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.