The mother of Trey Wright, the 16-year-old boy shot dead in South Carolina in June, says her son was deeply in love with his cheerleader girlfriend, the same girl now accused of helping plan the ambush that led to his killing.
Ashley Lindsey said her son had been dating 17-year-old Gianna Kistenmacher for only a few weeks, but was already head over heels for her.
Highlights
- Trey Wright, 16, was deeply in love with his cheerleader girlfriend Gianna Kistenmacher, accused of helping plan his fatal ambush.
- Wright was killed after a planned bare-knuckle fight turned deadly when Devan Raper allegedly showed up with a gun.
- Kistenmacher, the daughter of a police officer, allegedly instigated the fight by accusing Wright of cheating.
“He told me just two days before he was killed that being with Gianna felt like a dream come true,” Lindsey told the Daily Mail.
“He really liked her, but he might have been clueless to whatever else was going on.”
South Carolina teen Trey Wright was killed in June
Image credits: GoFundMe
Lindsey described the girl as a “queen bee.”
Wright was shot and killed on June 24 in Johnsonville, South Carolina. Investigators say the shooting followed a fight arranged between Wright and 19-year-old Devan Raper.
The day Wright was killed, Lindsey said she knew her son was headed to meet Raper and Kistenmacher to have a “bare-knuckle fight.”
Apparently, neither was aware that Raper would show up with a gun.
Friends said that Kistenmacher, the daughter of a Horry County police officer, started an argument with Wright earlier that night while she was with Raper, the alleged shooter, accusing Wright of cheating.
During a FaceTime call, witnesses said Raper pointed a gun at Kistenmacher’s phone, as if to threaten Wright.
Image credits: Florence County Sheriff's Office
Despite that warning, Wright still believed the teens had only planned a physical fight.
Ethan Kirby, 18, a friend of Wright, said, “I believe she just wanted them to fight, not for it to end this way. It was all a childish act that turned real.”
Raper traveled for an hour with a group of teens from Myrtle Beach to the meeting spot in Johnsonville.
They traveled in two cars. Sources told the Daily Mail that Kistenmacher drove one of the vehicles, while Raper rode in the other.
Image credits: Google Maps
When Raper and Wright faced each other, Raper allegedly shot Wright several times. He was allegedly left to bleed on the road by everyone, including Kistenmacher.
According to the police, witnesses on the scene saw Raper leave in a white Mazda “driven by a female, with three male passengers.”
The confrontation was recorded by one of the 10 teens present. All have since been taken into custody in connection with the crime.
Wright was left to bleed on the road by everyone, including his girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher (pictured middle)
Image credits: Florence County Sheriff's Office
“How do you go from s**t talking to killing somebody? the mother said. “When I was growing up, if kids had a problem, they’d meet on a dirt road, fight with their hands, and go home.”
“You didn’t pick up a gun. None of this makes sense.”
Kirby said peer pressure played a role. “Devan [Raper] was talking tough from the beach,” he said. “But when they drove an hour to fight, Devan realized Trey [Wright] wasn’t backing down.”
Authorities confirmed that 10 teens face charges. Raper is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He is being held without bond.
Kistenmacher was charged with an accessory before the fact of a felony, but her charge has been upgraded to murder, officials said.
Last week, she was released into the custody of her family, according to ABC 4.
Image credits: Atlantic Collegiate Academy
According to Trey's grandmother, Catherine Lee, who was present at the hearing at Florence County Judicial Center, Kistenmacher is prohibited from using social media, and her movements are limited to medical and legal needs.
“When he got out of school, he wanted to be a chaplain for the military,” she said about her grandson’s plans. “That’s what was his dream.
“And there was already prophesized that that’s what he was going to be. So, I don't understand how this could happen.”
Lee added that Kistenmacher should not have been released from custody, and said the girl had shown up at the hospital after Trey was shot.
“We thought, we didn’t know she had anything to do with it. We were comforting her,” Lee said.
Sheriff TJ Joye said, “The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life. You’ve got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?”