Fresno father accused of killing son after arguing about raising kids will go to trial
A Fresno man accused of fatally shooting his 31-year-old son after arguing about how to raise children will be put on trial for murder, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday.
Judge John Vogt found there was sufficient evidence presented by the prosecution to move ahead with its case against 53-year-old William Wright III.
Police said that on June 15, 2022, several members of the Wright family were seated at their kitchen table inside their Fresno home near Marks and Ashlan avenues, when an argument broke out between Wright III and his son, William Wright Jr., a corrections officer and a former junior college football coach.
Wright Jr., who has two young children, was discussing how to raise good kids, when his father added his thoughts, said Blake Wright.
“My brother Little Billy said to my dad: ‘You couldn’t even raise me right. Don’t give advice,’” Blake Wright testified.
The discussion quickly turned into an argument and then escalated into “grappling,” Blake Wright said.
At one point, Wright Jr. wrapped his arms around his father’s upper torso to try and hold him down. Wright’s defense attorney, David Balakian, called the move a chokehold and said the father complained he couldn’t breathe.
Balakian also pointed out that the son threw the dad against wall, breaking a light fixture.
Blake Wright testified that he was concerned his dad was going to get a gun he kept in his bedroom. He said his father had previously made verbal threats about getting his gun, but he never did.
Blake Wright tried to restrain his father by grabbing him by the arms, but he broke free and ran to his bedroom where he locked the door. Wright told prosecutor Liz Owen that he could hear his father getting the gun out of a drawer and dropping bullets on the floor as he loaded it.
Wright Jr. continued to argue with his father and told him to meet him in the backyard, Blake Wright said.
As Wright Jr. was standing at the screen door that leads to the back yard, his brother heard him say: “If you are going to shoot me, shoot me.”
Then a single shot was fired, striking Wright Jr. in the shoulder.
“Billy is screaming: ‘He shot me. He shot me,’” Blake Wright recalled.
Wright Jr. stumbled back into the house and sat down on the floor, leaning on a sofa. Blake said he confronted his father and asked him why did he do it. The father replied, “He shouldn’t have threatened me,” Blake said.
Realizing his son was dying before his eyes, Blake Wright said, his dad began using CPR on his brother. He also told Blake they needed to take his brother to the hospital.
Wright Jr. died later that day at Community Regional Medical Center.
After police arrived at the home, the defendant told officer Gerald Sepeda that his son was accidentally shot. He said that his son rushed him to try and take the gun away when it accidentally went off and shot him.
William Wright III faces 50-years-to-life if found guilty on all charges.
