Trey Dean Wright

Trey Dean Wright, a 16-year-old White male from Johnsonville, South Carolina, was a rising sophomore at Johnsonville High School and a proud varsity athlete on both the football and baseball teams. Known for his infectious smile and love for the outdoors, Trey often spent his time riding dirt bikes and living life to the fullest. His mother, Ashley Lindsey, later remembered him as her "precious baby."

On the night of June 24, 2025, Trey’s life was cut short. Just before midnight, deputies from the Florence County Sheriff's Office responded to a shooting on North First Neck Road, a rural road near Johnsonville. They found Trey lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead on June 25. Investigators soon learned that the shooting was the result of a planned confrontation stemming from a dispute "over a female." Authorities believe Trey was lured to the location by his girlfriend, thinking he was meeting her. Instead, a group of teenagers was waiting for him. A verbal altercation escalated, and Trey was shot and killed. Reports indicated that one of the teens present recorded the incident on video.

The day after the shooting, police arrested 19-year-old Devan Scott Raper of Conway. He was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, accused of being the person who pulled the trigger. The investigation continued for weeks, ultimately leading to the arrests of at least eight other teenagers who were allegedly involved.

Prosecutors applied a legal principle known as "the hand of one is the hand of all," or accomplice liability, to charge multiple individuals with murder. They alleged that the others were complicit in bringing an armed Raper to the scene, knowing a violent confrontation was likely. Among those charged with murder as adults were Trey’s 17-year-old girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher, whose initial charge was accessory before the fact. Also facing murder charges were 18-year-olds Hunter Matthew Kendall, Corrine Elizabeth Belviso, Jaden Blaze Auclaire, and Braylyn O'Neill Thompson, as well as 17-year-old Sydney Kearns. Two other minors were charged in the juvenile justice system.

Devan Raper and Hunter Kendall were ordered held in jail without bond. Gianna Kistenmacher, Corrine Belviso, and Sydney Kearns were granted bond and released pending trial. Jaden Auclaire and Braylyn Thompson were also released on bond with the condition of house arrest.

However, both Auclaire and Thompson were accused of committing new crimes while on release. Auclaire was charged with driving under the influence in September 2026, and Thompson was charged with malicious injury to property that same month. As a result of these new arrests, a judge remanded both young men back to jail in October 2026 while he considered the prosecution's motion to revoke their bonds. The cases against all defendants are proceeding through the court system.