Featured Image Credit: Family Handout
Topics: South Carolina, Crime, True crime, US News
Emily Brown
The grandmother of 16-year-old Trey Wright has shared her thoughts on updates surrounding his girlfriend, Gianna Helene Kistenmacher, after she was arrested for her alleged involvement in his death.
Trey lost his life on June 24, when he was fatally shot in the lower chest in an altercation was recorded by one member of a group accused of being involved. Trey was found lying in the road in Johnsonville, South Carolina.
The death resulted in the quick arrest of 19-year-old Devan Scott Raper the next day, and in the weeks that followed a total of eight other teenagers were arrested, including Kistenmacher.
Kistenmacher was charged with accessory before the fact of a felony, with investigators claiming that the teen brought Raper to the scene while knowing he was armed.
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The 17-year-old girl was also accused of knowing there would be a violent confrontation that could lead to death.
In August, authorities announced that Kistenmacher was granted release on bond under strict conditions, and is now in the custody of her family.
In the wake of the news, Trey's grandmother, Catherine Lee, told ABC4 that she disapproves of the decision to release Kistenmacher.
She went on to reveal that Kistenmacher 'came to the hospital' on the night Trey was shot, adding: "We thought, we didn't know she had anything to do with it. We were comforting her."
Lee's comments came after she attended a hearing of one of the nine teens charged in Trey's death.
It's unclear if this hearing was for Kistenmacher, but Lee told ABC4 that the teen had been banned from going on social media and was only allowed to leave their home for medical and legal reasons.
The grandmother has also been remembering Trey's hopes and dreams in the wake of his death, saying: "When he got out of school, he wanted to be a chaplain for the military. That's what was his dream. And there was already prophesied that that's what he was going to be. So, I don't understand how this could happen."
Lee went on to share her grief over the loss, adding: "I don't wish this on anybody because it's it kills you. It really does. It rips your heart out your chest. And if I didn't have God in my heart. I would be like everybody else, you know, cold hearted and stuff, but I'm not. I I have God, he supports me more than anybody."
Trey's mother, Ashley Lindsey, has said she wants anyone involved in her son's murder to be held accountable.