Overview
- Following Friday's refusal to leave his cell, the judge reset David Wright's sentencing for Monday after rejecting prosecutors' request to compel his appearance.
- A Hennepin County jury convicted Wright on Wednesday of first-degree premeditated murder and murder with a pattern of domestic abuse, which carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.
- Samuels' relatives, some who traveled for the hearing, said the delay extended his control over the family and felt like another failure by the system.
- Samuels sought a protection order three weeks earlier, and police found her shot on Sept. 14, 2025 near her Jeep with about 15 shell casings at the scene.
- Investigators matched surveillance images to Wright and arrested him the next day, and Minneapolis' police chief later ordered a review and retraining on domestic-violence response.