Sister: Murder a tragic accident
By Lee Williams
Published in News on June 26, 2007 1:45 PM
Andrea Wright said she is still haunted by the chilling memory of her brother who died from a fatal knife wound in her front yard in February.
Vincent Wright, 43, of Pony Drive, Pikeville, was fatally stabbed Feb. 4 during an argument with Miss Wright's fiancé, Jamal Wilson, 30.
Wright, a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. He had more than 20 years of service under his belt at the time of his death.
Miss Wright, 35, said she deeply loved her brother, but she cautioned residents not to pre-judge Wilson before he has his day in court.
Wayne County sheriff's deputies responded to 105 Kendall Lane at about 11:25 p.m. and found Wright suffering from a knife wound to the back. He was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
Wright came over to the house after Miss Wright's daughter called him. A fight broke out Super Bowl night between Wright's brother, Duane, 42, after Wilson discovered that a $20 bill was missing. The fight had nothing to do with the Super Bowl, Miss Wright said.
"It was a whole big misunderstanding," she said. "Jamal thought money was missing out of his wallet. He had just got laid off from Georgia Pacific, and he was extremely stressed."
To further complicate matters, Wilson had done some work on someone's car, and they hadn't paid him.
The fight between Duane Wright and Wilson ended. Miss Wright offered him the $13 that she had hoping to squash the fight.
But her daughter called Wright, who arrived about 40 minutes later.
"By the time V got here, we were calmed down and sitting in the living room trying to figure out where the money went," she said.
Wright tried to intervene, and she tried to send him home. But tensions between Wilson and Wright continued to mount.
Miss Wright said her brother was known to carry a butterfly knife. However, sheriff's officials said no other weapons were involved in the murder.
"I told V everything was cool. Just go home," Miss Wright said. "V said something and Jamal felt like he had to defend himself. The baby started to cry and I turned and they both went outside."
Miss Wright said she never saw Wilson attack her brother. She only recalls Wilson trying to revive him.
"I thought he had a heart attack," she said. "I didn't see any blood."
She said she later discovered from sheriff's officials that her brother had been fatally stabbed. A fishing knife was used in the attack.
"I thought we lost that knife during the move," she said.
Miss Wright regrets how the day ended, and she hopes people learn to control their anger in light of the incident.
"If anyone can learn anything from this, it is to not let anger consume you so much that you don't know what you are doing," she said.
Miss Wright said the incident has filled her with sorrow and guilt.
"It didn't make sense that he let $20 get to him," she said. "I'm upset that my brother is dead."
Wilson wrote her a letter explaining that the incident felt like "it was an out of body experience," she said.
She said Wright, a husband and father of three, was a good big brother and she loved him. But she also loves Wilson, too.
The couple of four years share a daughter. She also has two daughters from a previous relationship. But Wilson treats them like they were his own.
"My brother was a good man, but Jamal was a good man, too," she said.
Miss Wright said Wilson never physically harmed her or had any other problems with Wright before that day.
"He was not a monster," she said.
Wilson was arrested at the scene of the fatal stabbing, sheriff's officials said earlier. Miss Wright said his actions were revealing.
"Jamal had an opportunity to run, but he didn't do it," she said. "That just shows he didn't mean to do it."