Wright murder co-defendants sentenced

Published 3:25 pm Friday, February 1, 2013

NATCHEZ — The two men who were with James C. Luster when he murdered Carlos “Mo” Wright in March 2012 have been sentenced for lesser charges.

Circuit Court Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders sentenced Gerald K. Davis, 19, 11 Fifth St., to 20 years in state prison for manslaughter.

Davis testified during Luster’s trial Tuesday to shooting Wright twice in the buttocks after Luster shot him 10 times. Davis pleaded guilty to manslaughter prior to Luster’s trial.

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Luster was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for gunning down Wright outside of Wright’s Scotts Lane residence on March 6, 2012.

Sanders also sentenced Davis to 25 years for a burglary of a dwelling charge unrelated to the murder.

The two sentences are to run consecutively.

Sanders sentenced Frederick Hunt Jr., 19, 381 Morgantown Road, to the maximum five years in state prison for accessory after the fact.

Hunt testified during Luster’s trial that he saw Luster shoot Wright, but Hunt said he did not himself directly participate in the killing. Hunt also said during his testimony that he was testifying against Luster in an attempt to receive a lesser charge.

Both Davis and Hunt were originally charged with murder.

District Attorney Ronnie Harper said today that the state accepted Hunt’s plea for a lesser charge in part because he testified against Luster.

“It was also in part because, according to the evidence, (accessory after the fact) was all we were going to be able to prove,” Harper said.