Murder, Self-Defense, or Both?

Susan Wright, the Blue-eyed Butcher

Whether you think of her as the ‘Blue-eyed Butcher’ as the media named her, or a victim of domestic abuse as defense witnesses testified, the story of Susan Wright is shocking.

Every court case has two sides to it, obviously one is right and the other is not… supposedly… or hopefully. What about those cases where there is enough evidence to lead you to believe the crime did happen as stated, yet, the defense was not capable of providing an adequate defense to acquit his client on the grounds of Self-Defense, or Battered Women’s Syndrome, or Temporary Insanity… even though there was more than an adequate amount of evidence proving any one of those options.

How does a lawyer go about proving there are extenuating circumstances behind a murder? Especially one in which the suspect has been examined and psychologically tested and found to be suffering from battered women’s syndrome as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In the case of a woman who stabbed her husband 193 times, broke the tip of a knife off in his skull and tried for a week to cover up the crime, it is virtually an impossible task for the Defense. 

While being examined at a hospital by a Psychologist, Susan Wright admitted she knew her husband was dead. Yet, she had also stated how terrified she was that this man was going to wake up and come after her and kill her. 

Sadly, for her, the Defense Attorney refused to put the Psychiatrist on the stand during the trial because his client had admitted to him that she knew her husband was dead. Although this could have been carried out in questioning to show that she had also stated her fear of him waking and coming after her to kill her.

The story of Jeff and Susan Wright began as one of many young ladies' deepest dreams. The tall, handsome man falls in love with the pretty blonde. They ultimately marry and begin a family. The honeymoon seldom lasts for very long in most marriages. Life happens, work happens, problems happen and all these issues are either worked through as a couple or the stress changes the behavior of one if not both people in the marriage.

The couple had two children, as a matter of fact, Susan was 8 and a half months pregnant when the couple got married. Jeff’s father stated, while on the stand during the trial, that Jeff had spoken to him about feeling as though Susan had gotten pregnant on purpose. Fatherly advice was given that he should be there for his child, that the child needs a father. According to Jeff’s Father, Jeff decided to go ahead and get married, even though he felt like maybe Susan had trapped him.

Susan and Jeff met in 1997, dated and she became pregnant in 1998. They also married that year. In 2002, Susan had another child… a daughter, and they seemed to be the perfect family. At least that’s the way they tried to make it look from the outside. Neighbors however, seemed to know that the marriage wasn’t going great, and tried to speak with Susan about leaving and divorcing Jeff. They told her that she should at least get a Restraining Order for Protection against Jeff.

Ultimately, Susan Wright did go into the Police and request the Restraining Order and Order for Protection. However, she did this the day after that unfortunate night where she used Jeff’s neckties to tie him to the bed and proceeded to lose her rational thinking. 

The facts are simple, Jeff Wright was brutally murdered after being tied to the bed, wrists and ankles. Did Susan Wright coerce him into thinking there would be a night with his sexual fantasies fulfilled? Or is it more accurate to say that Jeff had come home from “working late”, drunk, as well as high on coke and other drugs?  In such a state of inebriation, did he cause such a fear in Susan that she was no longer capable of thinking clearly, and just snap? Did she disassociate from herself and brutally murder this man she claimed to love and then not be able to fully remember her own actions completely?

Try to imagine a small, petite framed lady, wrestling to tie up this 6 foot man, who weighed at least 200 pounds. Honestly, either version could be accurate. At least until you add in statements provided by Susan Wright herself. She had told others that when Jeff came home drunk and high he was a violent person. He would hit her in places that people would not be able to see on a normal everyday basis. He would only hit her in places where all bruises were able to be hidden by clothing.

Given the size difference between the two, it seems that it would be obvious that Jeff was not aware of being tied to the bed. The Medical Examiner stated that NONE of the wounds would have been enough to kill Jeff instantly. So logically speaking, there would have been some sign of his trying to get loose, in an attempt to fight back. There was no mention of defensive wounds, bruising from the neckties that were used to tie him up, on either wrists or the ankles.

Again, how was this petite female able to attack this man with a knife 193 times, including breaking the tip of one knife off? 

The Prosecutor in the State of Texas vs. Susan Lucille Wright, went after the alleged suspect in a direct and cold way. Her questions were clear, concise and direct, leaving no doubt in her mind and the mind of the jurors that Susan Wright was not being fully truthful when it came to what happened the night of January 13, 2003. It makes you wonder… if Susan was telling the truth, then maybe she truly didn’t remember things from that night. Dissociative behavior, as well as Disassociative Personality Disorder is caused by prolonged trauma stemming from abuse.

Let’s look at some of Susan’s behavior from the night she killed Jeff, and into the next few days. After the murder, she stated in court and to the Psychiatrist that she remained awake all night expecting Jeff to wake up, find her, and kill her. She stated this many times while in the Psychiatric hold.

She did lie to her in-laws when they called asking her if Jeff had returned home. Susan later called and told them that Jeff had taken some clothes and left after they had argued.

Susan had also taken apart their bed and moved it to an outdoor area after digging a shallow hole and rolling Jeff’s body into it. However the family dog continuously went to the area digging down the short distance to the body. Susan went shopping and purchased more dirt to cover the body with, in an attempt to stop the dog. When that did not work, she placed the blood soaked mattress over the area where the body was buried. 

Another phone call made to Jeff’s cell phone was his friend. He was surprised to hear Susan answer the phone and after asking Susan about Jeff’s whereabouts, Susan hung up the phone. Her behavior could be described as erratic. It could definitely be described in a way that is most often seen in Dissociative Disorders. 

There is confusion about how Susan Wright was ‘caught’. One report is that her Mother had spoken to an attorney and arranged for him to go to Susan’s home, where Susan ultimately admitted to him that Jeff was dead. Her mother arrived to visit with her daughter and found her in a confused state in her vehicle. Susan then told her that she thought she had done something very bad… she thought she may have killed Jeff. Another report states that after having trouble keeping the family dog away from where she had buried Jeff’s body, Susan herself, called the Attorney. Reports on this are conflicting.

The Defense Attorney is the one who informed  Law Enforcement that there was a body buried at the address. He refused to say anything else, for obvious legal reasons. The Defense Attorney reported the body immediately after taking Susan to the hospital for an evaluation.

In Susan’s defense of her behavior, the skittish behavior, the confused state, the constant fear that someone was after her, or that Jeff would come and kill her, that he could hear her, if true, is more than enough evidence to show that there was a mental break at the time. Is this an excuse to justify murder? 

The jurors found her guilty and sentenced her to 25 years in prison for killing Jeff Wright.

Her first appeal failed. However, her second attempt at an appeal was granted due to ineffective counsel at the sentencing phase of the original trial.     

Since 2004, Susan Wright has had her appeals, resulting in only a reduced sentence by 5 years. Although she did have a chance at parole twice since her conviction, she did not receive parole until July 2, 2020. 

When she made an appeal in 2008, she had a different attorney as well as a brand new witness. Misty McMichael, a former fiancee of Jeff Wright took the stand and reiterated how abusive he could be. Misty McMichael had been beaten, thrown down a flight of stairs, and she was cut badly with broken glass in a bar. However, the charges were dropped by Misty out of extreme fear of Jeff retaliating.

What causes Mariticide? Is it a rough childhood, years of abuse, massive trauma? I don't believe there is really any simple answer to this question… and the answer would be different from case to case. 

Did Susan Wright have a right to kill an abusive spouse? Jeff was not on trial for abuse. Susan had steps she could have taken to get out of an abusive relationship. She also had friends and family that were there for her, giving her advice about what to do. None of us were in her shoes, we did not live the life she claims she was living, we did not live the trauma or pain she spoke of. Murder is wrong in the eyes of the law, and Susan didn't take any steps to help herself and her children until after she had already killed the one person who she said was abusing. 

We obviously feel terrible about the situation that women like Susan find themselves in, but is murder the answer? A jury of her peers said, no.
As for Susan Wright, not much is known about her since her release from prison. The last words the public heard were, “I would like to live in peace, please.” 

Susan and Jeff’s two children have since been adopted by Jeff’s brother and his wife.

If you need help or have questions about domestic violence, go to https://www.thehotline.org/ or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)