MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of the two men indicted with killing Greater Memphis Chamber President and CEO Phil Trenary in 2018 will spend 25 years in prison, following a plea deal Monday.
McKinney Wright Jr. pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2023, to second-degree murder, according to court records. As part of the agreement, other charges were dropped. Wright was sentenced to 25 years with no chance of parole under the deal.
The second suspect charged in the killing, Quandarius Richardson, remains behind bars on charges of first-degree murder, attempted especially aggravated robbery, theft of property over $10,000 and intentionally evading arrest in a motor vehicle risking injury or death. During a hearing Dec. 5, his trial date was set for May 20, 2024.
Trenary's children spoke Monday in court as Wright was sentenced.
"The unfairness in your life, unequivocally, doesn't excuse you from taking my dad's life," said daughter Brittney Rowe.
"Five years ago, I lost more than my father," said son Pearce Trenary. "I lost my hero, my best friend. Phil Trenary was not just a man, he was a guiding force, my north star, a big guiding light in the world that could be dark and unforgiving."
Investigators said just before 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27, 2018, Trenary was walking on the sidewalk in the 500 block of South Front Street while talking on his cellphone. Witnesses told investigators a white pickup truck stopped nearby and that a man got out from the passenger side, walked up to Trenary from behind, and shot him in the head.
Police said the truck had been reported stolen and was located the next day in the Frayser area. They said the driver refused to stop and sped away before crashing at McLemore and Mississippi, injuring several people of two other vehicles.
Richardson was arrested at that crash scene, while Wright and a 16-year-old girl were arrested the following day. Her case was handled in Juvenile Court and the results were not made public.
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