A 10th teenager is expected to turn themselves in to authorities in connection with an alleged plot leading to the death of a 16-year-old boy.
On June 24, Trey Dean Wright was fatally shot in an isolated area near a rural road in Florence County, Johnsonville, South Carolina. Investigators suspect it was a deliberate setup.
Wright was reportedly brought there by his girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher, to meet a group, resulting in his being mortally wounded.
As Wright lay dying, at least one teenager at the scene is said to have recorded the incident.
Police arrived around 11:30 pm and discovered the victim “laying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.”
Devan Scott Raper, 19, is accused of previously threatening Wright and brandishing a gun during an argument over a girl. He was later recorded firing multiple shots at Wright, who succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Raper has been charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and remains in custody without bond.
In recent weeks, eight other teenagers have been charged with various offenses connected to the alleged murder plot.
Authorities claim the teens knew Wright’s location and that Raper was armed when they informed him of it.
According to News 13, a 10th suspect is expected to surrender soon.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the identities of four others involved, including Kistenmacher, who has been charged with accessory before the fact.
Authorities believe she was aware of Raper’s weapon and had sparked the confrontation between him and Wright. She has been released on bond and is under home confinement.
Hunter Kendall, Corrine Belviso, both 18, and Sydney Kearns, 17, are also in custody, although their specific roles remain undisclosed.
The remaining four suspects, being minors, have not had their names released.
Maj. Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office commented on the seriousness of the arrests.
“The decision was made, again with investigators, in consultation with the solicitor’s office to charge each of them,” he said.
“The hand of one being the hand of all is part of South Carolina law as well, so that’s the basis of the charge for each of those individuals,” added Nunn.
He further stated that many charged were “complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation.”
Sheriff TJ Joyle remarked: “This was an altercation between two people. It’s not like I’m just going to go to Johnsonville and shoot somebody. 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?”