loves" Jeffrey...impossible. Its one or the other, be afraid and abused so poorly that you use 193 strokes of a knife (which takes ALOT of energy and 10 minutes at least for a small girl albeit adrenaline) to get all that abuse out of you? No way. She was so calculative and premeditated, that she KNEW if she got caught, and she assumed she would, she could revert back to here fathers and Jeffrey's abuse as a defense. She was in her late 20's when this happened. As an adult, you would think she vented her abuse she suffered to her friends, everyone does this, buy not her. Proof is, not one friend testified to her abuse....Im not saying she wasnt abused, I believe she was, but why not tell people in your adult years? Case in point, the former Catholic Alter Boys spoke out once they became adults. She didnt discuss it because someone would have gotten her help, and if she got help, it would have deterred her from "freaking out" and killing her husband for the money. We live in times where women can call the police even if a guy does nothing...seriously...she could have gotten a protection order several times over wayyyyy before this murder happened, and if her father hypothetically wasnt abusive, would have protected her. But that never played out. Shes a pretty girl, obviously intelligent, but not intelligent enough to get away with this complicated murder of hers. BTW, I am not abusive, dont do drug's, and I DO Agree with you. Very unfortunate, I'm blessed its not me or my family who had to be in this position.

[Suzanne]

I wish the same jurors could be called back in for more information and be presented with a cocaine addiction specialist. Somehow the judge managed to select jurors who knew nothing about about drugs in the way that was necessary to understand this case. There ARE doctors who specialize in addiction treatment exclusively and they will be able to provide the necessary information to help Susan. Once the cocaine came into the picture of Jeff & his family ...you can forget it. The effort money that is required to maintain this kind of habit can be very confusing for someone who has never done these drugs.

[Suzanne]

Another thing I noticed about both Susan & her sister's interviews was that they are both able to smile upon reflection of the early days with Jeff. If Susan hated him enough to kill him intentionally I don't think Susan or her sister would be so amicable towards him now. A cocaine user would easily bring out a knife in a household where family and children are around. Cocaine does have a tendency to take away certain inhibitions, and it allows you to act before you have even had a chance to think (again because of the burst of energy). If he was not on cocaine, but still addicted, he would have been very irritable bc of the lack of it.

[Suzanne]

@Survivor88: a full-time abuser and a drug-time abuser are 2 totally different situations. You can not compare.

[Suzanne]

Carrie I agree with you 150% for the same reason. Especially knowing that he was on cocaine. I have been in the same situ- and as well I know from using it how it can transform esp. men. There have been many hostile crimes committed by men using cocaine. Did anyone do a toxicology test at autopsy?
Also, unless you have been a girl like her married to a guy like him you will not understand why she did what she did. I have been in her shoes. I can see him high picking on their son and treating the little kid just like he was an adult, to "teach him a lesson in life" of what Jeff perceived a father is supposed to do. Problem is with cocaine the perceptions are much more aggressively acted upon because of the energy burst. I can see Susan -- as a sober (not addicted to cocaine) mother (us mothers can be bears when it comes to protecting our children! This is normal - G-d made us this way!) not overlooking Jeff's acting out with their children.
However the only way for Jeff to get to be as unreasonable as he had become is through drugs, and also from the teachings of his father (where was his mother? ) about the way to be a MAN. It doesn't appear Jeff had many ladies in his life to know how to deal with deep relationship issues with them. Sure flowers and chocolates are nice but not an everyday thing.
Susan Wright should NOT be incarcerated, nor her life with her children wasted! They need her and are probably going through a great deal of emotional turmoil and most likely have been told horrible things about their mother. What a shame. I hope she gets out on appeal.

[Carrie Bergner]

I felt every emotion she was going through after watching the movie. I've been there, for those of you who comment and have not been in an emotional and pysically abusive relationship or marriage have no business giving your opinion. You need to walk the walk or cant imagine what its like. These mentally ill, narscasistic abusers(refuse to call them men)think its ok. Its sick, inhumane and he deserved to be locked up, and or severely punished. I am divorced from the same type, and still have to look over my shoulder and live in fear, have a restraining order and phone blocked. No one should ever have to live in fear like this. Where are the police and where is the justice!! The shoe could have easily been on the other foot, and she could have been the one murdered! Susan, find a real man once you are free, and look for whats inside. I did, and couldnt be happier.

[cliff]

think about it if you had a daughter an grand kids an the husband/dad came home everyday an beat on you would not put up with it an you can only take so much she was just trying to protect her an her family

[do]

let her free ! send her to get help dont punish her for trying to get away from him the only way she thought she could.

[Diana]

Just watched the movie on lifetime. I think more abused woman need to take matters into their own hands like Susan. Men have been abusing women forever, why and how women put up with them I can't understand. I grewup with a drunken father who beat on my mother. I SWORE no man would ever beat on me. Life is too short to live in fear. SUSAN I hope you get out very soon, reunite with your children and find real love.