Bio

Charles Walton Wright was born on February 3, 1955. He grew up in Tennessee, where he lived in different areas, including Nashville and Murfreesboro. Little is known about his family life or early childhood. However, it is understood that during his youth, he became involved with drugs, which would later play a significant role in his life.

By the time he became an adult, Wright was known to have connections with illegal drug trafficking. He engaged in drug-related activities with others, which included his future victims, Gerald Mitchell and Douglas Alexander. The three men were friends and knew each other well. Their association was primarily based on their involvement in drug dealings.

As an adult, Wright's life was marked by a series of decisions connected to drugs. His actions in this area would shape the course of his life significantly, leading him down a troubled path. Local law enforcement had even prepared a search warrant for his residence regarding drug possession, although this warrant was never executed due to later criminal events.

Throughout his early adult life, Wright faced various challenges and made choices that centered around drug transactions. His lifestyle was a reflection of the illegal drug scene and the dangers associated with it. By the time of his legal issues in mid-1980s, he was firmly entrenched in this world, which ultimately had serious consequences for him and others.

Murder Story

On July 31, 1984, Charles Walton Wright shot and killed two men, Gerald Mitchell and Douglas Alexander, during a drug transaction in Davidson County, Tennessee. The murders took place in the late afternoon at a public park. Witnesses reported hearing three gunshots.

Wright shot Douglas Alexander twice. The first shot hit Alexander's forearm and caused a wound to his face, while the second shot entered the back of his skull. This shot would have caused immediate unconsciousness and led to his death shortly after. Gerald Mitchell was shot once below the left ear, which would have also caused immediate unconsciousness and death within a few minutes.

When the police found their bodies, they were located at different spots in the park, with Alexander's body found downhill from that of Mitchell's. After the murders, a vehicle belonging to Alexander was seen leaving the park, which was later discovered abandoned in Murfreesboro. Wright admitted to driving this vehicle after the crime.

Wright also confessed to borrowing a pistol that was used in the killings. He had told conflicting stories about the events that unfolded that day. Initially, he claimed that Mitchell shot Alexander, and then he shot Mitchell in retaliation. In his trial, the jury did not accept his self-defense argument and found that both killings were premeditated.

Wright was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in April 1985. He received a life sentence for the murder of Mitchell and was sentenced to death for the murder of Alexander. His convictions and sentences were upheld after his appeal process.