Jury convicts man of first-degree murder for killing ex-girlfriend minutes after she posted about him online, HCAO says
A jury convicted David Wright, 51, of first-degree murder on Wednesday for killing his ex-girlfriend Mariah Samuels in Minneapolis minutes after she wrote on Facebook that he threatened her family and damaged her car, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said.
Wright was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree murder, second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
The first-degree premeditated murder conviction means Wright will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the attorney's office said. He will be sentenced on Friday at 10 a.m.
"We are happy with the results that justice was served today. While it will not bring back my sister, we will always honor her and keep her spirit alive," said Salina Owens, Samuels' sister.
He had dated 34-year-old Samuels for a few months before she broke up with him, Samuels' family said. She had a restraining order against him and had also posted a video online that she said showed him hitting her several times.
She was shot just feet from her front door on North 14th and Russell avenues in the Willard-Hay neighborhood, according to the criminal complaint.
"Just in disbelief that someone could get up on the stand and say that they shot through the window, went around the other side, shot her while she was still screaming and let her fall to the ground. said Simone Hunter, Samuels' sister. "I was baffled that he could be so smug the entire trial. So knowing that he was convicted guilty on every charge, he got exactly what he deserved. And I'm hoping the judge's sentence will be heavy and long. He just should never see the light of day again. He's a dangerous person."
Samuels' family has accused Minneapolis police of not doing enough to keep her safe. They said she made several calls to police and has renewed calls for accountability, demanding "full transparency from MPD regarding its failure to enforce the order of protection."
In response to Samuels' death, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara ordered a thorough review of her case. The city's office of public safety said O'Hara also directed Minneapolis officers to be retrained on domestic violence response by the end of 2025.
"Things clearly went wrong here with the Minneapolis Police Department," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. "We need to take seriously when somebody says 'I am afraid.'"
Moriarty went on to say, "We and other leaders must hold ourselves and our offices accountable for continuing to improve our policies and practices in responding to domestic violence."
After Wright's conviction, Minneapolis police issued a statement saying that O'Hara is "committed to continuing to implement reforms in the MPD to ensure faster response times to domestic abuse and all emergency calls for services from the community, while also continuing to implement changes that enhance our ability to better respond to domestic violence and make more arrests whenever possible."
Editor's note: The above video first aired on October 30, 2025.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.