Justin Wright, known best as a multi-platinum songwriter to the stars, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend.
According to Quad-City Times, Wright, an Atlanta man with Quad-City ties was accused of shooting 20-year-old aspiring singer and Durham, North Carolina resident Wilanna Bibbs in the afternoon hours of May 9, 2021, at a home in Davenport.
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Wright and Bibbs were in Davenport visiting Wright’s relatives, said Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham, (via Yahoo News).
On April 10, after deliberating for nearly 90 minutes, a jury convicted Wright of first-degree murder. Just two months later, on Wednesday (June 15), Judge Tamra Roberts sentenced the 34-year-old to life in prison without parole.
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“This came out how we wanted it to come out,” said Wilanna’s mother, Cassandra Bibbs during her victim impact statement.
Joined by a number of loved ones via video conference, Thomas Bibbs, Wilanna’s father, noted how the senseless murder was the result of an argument over $70 and that Wright was “the clown” he warned his daughter about, all along.
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The family went on to thank Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham — who led Wright’s prosecution — as well as authorities for their efforts conducting the investigation.
Other family members in attendance revealed — during their victim impact statements — that they could not find it in their hearts to forgive Wright but that maybe God could, and they hoped he could find a way to become a better person on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, Wright declined to make a statement.
Following statements from Bibbs’ loved ones, Judge Roberts stated the court had no discretion on Wright’s sentence — the unanimous decision would be life in prison.
As the sentencing concluded, Mamie Williamson, Wright’s mother, stood and asked if she could say goodbye to her son as he was about to be led out the courtroom but was denied as a sheriff’s deputy simply shook his head “no.”
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