Chris Wright
A Criminal Court jury on Tuesday, after lengthy deliberations, found Darryl Roberts guilty of second-degree murder in the downtown slaying of businessman Chris Wright.
Jurors also found Roberts guilty of being a dangerous felon in possession of a weapon. That was in a separate hearing.
The Wright family issued this statement after the verdict:
“We are deeply grateful to the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office for their unwavering dedication to justice. We especially want to thank Coty Wamp, Paul Moyle, Andrew Coyle, and their entire team for the outstanding work they did in prosecuting his murderer.
“Throughout this difficult journey, they showed us great compassion and ensured we were informed and supported at every stage of the process.
“Christopher was a kind, humble, and loving soul who lit up every room he entered. He never met a stranger. He was full of life, joy, and generosity – always ready to welcome someone new, lift others up, or share a solid handshake, winning smile, and a huge hug.
“He was a devoted husband, a proud and playful father of three young children, and a cherished son, brother, and friend. His absence leaves a profound void in our lives, and he is missed every single day by all who knew and loved him.
“While no verdict can bring Christopher back, we find some comfort in knowing that justice has been served. We will honor his memory by continuing to live with the same kindness and warmth he shared with the world.”
Prosecutors on Monday afternoon had asked the jury to sentence the 59-year-old Roberts to pre-meditated first-degree murder in the Sept. 28, 2023, downtown “execution” of businessman and Baylor School and Yale graduate Wright.
Jurors deliberated for several hours before going home for the night. The panel deliberated three more hours on Tuesday morning before going to lunch until 2 p.m., when they had more talks.
Prosecutor Paul Moyle said, “You don’t get to kill somebody on a public sidewalk in Chattanooga, Tennessee and argue passion after the fact. It just doesn’t happen.”
He added, “If this is not an unlawful killing, then what is?”
Public Defender Steve Smith contended that Roberts was “over-charged” and the jury should consider a sentence along the line of voluntary manslaughter, which would carry much less time than a life sentence (52 years).
He told the panel, “Mr. Roberts isn’t a monster. Mr. Wright isn’t a hero.”
The public defender said Mr. Wright, who was celebrating his 20th Baylor reunion, was aggressive during several bar stops that evening and “felt rejected and frustrated” after his high school friend and a woman who was with them went home from Jack Brown’s bar. He said it was testified that his mood then turned from being playful to angry.
He said Mr. Wright also felt rejected by Roberts and another man sitting in front of Patten Towers, as they reached out his hand to them and they hollered for him to move on down the street.
Prosecutor Moyle said the only evidence that Mr. Wright used the N-word was from the defendant. He said a video showed the two men at the Patten not showing any reaction at the time Roberts claims it was made.
He told jurors the killing “was so depraved that when you first saw it there was a visceral reaction of disgust – because it is disgusting.”
The prosecutor said the defense engaged in “character assassination” of the victim by spending a lengthy time showing bar video.
He said Roberts had ample time to back off from firing the gun after he reached in his pocket for it and took steps toward the unarmed Wright, “but he didn’t because it was his choice.”
Concerning defense allegations about the case involving “power, wealth and race,” he noted he had tried a case in January “in which an unarmed black man was shot in the head as he was leaving work.”
Prosecutor Andrew Coyle said of Roberts, “Nothing else was going to happen but death when he held a 357 to his forehead and pulled the trigger.”
He said Roberts could have walked away, “and Chris could have gone home to his three kids, his wife, and his mother.”
Prosecutor Coyle said the defense had “tried to degrade this man and convince one or two of you that he deserved it and put himself in this situation.”
He said whatever was said during the 11:50 p.m. encounter “it was not cause to shoot someone in the head.”
He said Chris Wright “was so much more than he was portrayed in this trial” on the night “when he was out drinking with his friends and when he met his execution.”
Public Defender Smith said, “Just watching the video and being angered by it, that’s mob justice.”
He said the jury should consider that Roberts “acted out of fear,” while noting testimony about the area around the Patten being dangerous late at night and of his companion being attacked there once before.
The attorney said Chris Wright was 30 pounds heavier than Darryl Roberts and 20 years younger.
He said Mr. Wright had chosen to not stop at his office at the Volunteer Building as he told a bartender he planned to do, but was apparently headed to his car to drive home despite his heavy intoxication.
Judge Boyd Patterson is presiding over the trial at the Courts Building.
Despite defense argument, he declined to include a section on self-defense in the jury charge.
Darryl Roberts
This article was originally published by a www.chattanoogan.com . Read the Original article here. .