Man pleads guilty in Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenary’s death, gets 25 years
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — McKinney Wright, one of the men charged in the shooting death of businessman Phil Trenary in 2018, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder Monday morning.
Other charges, including a drug count, were dropped in a negotiated agreement.
Wright will get 25 years with no chance of parole. The five years he spent awaiting trial will go towards those 25 years.
Phil Trenary, CEO of Memphis Chamber of Commerce, dead after shooting in downtown Memphis
In September 2018, Trenary was on South Front Street near G.E. Patterson when someone in a white truck drove up and shot him. The suspect then took off.
Trenary was the president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce. He had previously been CEO of Pinnacle Airlines and was a tireless advocate for Memphis.
Trenary’s children spoke in court Monday.
“What passes for justice in this court room today feels inadequate,” said Trenary’s son, addressing Wright. “You deserve a minimum of lifetime in jail. A minimum of a lifetime to reflect on the pain you inflicted. I wish upon you a life of misery filled with agony that you forced upon my family, myself and this city. May you wake each day dreading the next, haunted by the consequences of your choices.”
Three charged with murder in connection with Phil Trenary’s death
The case had been delayed for years due to COVID, and because a defense attorney went to work for the district attorney’s office.
Trenary’s daughter called the past five years agonizing and the delays “egregious.”
As for her father, she said, “He was so enamored with the grit and soul and character the city has. He loved every part of it and saw it for what it was and what it could be too. He always taught us to leave something better than he found it.”
McKinney Wright Jr., now 27, and Quandarius Richardson, now 23, were charged with first-degree murder in perpetration of attempted robbery and attempted especially aggravated robbery.
During the investigation, Richardson allegedly told police that he, McKinney Wright Jr. and Racanisha Wright were driving around downtown discussing possible robbery targets when they spotted Trenary.
Racanisha walked free three months later. Juvenile Court staff said they weren’t at liberty to discuss what happened.
All three waived their Miranda rights and confessed, according to police.
Richardson is set to appear in court Tuesday, where a trial date is expected to be set.
Wright was found to have an intellectual disability, though the judge ruled last year that he was competent to stand trial. A mental health evaluation conducted by the defense stated he was “born premature with cocaine and alcohol in his system” and his “mother and father weren’t really in his life.
The state’s evaluation noted Wright “received special education services his whole life” and “diagnoses include bipolar disorder” and a “cannabis dependence.” Wright also reported a “history of hallucinations.”
Trenary’s daughter addressed Wright in court, saying that a lot of his life was unfair, and the cards were stacked against him. But that didn’t excuse him for what he did, she said.
“It’s unfair that he has intellectual disabilities. Unfairness doesn’t negate justice,” she said. “He made a decision. That’s not an excuse.”
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