February 11, 2009 7:17 PM

Right Or Wrong?

By
Rebecca Leung
(CBS)  This broadcast originally aired on July 23, 2005. It was updated on Dec. 26, 2007.

It's hard to say what's most horrifying: how Jeff Wright was killed, who killed him, or why she says she did it.

The woman accused of committing murder is Jeff's wife, Susan, 27, a stay-at-home mother of two. "I did not want to die," says Susan, who now faces life in prison.

"This was a brutal, terrifying, sadistic relationship that spanned years," says Susan's attorney, Neil Davis.

Susan Wright stabbed her husband 193 times. And Davis says he believes that Susan's husband, Jeff Wright, triggered the attack that ended his life: "I hate to say it, but some people just deserve killing."

That's how a lot of Texas lawyers interpret self defense. But what makes this case different is that Susan and her lawyers are saying it on the record. "She had to kill or be killed," says Davis.

Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.



It wasn't that long ago that Jeff, a successful carpet salesman, was smothering Susan with kindness. Susan was a waitress when they first met in 1997 on the beach in Galveston, Texas.

"He would call two or three times a day," recalls Susan. "When he was around me, he would bring flowers and little gifts and stuff. He was very sweet."

A year later, they married, and Susan was already eight months pregnant with their son, Bradley. "He wanted a house. He wanted a family and a dog, and it just seemed great," says Susan, who says things were good until Bradley was born.

"Then, everything changed," says Susan, who claims that Jeff became controlling and demanding. "Everything inside the house was my job, including Bradley, everything I needed to make everything perfect … Bradley needed to be clean and quiet all the time. The house had to be spotless, all the laundry done, all the cooking. It got to be pretty hard."

Susan says Jeff would yell at her the few times she complained and says this was a side that he never showed her while they were dating. It wasn't long, she says, before Jeff started beating her. It happened, she says, after Jeff had smoked pot.

"He threw me back against the wall and he grabbed me by my arms and shook me up against the wall and then punched me in the chest," says Susan. "He made me feel like it was my fault, because I didn't have a right to tell him not to touch his son."

Susan's sister, Cindy, a psychologist with a Ph.D., tried to intervene once, and moved her and the children to her parent's house. But they only stayed there overnight. According to Susan, "a moving van showed up the next morning and took me back home."

Why did she go back just a day after she was beaten? "I didn't have a choice," says Susan. "I was afraid of him, but as much as I was afraid of him, I loved him, and I wanted to be good enough to where things work."

But things got worse, and there were more drugs and more abuse.

Jeff's father, Ron Wright, says he knew his son had a drug problem, but that it was under control. He also says that the claims of physical abuse were all lies.

"She didn't have any symptoms of being an abused woman," says Ron Wright. "We don't abuse women. We love our women."



Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved.
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by MotherJewell May 16, 2010 1:09 PM EDT
I am a survivor of spousal abuse. I know what Susan experienced. Even now.. 35 years later, I still have overwhelming panic attacks. I have been in her shoes. I know that in her frame of mind, she knew that when he awoke, he would again abuse her and perhaps kill her or the kids. My ex's brothers, his family, his best friends... all thought he was a great guy. No one ever believed me, except when I was in the hospital recovering from 3 broken vertebrae, broken ribs, broken jaw. Every week, he abused me. And when I finally was driven to the point of self-preservation, I too knew it was the only course to save myself. And our justice system is unjust... they slapped his hands and released him while I was in the hospital and could not even defend myself in court. Shame on all of you. Shame on you. Especially the father .. who showed him it was ok to abuse women. Shame on the brother for supporting his abuse. I know that you knew about it and failed to act on it. Shame on you....
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by pamelann1 January 5, 2008 1:18 AM EST
What? Were you her cell mate in prison? I can tell you for a fact that her childhood was no picnic. In the end she murdered my friend Jeff and she will not see the light of day for at least 12 years. That''s half of her sentence. You know they don''t let out a murderess because of prison crowding. She is one of the most violent woman in history. 193 times.
I wish all of us could get online and talk together without a posting board. I respect your opinions but not one of you has accepted any of my personal insite. We all have things to learn or face in our life. I''ve been doing this a day or so and I''m wore out.
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by cvalentini-2009 January 5, 2008 12:45 AM EST
awsome01, I''m glad to finally see someone on here that knows Susan.
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by asome01 January 5, 2008 12:42 AM EST
That woman is a victim of violence at some point in her life. She sleeps in the fetal position! Ive seen it first hand and have worked with her for almost 4 years.
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by cvalentini-2009 January 4, 2008 11:17 PM EST
Like I said earlier Pamela, you don''t know what went on behind closed doors and you even admitted that.
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by cvalentini-2009 January 4, 2008 11:15 PM EST
BetsyRoss you need a reality check!
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by pamelann1 January 4, 2008 8:51 PM EST
Susan Wright made up being abused. Ron Sr & Ron Jr, were both called to the stand. The defense lawyer could have tried to tear them apart and chose NOT to because both Jeff''s father & brother are exemplory people and are in good standing in their communities. Ron Sr''s comment about "We love our women" was a poor choice of words but I know him and he just meant the men in the family love their wives. The man is nearly 80 yrs old by now. This just about killed him. He is keeping Jeff''s memory alive for all of us in his actions & words. He raised his children right! Wright.
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by pamelann1 January 4, 2008 8:51 PM EST
Susan Wright made up being abused. Ron Sr & Ron Jr, were both called to the stand. The defense lawyer could have tried to tear them apart and chose NOT to because both Jeff''s father & brother are exemplory people and are in good standing in their communities. Ron Sr''s comment about "We love our women" was a poor choice of words but I know him and he just meant the men in the family love their wives. The man is nearly 80 yrs old by now. This just about killed him. He is keeping Jeff''s memory alive for all of us in his actions & words. He raised his children right! Wright.
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by dontplaydumb May 16, 2010 12:35 AM EDT
It helped Susan's case by showing how blindly Ron Sr. defended his son, when it's apparent there was a pattern of abuse. He he hadn't been so defensive, if he'd come across as yes, he knew his son had troubles but he didn't deserve what he got, I might have had a flicker of sympathy for his family. But like many people, he was cold and "wright". No questioning him...he seems like a man who thinks he's always right.
by myrtis21 January 4, 2008 8:18 PM EST
to Pam and Val. Quit the arguing. This woman was terribly abused and I can see how it drove her over the edge. What makes me mad is to read Ron Wright''s comment "We love our women." Really. Why didn''t the defense ever call Ron Wright to the stand and ask him if he had ever abused his wife and children. Something went wrong for Jeff to be so abusive. I hope and pray that Susan will get a second trial and a much stronger defense, that the judge will set her free, and that she will get her children back.
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by betsyross4 January 4, 2008 6:46 PM EST
CVALENTI-I WATCHED 48HRS.YOU SEEM LIKE A MURDER GROUPIE.
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