ROCKLIN, Calif. — Two people were convicted Friday of killing and kidnapping a Rocklin man in 2018.
A jury found Robert Manor and Victor Merle Gray guilty of the murder of Raymond Wright as well as kidnapping for ransom causing death, according to a news release.
In 2011, Wright was driving under the influence and caused a crash that seriously injured Manor and his wife. Wright was prosecuted, served his time and finished his probation. However, Manor held a grudge against Wright for years, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Later on January 11, 2018, Wright disappeared. Family members checked his home in Rocklin and a shop he rented in Rio Linda. With no information, the search extended throughout California. On January 13, 2018, Wright's brother saw a man inside Wright's home and called the police. The man had left a soda cup with DNA that was uploaded to a database.
On January 27, 2018, Victor Gray was driving under the influence and led CHP on a chase. Gray eventually crashed, injuring other people in the process. His van was searched and inside was a blood-soaked raincoat, Wright's wallet and other items belonging to Wright.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said during the investigation, officials found a letter from Gray to Manor about not being paid along with other evidence linking Manor to Wright's death and hiring Gray to kidnap Wirght from his Rio Linda shop. The DNA in the database also matched Gray, who is a prior felon.
Wright's body was never found.
Manor and Gray both face life in prison without parole. Sentencing is set for April 28.
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