State v. Wright

── State v. Wright ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arizona Date: April 27, 2026 Category: General NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION. UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE. IN THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION ONE STATE OF ARIZONA, Appellee/Cross-Appellant, v. KERRY MICHAEL WRIGHT, Appellant/Cross-Appellee. No. 1 CA-CR 25-0192 FILED 04-27-2026 Appeal from the Superior Court in Yavapai County No. S1300CR202380088 The Honorable Michael R. Bluff, Judge AFFIRMED IN PART; VACATED AND REMANDED IN PART COUNSEL C. Kenneth Ray II, P.L.L.C., Prescott By C. Kenneth Ray II Counsel for Appellant/Cross-Appellee Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Phoenix By Casey D. Ball Counsel for Appellee/Cross-Appellant  STATE v. WRIGHT Decision of the Court MEMORANDUM DECISION Judge Brian Y. Furuya delivered the decision of the Court, in which Presiding Judge Andrew M. Jacobs and Judge James B. Morse Jr. joined. F U R U Y A, Judge: ¶1 Kerry Wright appeals from his various convictions and resulting sentences. Wright contends the trial court erred in failing to suppress evidence related to Counts 4 through 12 of his indictment. The State, in its cross-appeal, maintains that the trial court erred in not enhancing Wright’s sentences on Counts 4 through 6. For the following reasons, we affirm Wright’s convictions but vacate his sentences and remand to the trial court for resentencing based on this decision. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY ¶2 In February 2023, Wright was arguing with his granddaughter and her boyfriend over household chores. Wright had been drinking and grew increasingly upset over the argument, leading to Wright holding a gun to his granddaughter’s head. The granddaughter’s boyfriend grabbed his own gun and fired three warning shots into the ceiling to distract Wright. ¶3 Wright then fired multiple shots through the wall, striking the boyfriend in the neck. The bullet went through the back of the boyfriend’s neck and exited just under his eye. Wright inspected the boyfriend and thought he had died, so both he and his granddaughter called 911 and paramedics responded. ¶4 The paramedics were unable to enter the house until it was secured, so officers entered under the cover of a ballistic shield, removed the boyfriend, and brought him to first responders for medical attention. The boyfriend was flown to a hospital and survived his injuries. ¶5 Then, officers established a perimeter around the house where Wright remained and requested assistance from a SWAT team. Over multiple phone calls and in the ensuing hours, Wright threatened several times to shoot anyone that came into the house and to shoot himself. ¶6 When Wright failed to exit the house after talking with a negotiator, the SWAT team deployed chemical munitions into the house. 2  STATE v. WRIGHT Decision of the Court After this, Wright filed a single shot at one of the SWAT armored vehicles, hitting its windshield. The SWAT team continued to deploy chemical munitions, but Wright refused to exit the house. As the SWAT team prepared to use their vehicles to push open the windows, Wright finally exited the house and was arrested. ¶7 A grand jury indicted Wright for one count of attempted second-degree murder (Count 1), five counts of aggravated assault (Counts 2–6), one count of criminal damage (Count 7), and five counts of disorderly conduct (Counts 8–12). The State also alleged aggravating circumst