A Georgia man, Mark Wright, could potentially spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murders of his niece and nephew, both 14-year-olds. He admitted to helping his brother-in-law, a Walmart Santa Claus worker, kill and bury his children.
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As reported by WJCL, Wright pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children, two counts of concealing the death of another, and false imprisonment on Friday,
He was originally charged with malice murder and an additional first-degree cruelty to children charge. Wright would have faced the death penalty if convicted. Now, he only faces 10 to 80 years in prison. He will be sentenced in October.
Bodies Found
Law & Crime reported that the teenage children, Mary and Elwyn Crocker Jr., were never reported missing. This is even though Mary had not been seen in months, and Elwyn, shockingly, was last seen in 2016, two years before the gruesome discovery.
As per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an individual contacted the authorities in December 2018 and expressed their concern over the children’s safety. This led Effingham County Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the house of Elwyn Crocker Sr., the children’s father.
Allegedly, while responding to the deputies’ questions, information shared by Crocker led authorities to his backyard. There, the children’s bodies were found buried.
They were found “drastically underweight,” with a forensic pathologist testifying that Mary appeared to have been starved to death. Elwyn’s cause of death, however, could not be determined. His remains were just bones, as per Law & Crime.
In court, messages between Crocker and the children’s stepmother, Candice, detailed how Mary died, WJCL previously reported. Crocker allegedly said, “I think she’s been hit in the head too many times.”
Then, Crocker messaged the children’s step-grandmother, Kimberly Wright, saying, according to prosecutors, “Almost done burying Mary’s body.” Then, Kimberly allegedly responded with, “Cool! How deep?”
Mark Wright admitted to helping Elwyn Crocker Sr., his brother-in-law, kill and bury Mary and Elwyn Jr. The children’s father, Kimberly Wright, and Candice Crocker are facing charges in connection with the children’s deaths.
As per WJCL, Kimberly Wright and Crocker face the death penalty.