A 16-year-old boy has been shot dead in South Carolina in what police believe was a set-up involving his own girlfriend, with investigators now pointing to a suspected love triangle as the chilling motive.

On June 24, Trey Dean Wright was found with gunshot wounds in a rural part of Florence County. Deputies discovered him around 11:30PM, lying in the road, as previously reported. He was rushed to hospital but sadly died the following day.

At first, 19-year-old Devan Scott Raper was arrested on suspicion of pulling the trigger. But within days, eight more teenagers were taken into custody for their alleged involvement, including Wright’s 17-year-old girlfriend, Gianna Helene Kistenmacher.

According to investigators, Kistenmacher lured Wright to the remote spot, knowing Raper would be armed and waiting. Police say the teen was confronted by a group of young people, and what began as a “verbal altercation” quickly turned deadly when Raper allegedly opened fire.

Officers also believe parts of the attack and its aftermath may have been filmed, per News13.

Florence County Sheriff T.J. Joye told reporters that the motive appears heartbreakingly petty: “They had issues with each other, and it was over a female. The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life. You’ve got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?”

Raper now faces charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Kistenmacher has been charged with being an accessory before the fact of a felony, with police alleging she knowingly brought Wright to his killers.

Several others have also been charged in connection with the case, including 18-year-olds Corrine Belviso and Hunter Kendall, as well as 17-year-old Sydney Kearns. Four others haven’t been publicly named because they’re underage. A tenth teenager is also expected to surrender to police in relation to the killing.

Florence County Major Michael Nunn described the group’s alleged role, per The New York Post: “They were complicit in bringing the armed codependent, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation.

"They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him, according to the arrest warrant.”

The case has shocked the local community not just because of the number of teens allegedly involved, but also because of the nature of the plot; a tragic mix of jealousy, manipulation and violence that ended with a boy’s life being cut short before he’d even finished high school.

As the legal process moves forward, Wright’s loved ones are left to pick up the pieces. Friends of the teen have launched a GoFundMe to help his family cover funeral expenses and other costs, while also keeping his memory alive.

What started as teenage drama has now spiraled into something unimaginably devastating; nine young people facing charges, one boy dead, and another likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Featured image credit: GoFundMe.

A 12 -year-old in Weatherford, Texas, reportedly shot herself and her father last week after making a murder pact with another child.

According to a statement posted by the Parker County Sheriff's Office on Facebook, the incident took place on Tuesday evening around 11:30PM in northwest Parker County, just west of Fort Worth.

After being called to investigate a potential shooting, deputies reportedly discovered the 12-year-old girl lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the head, and a handgun underneath her.

Her 38-year-old father was discovered inside the family house with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

"Both victims were transported to local hospitals by air ambulance," the statement recalled. It added that the Sheriff's office could not identify either victim, saying: "The sheriff’s office does not identify juvenile suspects. Therefore, we are not releasing the adults’ names in order to protect their identities."

However, the office did reveal startling details about what they believe motivated the young girl to commit such a violent crime.

According to Sheriff's CID members, the 12-year-old had hatched a "murder plot" with another young girl, who also planned to kill her family so that the pair could run away together.

"Sheriff’s CID members discovered during their investigation that the juvenile suspect had planned for several weeks to murder her family and pets and had been in contact with another juvenile female from Lufkin, TX, regarding the murder plot," the statement explained.

"The other juvenile female had also planned to murder her father, but did not go through with the plan," it continued, adding: "The pair had then planned for the Weatherford juvenile to drive to Lufkin, pick up the second juvenile suspect and run away together to Georgia."

Investigators have reportedly charged the second juvenile with criminal conspiracy.

Authorities have yet to clarify whether either victim of the shooting will or won't survive their injuries.

Sheriff Russ Authier said that the age of both juvenile suspects meant that limited information would be released regarding the case.

"Due to the injuries, the age of the juveniles, and the sensitive case matter, information released regarding this case will be limited," he said.

Featured Image Credit: Jack Sullivan / Alamy

A Texas mom has defended fatally shooting a 14-year-old boy who was trying to enter her home.

Aleah Wallace, a Fort Worth mother of four, spoke exclusively to FOX 4 about the recent incident in which she shot and killed a 14-year-old boy attempting to break into her rental home.

The tragic event has sparked yet another conversation around self-defense and gun ownership.

The incident occurred on December 14, when Wallace - who lives with her four daughters in a duplex - heard someone attempting to break in. Wallace revealed that she had recently acquired a gun to protect her family after a series of break-ins in the local area.

"I was cleaning my living room, sweeping my floor, and I heard my window start going back up," Wallace recalled. "So I went, and I stood in the hallway. And I could see him standing at the window, lifting it up. I just shot."

The gunshots tragically claimed the life of 14-year-old Devin Baker, who was at the bedroom window of Wallace's eight-year-old daughter. The incident occurred not long after the police had left Wallace's home following her 911 call about the attempted break-in.

Wallace explained that she had experienced four attempted burglaries before this incident, and she felt she had to take action to protect her family.

"I have four daughters. It’s just me and my four daughters that stay there. I just was protecting my daughters," she said. "I'm devastated that he was 14. I hate that. I literally do. And I'm so sorry. But at that point, I had to think about my babies. I didn’t know he was 14 when he was on the other side of that window.

"All I knew was that somebody could come in and hurt me or my kids. That's it."

The case has been sent to a grand jury - but no charges have been filed against Wallace at this time.

Wallace has also revealed that she is now facing eviction from her subsidized housing. She claims that her apartment management informed her that she was not allowed to have a gun, despite her repeated reports of attempted break-ins. Wallace said she was given 30 days to vacate her apartment and now faces uncertainty about housing for her family.

"I feel like I'm back at square one. I was there for six years, and now I don't know what to do," she said.

There is no clear law prohibiting residents of government-subsidized housing from owning a gun, and no signs indicating such restrictions were found on the property.

The complex's local manager directed inquiries to the corporate office, which, in turn, advised contacting on-site management.

In another report by Fox, it was revealed that the teenager was an eighth-grader at a local middle school.

His mom had revealed that he snuck out of the house that evening, and she didn't realize he was gone until the morning.

Featured image credit: Fox4

Authorities in South Carolina have charged nine teenagers in connection with the June killing of 16-year-old Trey Wright, who was allegedly lured to his death by his girlfriend. Investigators say the group of high schoolers drove more than an hour to confront Wright, with one even recording the fatal shooting on video.

Deputies with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office discovered Wright of Johnsonville dead from multiple gunshot wounds about 45 miles west of Myrtle Beach.

According to The US Mirror, Wright’s cheerleader girlfriend, 17-year-old Gianna Kistenmacher, played a central role in the attack. She allegedly arranged for Wright to meet with 19-year-old Devan Raper, who was armed and angry following an earlier dispute.

Prosecutors say Kistenmacher knowingly brought Raper to Wright’s location despite being aware of the firearm and escalating tension. Raper is accused of pulling the trigger and killing Wright during the confrontation.

In the aftermath, Kistenmacher accompanied Wright to the hospital and appeared to comfort his family, who were unaware of her alleged involvement at the time. “I hugged her neck and was comforting her because I didn’t know,” Wright’s mother recalled.

Another of Wright’s teenage friends reportedly accused her of betrayal at the hospital before adults intervened. Kistenmacher was later arrested, initially on charges of accessory before the fact, but investigators upgraded her charges as evidence mounted, per Fox News.

Raper was taken into custody the following day and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Over the next several weeks, the investigation widened, implicating seven additional teens who authorities allege helped facilitate the killing. In total, nine suspects (some over 18 and others charged as adults) now face serious charges related to the crime.

Those identified by officials include Kistenmacher, Raper, Corinne Belviso, 18; Hunter Kendal, 18; Sydney Kearns, 17; Braylyn Thompson, 17; and Jaden Auclaire, 18. Two additional juveniles have been charged but not publicly named.

Maj. Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said the group knowingly brought Raper to Wright’s location and were aware of the potential for violence.

“They were complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation,” Nunn told local outlet WBTW. “They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him, according to the arrest warrants.”

The case has drawn widespread attention in the community, both for the age of those involved and for the disturbing level of planning alleged by law enforcement. Officials continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the confrontation, while Wright’s family grieves the loss of a teenager remembered by friends as kind-hearted and full of potential.

The Florence County Sheriff’s Office has not released further details on whether additional arrests are expected.

Featured image credit: Florence County Detention Center.

Ohio officials have shared disturbing details regarding a harrowing "ultimatum" a 17-year-old girl apparently gave her 33-year-old boyfriend.

When Kaitlyn Coones was just 15 years old, she became involved in a physical and romantic relationship with Jonathon Jones. The teen had been through a troubled childhood and had earned a reputation for running away from the children's homes she had been placed in.

Despite Jones pleading guilty to child endangerment and ordered to stay away from the teen, he broke the terms of his release and once again met up with Coones in April 2023.

Coones had allegedly once again escaped from her children’s home in Canton, Ohio, to meet her older boyfriend at a nearby restaurant.

Later on, the pair visited the home of Jones' mom in Sylvania Township, a suburb of Toledo.

Nicole Jones, 53, had disapproved of their relationship - so Coones climbed through a window and hid in her boyfriend's bedroom.

Authorities now say that, while at the home, Coones gave her boyfriend an ultimatum -- either kill his own mother or the teenager would do it herself. She reportedly gave Jonathon Jones five hours to make the decision.

Prosecutor Andy Lastra claims that after the five hours passed, Coones attacked Jones' mother with a rock as she stood in front of a fridge - completely unaware the teen was in her home.

The teen is then accused of strangling the 53-year-old to death.

Nicole's son is then accused of helping his girlfriend dispose of his own mother's body.

After stealing Nicole's car, ID, and credit cards, they purchased garbage sacks and disposed of her body in an apartment complex dumpster.

Speaking in court, a detective for the Sylvania Township Police Department testified: "Kaitlyn had told Jonathan, that they needed to do something about his mother because she was preventing them from being together and she gave him five hours to do something about her, and at one point in the interview, she even mentioned to killing her."

The children's home where Coones had been living then received a message - allegedly from the teenager - saying that she had "killed two people" and was now on the run. Staff at the home had also reported the teenager missing to the authorities.

When officers arrived at Nicole's home - her body could not be found, but there were signs that somebody had attempted to clean up blood on the floor.

On May 6, 2023, a manhunt was launched.

Coones and Jones had managed to flee to Mexico, before finally being apprehended by authorities in Chihuahua two days later.

The teenager reportedly later admitted to killing Nicole during an interview with FBI agents, The Independent reports.

After the pair went to court, Jones received an initial 54-month sentence due to the earlier charges of his involvement with the teenager.

It was also decided that Coones would be certified as an adult in the case.

The teenager was charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Meanwhile, Jones was charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse, per court records.

Per ABC13, Nicole's brother - Robert Jones - said in court: "The agony of losing Nicki is compounded by the unimaginable betrayal we feel. We are denied the closure that comes with laying a loved one to rest, and we are haunted by unanswered questions and horrific imaginings of her final moments."

Earlier this year, Judge Gary Cook sentenced both Jones and Coones to life in prison with the eligibility of parole after 25 years.

Featured image credit: Cleveland Division of Police