Trevor Garrett Taylor: Maryland man pleads guilty to killing father-of-3 who defended his son from bullies

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ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND: A Maryland man has admitted to killing a father-of-three who tried to protect his son from a classmate.

Trevor Garrett Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty on Thursday, January 25, to manslaughter and affray in the death of Christopher Wright, 43, who was slammed to the ground and punched in the face by Taylor in June 2023.

The fatal confrontation was sparked by a school fight between Wright’s son Trenton and Taylor’s nephew who accused Trenton of stealing $30 from his girlfriend.

The school fight that led to a deadly brawl

Wright’s fiancee Tracy Karopchinsky told Daily Mail earlier that Trenton had been in multiple fights at school before Taylor and his associates showed up at their Glen Burie home on May 19, demanding that Trenton continue fighting his nephew.

Initially, his father thought they were his friends and he "went inside and said your friends are here, he told them these aren’t my friends."

Karopchinsky said Wright told the group that their son would not be fighting, to which they replied, "If he’s not going to fight, then you’re going to fight us." 

The same was mentioned in the charging documents, as per the outlet. Moreover, security footage analyzed by the publication shows Wright punching Taylor in the face before Taylor grabbed Wright by the legs and threw him to the pavement, causing his head to hit the ground.

Trevor Garrett Taylor then punched Christopher Wright four more times

Taylor then punched Wright four more times as he lay motionless, before handing his necklaces to Trenton and telling him to call 911.

Wright was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he died the next night from a stroke caused by a brainstem bleed.

Karopchinsky told the publication that one of her sons looked over and saw his father lying on the ground and not moving as the guy was still fighting him.

According to Karopchinsky, Taylor handed the boy his father's necklaces, apologized, and told him to call 911. "My youngest son came out screaming and they got into their car and left," she said.

The conflicting accounts of the incident

Taylor’s defense attorney Edward Middlebrooks claimed that his client had a "completely different" perspective on the events leading to Wright’s death.

Middlebrooks said Taylor’s nephew had been jumped over the money by a group of students earlier that day, one of them being Wright’s son - who he described as the nephew’s best friend.

When the nephew came home, Taylor brought the group over to Wright’s house to try and resolve the conflict, Middlebrooks contended as per the outlet. 

"There’s a whole other side to this story," the lawyer told reporters following a preliminary hearing last year.

Trevor Garrett Taylor charges and prison time 

Taylor was initially charged with one count of manslaughter, three counts of second-degree assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of affray.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter, for which he was ultimately convicted, is 10 years.

The other count, affray, does not have any sentencing guidelines as the crime exists only in common law, the publication noted. 

Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Pritchard indicated that the State’s Attorney’s Office would advocate for five years of jail time.

A sentencing hearing has been set for October 25. Wright, a passionate sports fan and father of Tryston, Trenton, and Tevin.