Young men charged with murder now have lawyers
Defendants also face aggravated robbery charges
More than 10 months after the highprofile shooting death of Greater Memphis Chamber executive Phil Trenary, the two young men accused in the crime now each have attorneys, and their cases are slowly making their way through the legal system.
Quandarius Richardson, 19, appeared in court Friday morning, and his new attorney walked up and shook his hand. That attorney, Paul Guibao, is a private lawyer who was appointed by the court to defend Richardson.
“We’re really just getting started on the ground floor,” Guibao said outside the courtroom. During the early stages of the trial, Richardson had been represented by attorney Art Horne. Horne said Friday that after the case moved to General Sessions Court to Criminal Court, the couldn’t afford to continue paying him.
Horne said the case didn’t go to the Shelby County Public Defender’s office because it’s his understanding that the organization was representing a teen girl who was involved in the case, creating a conflict of interest.
A representative of the public defender’s office, Kirsten Cheers, said she couldn’t comment.
Richardson’s Friday appearance before Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft lasted less than one minute. His next court appearance was set for Sept. 19.
His co-defendant Mckinney Wright Jr., 23, did not appear in court Friday and is also scheduled to return to court on Sept. 19.
Attorney William Masseyhad said last year that he was representing Wright, though in a court appearance on July 11, Wright had told the judge his family was still in the process of hiring Massey.
On Friday, Massey and attorney Lauren Fuchs said they are now both representing Wright.
Asked about the possibility of a plea agreement in the case, Massey said, “I don’t know. We’re not close to that point yet. We’re still conducting our defense investigation. And I anticipate it will be somewhat lengthy.”
Richardson and Mckinney have already spent months in jail.
They each face charges of first-degree murder and attempted especially aggravated robbery.
Richardson also faces charges of theft and evading arrest related to allegations that he fled from police in a stolen truck and crashed it.
Family said last year that Wright has a mental disability
In October, Wright’s mother, Celesteine Wright, said he was born prematurely and is developmentally delayed. “He ain’t got no grown man’s mind. He’s got a child’s mind,” she said at the time.
Freddie Ball, who helped raise Mckinney Wright for years, said last year that every time he gets in trouble, it’s because someone else influenced him. “Because he’s 22, but he has the mind of a 14-year-old.” She said she couldn’t believe that he would take a human life.
One of the highest-profile killings of recent Memphis history
Trenary is one of the most prominent victims of homicide in modern Memphis history. A former executive of Pinnacle Airlines, he was head of the Greater Memphis Chamber at the time of his death.
On the evening of Sept. 27, Trenary attended the Move It Memphis race, an event organized by the chamber at Loflin Yard in Downtown. He was dressed in a suit as he greeted finishers.
A short time after the race, about 7:28 p.m., Trenary was shot while walking in the 500 block of South Front Street in Downtown.
Witnesses said they saw someone exit the passenger side of a white truck, approach Trenary from behind and shoot him, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police soon released a description of a truck that had apparently been involved in the shooting: a white Ford F-150.
The day after the shooting, Memphis police cars chased a white Ford F-150 through the streets of Memphis, from Frayser to South Memphis, where the truck crashed.
A police affidavit alleges that Richardson, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, admitted stealing the white truck and driving it.
Another affidavit says Richardson gave a statement implicating himself, Wright, and a teenage girl in the attempted robbery of Trenary and his killing. The same affidavit also says Wright and the teen girl gave statements admitting their involvement.
Late last year, Juvenile Court reached a decision in the case of the teen girl, according to the teen’s lawyer, Samuel Jones.
It wasn’t clear how the teen girl’s case was resolved.
A prior hearing in the case was closed to the news media.
Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.