A Fight for Freedom

Summary

48 Hours: Episode Summary – "A Fight for Freedom"

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "A Fight for Freedom," CBS News’ award-winning correspondent delves into the harrowing case of Susan Lucille Wright, a Texas woman convicted of murdering her husband, Jeff Wright, in what she claims was an act of self-defense against prolonged abuse. Released on February 5, 2025, this episode meticulously examines the complexities of domestic violence, the judicial system, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

Background: The Wright Marriage

Susan Wright, a 22-year-old wife, married Jeff Wright, a 30-year-old successful carpet salesman. Their marriage, initially perceived as idyllic, quickly unraveled following the birth of their first child, Bradley. Susan alleges that Jeff's behavior deteriorated as he succumbed to drug abuse, becoming verbally and physically abusive.

Susan Wright [08:13]: "He told me I was a fat ass, stupid, and worthless."

Her sister, Cindy Stewart, recalls witnessing the escalating abuse, highlighting Jeff’s violent outbursts:

Cindy Stewart [08:52]: "He had thrown Susan through a wall, and we witnessed this hole in the Sheetrock that was the size of her back."

Despite attempts by family members to intervene, Jeff's aggression persisted, culminating in the tragic night of January 13, 2003.

The Crime: A Night of Terror

On that fateful night, Susan and Jeff engaged in a heated argument. Susan asserts that Jeff, emboldened by his substance abuse, became increasingly violent. The confrontation escalated when Jeff threw a glass at Susan, causing severe injuries.

Susan Wright [10:25]: "He came at me and swung me around and threw me against the wall. And he told me not to give him any ultimatums."

In a desperate attempt to protect herself and her children, Susan claims Jeff produced a knife, leading to a violent struggle in which she stabbed him 193 times. She later buried his body, a fact that shocked the courtroom and the community.

The Trial: Prosecution vs. Defense

The original trial, held in March 2004, saw Susan convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Prosecutor Kelly Siegler presented a formidable case, painting Susan as a calculated murderer rather than a victim acting in self-defense.

Prosecutor Kelly Siegler [12:49]: "This case is not about self-defense. It's about a slaughter."

Siegler’s cross-examination effectively undermined Susan’s claims of abuse, emphasizing the lack of prior police reports and disputing the evidence of sustained domestic violence.

Kelly Siegler [16:36]: "You cleaned up the bloody bedroom and emptied out the joint bank account. How foggy was she really?"

Despite Susan’s heartfelt testimonies and support from her sister Cindy, the jury remained unconvinced, leading to her conviction.

Appeals and the Path to Freedom

After serving 16 years, Susan Wright sought to overturn her conviction, arguing that her original defense was inadequate in representing her battered wife status. Attorney Brian Weiss took up her case pro bono, striving to highlight the systemic failures that led to her wrongful imprisonment.

Brian Weiss [19:56]: "Try to get Susan Wright's 25-year prison term reduced."

During the appeal, testimonies from psychologists and past acquaintances like Misty McMichael, who testified about Jeff's abusive behavior, aimed to shed light on the ongoing trauma Susan endured.

Psychologist Jerome Brown [29:03]: "Susan was still scared of her husband and believed Jeff was still alive."

Despite these efforts, the appellate court's initial ruling maintained her 20-year sentence, a decision met with disappointment by Susan and her supporters.

Release and Reflections

In 2020, Susan Wright was finally released from prison after serving 16 years. Her release marked a bittersweet victory; while she regained her freedom, the scars of her ordeal and the loss of her family endured.

Susan Wright [40:38]: "I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you don't have your son and your brother. And I'm sorry that the kids don't have their father."

The episode concludes by reflecting on the profound impact of Susan’s case on the community and the broader conversation about domestic abuse and judicial reform.

Conclusion

"A Fight for Freedom" offers a poignant exploration of the intersection between domestic violence and the legal system. Through detailed storytelling, powerful testimonies, and incisive analysis, the episode underscores the necessity for comprehensive support systems for abuse victims and calls for continued vigilance to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Notable Quotes:

• Susan Wright [10:25]: "He came at me and swung me around and threw me against the wall. And he told me not to give him any ultimatums."
• Prosecutor Kelly Siegler [12:49]: "This case is not about self-defense. It's about a slaughter."
• Psychologist Jerome Brown [29:03]: "Susan was still scared of her husband and believed Jeff was still alive."
• Susan Wright [40:38]: "I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you don't have your son and your brother. And I'm sorry that the kids don't have their father."

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key elements of the "A Fight for Freedom" episode, providing listeners with an insightful overview of a deeply moving and legally complex case.

Transcript

[Susan Wright]

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[Kelly Siegler]

State of Texas versus Susan Lucille Wright.

[Susan Wright]

My name is Susan Wright. I was charged with murder. I killed my husband. I was convicted of murdering my husband. I just. I couldn't go on how things were. Our whole marriage had been just a really big cover up. Anytime that he would be upset, he would come home and take it out on us. He would throw me against the walls. He would hit me in the face, the stomach, the back. He would kick until he wasn't angry anymore. This was just another fight that got really bad. I told him that I thought that he needed help. That wasn't my place to tell him that he needed any sort of help. It's just not the way that our marriage was. And we began to fight. I didn't want him to die. But I didn't have a choice. I don't want to tell it. I don't want to tell it anymore. The crime itself is horrible beyond words. How do you make it make sense? How in the world does she get to the point to where she can murder him that kind of way? To that degree? 193 stab wounds. Susan Wright has admitted to stabbing Jeff Wright 193 times. She is the wife accused of stabbing her husband nearly 200 times and then burying his body. She's always maintained that she was innocent, that she was a battered wife. He put his hands around my neck and he choked me. He began to punch me in the chest over and over again. He shook me over and over and over again until he wasn't angry anymore. Until he wasn't angry. Until he wasn't angry anymore. Susan Wright is a beautiful blonde with a black heart. 1. She is a cold blooded. 2. Scheming. 3. Diabolical. 4. Murderer. Like you're mad, like you're afraid, like you can't, can't stop. I was defending myself against my husband. She started lying the night she killed Jeffrey. And she continues to lie until this day. There was so much left out of the first trial. She wants a second trial and she wants to take that risk. Bring it on. There's a lot of new information, people coming forward and wanting to testify. He was on his way over to me again and I didn't want to be beat anymore. That night he took the glass and he threw it and it shattered on my face. A abuse is a secret. You get kicked, you get hit. You don't tell. I know I'm going to go home. Betting her life. My heart hurts for everything that happened. We had two beautiful children. He had a full life ahead of him and so did I. Susan Wright.

[Kelly Siegler]

Has had years in a Texas penitentiary to reflect on the bloody end to her troubled marriage while longing for the children she's now legally prohibited from seeing.

[Susan Wright]

Holidays are very hard. Birthdays are hard. Sometimes just waking up and missing everyone, it's very hard.

[Kelly Siegler]

State of Texas v. Susan Lucille wright. It was March 2004. A Houston jury convicted Susan of murder, guilty of murder as charged in the indictment and sentenced her to 25 years for stabbing her husband Jeff almost 200 times.

[Susan Wright]

I'd honestly expected them to come back and say not guilty.

[Kelly Siegler]

Why did you expect them to find you not guilty?

[Susan Wright]

Well, because I had gotten up on the stand and I had told them what happened. And that's just the way that life was. I expected them to believe it.

[Kelly Siegler]

I remand you now to the custody.

[Susan Wright]

Of the sheriff of Harris County, Texas. I lost my sister that day.

[Kelly Siegler]

Cindy Stewart saw her sister taken away after her conviction and has never stopped fighting to prove that Susan's story is true.

[Susan Wright]

She was a stay at home mom. She's not a tough girl. She baked cookies every day. She was going to be thrown into prison. I didn't know if she would survive.

[Kelly Siegler]

While Susan Wright remained locked up waiting for someone to hear her appeal, the key piece of evidence remained locked up in storage. Jeff Wright was killed on this bed and it caused quite a stir to Say the least, when the prosecutor brought it into the courtroom.

[Susan Wright]

All right, so if the defendant were to get up on top of Jeffrey Wright, something like this, and straddle him, and she's right handed, and how do you think she held the knife?

[Kelly Siegler]

That's prosecutor Kelly Siegler playing the part of Susan Wright and leaving nothing to the imagination.

[Susan Wright]

Did you see anything consistent with a stab to the penis? It was nicked. It was a superficial cut. It's more of a slicing. Superficial slicings like this. I was just horrified that anyone thought that that was what that happened. I felt sick. I had no idea that law was more of a theatrical presentation than it was about justice. He hovered over her in the bed with a knife.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan believes her young attorneys were no match for the toughest little prosecutor in Texas.

[Susan Wright]

Objection. This is argument, Judge. She went into the same room.

[Kelly Siegler]

They never put on proof of her claim that she was a battered wife.

[Susan Wright]

The original trial just didn't explain everything.

[Kelly Siegler]

Anyone who wants to understand what happened the night she killed Jeff, Susan says first, needs to know what happened in the years leading up to it.

[Susan Wright]

I just thought that we were going to have that fairytale marriage with the kids in the house. You know, the same thing that every other girl dreams about.

[Kelly Siegler]

When they married, Susan was 22 and Jeff was 30. He was a successful carpet salesman. Susan says Jeff changed shortly after the birth of their first child, Bradley. She testified at her trial that Jeff started doing drugs and became abusive.

[Susan Wright]

He told me what a fat ass that I was. He told me that I was stupid and that I was worthless.

[Kelly Siegler]

And then, she says, the abuse became physical.

[Susan Wright]

He threw me up against the wall, and he shook me by my arms as hard as he could until he wasn't angry. And he began to punch me in the chest over and over again. Susan began to complain about his marijuana use, which escalated into complaints about cocaine use.

[Kelly Siegler]

Cindy says she was worried for her sister's safety and at one point helped her leave Jeff.

[Susan Wright]

He had thrown Susan through a wall, and we witnessed this hole in the Sheetrock that was the size of her back.

[Kelly Siegler]

But the very next day, Jeff Short showed up where Susan and Bradley were staying with a moving van and took them back home.

[Susan Wright]

There's not a doubt in my mind that she made up the whole story.

[Kelly Siegler]

Ron Wright is Jeff's father.

[Susan Wright]

She actually tortured him to death. He bled to death. She stabbed him in his eye while.

[Kelly Siegler]

He was still alive. Jeff's father says in the four years Susan and his son were married, he never saw any sign of abuse. And in fact, Susan never filed a single police report before exploding in violence on the night of January 13, 2003.

[Susan Wright]

He had just gotten done with a boxing lesson and he wanted to box with Bradley.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan testified that Jeff had come home high and agitated.

[Susan Wright]

Jeff got his hands up in a boxing and started making jabs at Bradley's head.

[Kelly Siegler]

But Bradley didn't want to play. He was just four years old.

[Susan Wright]

That just kept frustrating Jeff the more that he didn't want to do it. He kept calling Bradley assisting a little girl. Did Jeff end up hitting Bradley in the cheek? Yes, he did.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan said she put Bradley and his younger sister Kaylee to bed and then confronted her husband. Told him she would leave if he didn't get help.

[Susan Wright]

He came at me and he swung me around and threw me against the wall. And he told me not to give him any ultimatums. Bitch. That I didn't have the right.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan told the court later that night, Jeff raped her.

[Susan Wright]

My eyes were closed and I heard his voice. And it was scary. It was calm. And he said, die, bitch. And I opened up my eyes.

[Kelly Siegler]

She said Jeff was holding a knife. According to her, she kicked Jeff in the groin, grabbed the knife and started stabbing.

[Susan Wright]

Where'd you stab him? In his head and in his chest and in his neck and in his stomach and in his leg from when he kicked me. I stabbed him in his penis for all the times. Then he made me have sex and I didn't want to and I couldn't stop because he was gonna kill me and I couldn't stop. Stop.

[Kelly Siegler]

Prosecutor Kelly Siegler doesn't believe a word of it.

[Susan Wright]

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[Kelly Siegler]

Prosecutor Kelly Siegler did not mince words.

[Susan Wright]

This case is not about self defense. It's about a slaughter.

[Kelly Siegler]

She ridiculed Susan Wright's claim that she killed her husband Jeff in self defense.

[Susan Wright]

For her to claim self defense and say she took a knife away from a man who outweighed her by £100 is ridiculous.

[Kelly Siegler]

And Siegler still believes that she wasn't a battered wife. How do you know?

[Susan Wright]

We never found any evidence of it.

[Kelly Siegler]

The evidence Siegler says, tells a very different story. That's because Jeff's naked body was found with ties around his wrists and ankle. It was, according to Siegler, all part of an elaborate seduction scene.

[Susan Wright]

She had to play it. She had to play the game from the minute he got home from work that day, if not sooner, to get him in the right mood to set the scene, to get him tied up and defenseless, to pull out her knife.

[Kelly Siegler]

And that's why Siegler brought the bed into the courtroom.

[Susan Wright]

Okay, do you have both of his wrists tied tightly? Yes, ma'am. Paul, try to lift your hands up. Okay, now. Same thing for his ankles.

[Kelly Siegler]

Medical examiner Duane Wolf backed up the prosecution's theory that Jeff Wright could not fight back out of his 193 stab wounds.

[Susan Wright]

Almost all of them were on the front of the body. And if a person is not restrained in some way, they'd be moving. I would be moving. I would have stab wounds predominantly on my back as I'm heading toward the door.

[Kelly Siegler]

Regardless of what Dr. Wolf says, Susan insists Jeff was not tied up, at least when she started stabbing him. But something made her stop.

[Susan Wright]

What did you hear that made you stop? Bradley was at the door.

[Kelly Siegler]

While Susan was slashing at her husband. Bradley, their four year old son woke up and knocked at the bedroom door. Susan had to stop stabbing his father to put Bradley back to bed. And that's when she says she tied up her husband.

[Susan Wright]

And then I tied up his right arm to the bed so that he couldn't get up because I was afraid he was going to get up and come after me when I was putting Bradley back to sleep.

[Kelly Siegler]

After calming Bradley, Susan says she got a fresh knife from the kitchen, came back into the bedroom and started stabbing Jeff again. When she finally finished stabbing him, she dragged his body off the bed and tied him to a dolly. But she didn't take him very far. This is the patio. This is where Jeff Wright ended up. In a shallow hole he dug himself as part of a home improvement project.

[Susan Wright]

Why didn't you call the police? Because Jeff was still alive. What do you mean he's still alive? This is not rational. You understand that now. Now I understand that when he was still alive, he wasn't dead.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan claims she was in a fog. The next few days, she took my son's name off of the answering machine, which you know. In a fog.

[Susan Wright]

That raises a little question, doesn't it, Susan? Lucille Wright.

[Kelly Siegler]

Kelly Siegler eagerly pointed out that Susan cleaned up the bloody bedroom and emptied out the joint bank account. And for the first time, she filed an abuse complaint against Jeff after he was already dead.

[Susan Wright]

She had the presence of mind to do all that. So how foggy was she really?

[Kelly Siegler]

Kelly Siegler had a lot of questions about what Susan did. Siegler spent months preparing for this moment. Her cross examination of Susan Wright.

[Susan Wright]

The week after you killed Jeff. Mrs. Wright, during this fog that you experienced in and out that week, you always managed to take care of your children, though, did you not? Yes. Like I had said before, that was a yes or no answer. Did you not? Yes, ma'am. I'd always done it.

[Kelly Siegler]

Siegler wanted to convince the jury that the real Susan is a scheming seductress.

[Susan Wright]

Oh, come on. You're a former dancer.

[Kelly Siegler]

That is something she wants the jury to remember. For two months when she was 18, Susan Wright was a topless dancer.

[Susan Wright]

You're gonna sit up there and tell this jury that y'all never practiced bondage. Oh, no. Oh, no. That was good. Are you, like, appalled at the idea? Is that where we get that oh, no, from?

[Kelly Siegler]

How would you describe Ms. Siegler's cross examination of your sister?

[Susan Wright]

I think that she's brutal. When you stabbed him the 56th time, or the 89th time, or the 158th time, was your arm getting tired? She wanted it to seem like I did something horrible on purpose. And that night I was just fighting for my life. Did you hear the medical examiner testify that you didn't stab his penis? What you did was nick at it and take little slashes at him. No, I did not slash at him. No, you didn't stab his penis. That's not a stab like this. Like you're mad, like you're afraid, like you can't. Can't stop.

[Kelly Siegler]

Objection, you, Honor. I'm gonna ask the prosecutor to get.

[Susan Wright]

Back down in her seat, please, and refrain from doing this two feet from the witness when you take this knife.

[Kelly Siegler]

Siegler left the jurors with one last powerful image.

[Susan Wright]

Count him. 1, 2, 3, 4.

[Kelly Siegler]

And it worked.

[Susan Wright]

Can you imagine 193 times the jurors.

[Kelly Siegler]

Convicted Susan Wright of murdering her own husband? That you, Susan Lucille Wright, having been found guilty by this jury, a juror of your peers, of the offense of murder? We assessed 25 years confinement in the incident. They could have sentenced her to life. Instead, she got a break. 25 years. What did you think of the sentence? I thought it was in bad taste.

[Susan Wright]

I thought that she should have gotten a lot more.

[Kelly Siegler]

But at least one courtroom observer thought Susan got a raw deal.

[Susan Wright]

You look at it and you think what happened wasn't right, wasn't fair, and wasn't just.

[Kelly Siegler]

Brian Weiss, a prominent appellate attorney, believes Susan Wright deserves another chance. He thinks he can get her sentence reduced or even set her free. And this is the woman who could help make it happen.

[Susan Wright]

I was extremely scared of Jeff. Extremely.

[Kelly Siegler]

Attorney Brian Weiss is working tirelessly and for free.

[Susan Wright]

It's like law school final exams.

[Kelly Siegler]

Try to get Susan Wright's 25 year prison term reduced.

[Susan Wright]

Four and a half years ago, in.

[Kelly Siegler]

This courtroom, the system broke down. It is October 2008, and he's in court asking Judge Jim Wallace to grant Susan a new sentencing hearing before a new jury.

[Susan Wright]

The old saying goes, be careful what you wish for. And that's certainly true when you're talking about a person's life and liberty.

[Kelly Siegler]

Judge Wallace, who presided over the original trial, says Susan and her new attorney are taking a big gamble. A new jury could give her more time. Well, what's at stake here for Susan Wright?

[Susan Wright]

She's walking a razor's edge and she might get life. Ed could go either way, but I'm not worried. I just don't think that God would have brought me this far. The evidence is going to show that.

[Kelly Siegler]

Two well meaning, inexperienced and ultimately overmatched.

[Susan Wright]

Lawyers dropped the ball.

[Kelly Siegler]

Weiss argues that Susan's lawyers at her original trial should have called more witnesses, especially experts on how battered women behave.

[Susan Wright]

You can't try a case involving a defendant who's battered unless you have a battered women's expert.

[Kelly Siegler]

It is like doing Hamlet without Hamlet. Why?

[Susan Wright]

Because so many lay jurors fall back on the myths and misconceptions about battered women. Why don't they leave? Why don't they call the cops? Why don't they tell anybody?

[Kelly Siegler]

Without any expert testimony, Weiss says prosecutor Kelly Siegler was able to Easily rip apart Susan's claim that she was a battered wife.

[Susan Wright]

Hello. Where's the doctor, the MD, the PhD? This is the only case you're ever going to hear of where the defendant can diagnose herself as a battered wife. Where's their expert?

[Kelly Siegler]

Here's the expert. Weiss thinks the original jury should have heard from psychologist Jerome Brown. He evaluated Susan after her lawyers put her in a psychiatric center the week after Jeff's murder.

[Susan Wright]

I think that she was emotionally and physically battered by her deceased husband over.

[Kelly Siegler]

A period of time.

[Susan Wright]

Over years, yes.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan, he says, had grown so terrified of Jeff she couldn't take it anymore.

[Susan Wright]

She snapped. She killed him in a frenzy. Go for a ride.

[Kelly Siegler]

And Weiss says there's another person who could convince a jury of Susan's fear of her husband. Misty McMichael was once engaged to Jeff Wright.

[Susan Wright]

He was very charming, considerate, thoughtful, complimentary. Everything that you want in a man. You think.

[Kelly Siegler]

But like Susan, Misty says Jeff Wright had another side.

[Susan Wright]

He would like to get me on the ground, because once you're on the ground, you can get kicked. And did he kick you? Oh, yeah.

[Kelly Siegler]

Unlike Susan, after one attack, Misty filed a police report.

[Susan Wright]

We were at a bar in Austin. I must have looked at someone and he had a fit and threw a glass at me and it shattered and a piece of it went into my chest and it's still in there.

[Kelly Siegler]

Jeff agreed to a plea deal on the assault charge and avoided jail. Misty left one night when Jeff wasn't home. Although Jeff's father says she never lost interest in his son.

[Susan Wright]

I know that she chased my son up until a week before he died. Does that sound like a woman that's getting beat on?

[Kelly Siegler]

Misty denies that and says she was already happily married to Steve McMichael, known as Mongo, a former defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears. If you had taken the stand, you would have been cross examined by Tim. Right?

[Susan Wright]

And that's fine. Bring it on.

[Kelly Siegler]

But it could have been difficult because, like Susan, Misty was once a topless dancer.

[Susan Wright]

It's true. I was the topless dancer for 10 years. Woo. Big wow. What does that mean? Does that mean I'm a crackhead whore? No, it does not. Does that mean Susan's a liar? No, it does not. That just means that was our choice of profession. I enjoyed it, had a great time.

[Kelly Siegler]

And is it just a coincidence that they're both telling similar stories? No.

[Susan Wright]

For some reason, Misty is trying to save Susan's skin. Sisterhood of the strippers, I guess. Judge, as the court please the applicant rests. Thank you.

[Kelly Siegler]

After Brian Weiss argues his case, it takes Judge Wallace four months to make up his mind. Thank you. Please be seated. I'm ready to announce my rulings on it was a million to one shot, and it worked. The judge said Susan should have a new sentencing hearing before a new jury.

[Susan Wright]

All right. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I'm just trying to give you back your sister. Brian. Hey, Sue.

[Kelly Siegler]

How are ya? Weiss calls his client in prison to tell her the good news.

[Susan Wright]

Oh, Brian, you're serious. I am. Oh, my God, I am so excited. Thank you so much. You have just given me so much hope.

[Kelly Siegler]

Okay.

[Susan Wright]

Garrett.

[Kelly Siegler]

It was not the news Jeff Wright's father wanted to hear. When you got the word that she had been granted a new sentencing hearing, what did you make of that? I felt like throwing up. So what would you like to see happen now? Life would be nice. Life? Life in prison?

[Susan Wright]

Yeah. Don't you think that animals should be locked up and kept behind bars?

[Kelly Siegler]

And Susan could well get more time. It is the great irony of this case that the one move Susan wright, who's now 34 hopes will set her free, could just as easily keep her in prison for the rest of her life.

[Susan Wright]

We're going to proceed directly into the punishment phase of the trial.

[Kelly Siegler]

And that's exactly what the new prosecution. Prosecution team is hoping for.

[Susan Wright]

Raise your right hand, please.

[Kelly Siegler]

They have their own new witnesses lined up, and no shortage of theatrics.

[Susan Wright]

Don't clutter anymore.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan Wright is praying a new jury will shave time off her 25 year sentence. But she knows she could just as easily end up with more time, maybe even life. So why take the risk for a chance to see her children again?

[Susan Wright]

I would do anything in the world to be able to have them back. Just to be able to watch them grow up, to know who they are.

[Kelly Siegler]

Will that happen?

[Susan Wright]

I pray it does.

[Kelly Siegler]

It is now the fall of 2010. Almost seven years since her conviction for stabbing her husband to death. A more mature Susan Wright shows up in court. Brian Weiss has handed the case over to a new defense team.

[Susan Wright]

Well, just what the heck was going on?

[Kelly Siegler]

Led by John Mounier, we're going to.

[Susan Wright]

Prove that she was, in fact, a. Why am I of interest in any way?

[Kelly Siegler]

The new prosecution team of Connie Spence and John Jordan intend to prove Susan killed Jeff out of anger, not fear.

[Susan Wright]

This was a divorce by homicide because.

[Kelly Siegler]

He cheated on her and abused drugs.

[Susan Wright]

Five years is a long time to be unhappy and pissed off at your husband. Day after day, the wounds to his head, to his face, to his neck, to his chest, to his abdomen, to his sexual organ.

[Kelly Siegler]

And the curtain goes up on the latest act of this legal drama.

[Susan Wright]

The cuts that Susan Wright had on her hands is extremely consistent with when someone is repeatedly stabbing somebody else and the blood is making her hands slick.

[Kelly Siegler]

The bed is back, minus the old blood soaked mattress.

[Susan Wright]

Sartre Mentals is tying another knot around the headboard. Bedpins. Yeah.

[Kelly Siegler]

So I'm going to lay down. This time, a prosecutor lies down on the floor to demonstrate how Susan was able to stab Jeff on the top of his head while he was tied up.

[Susan Wright]

His head still is completely mobile. He can still turn it side to side. Raise his neck.

[Kelly Siegler]

Your next witness, please. The defense is ready with a parade of experts on battered women.

[Susan Wright]

They're ashamed by what's happening to them. The state has made a great deal of stabbing him 193 times. How do you explain that? Sheer abject terror.

[Kelly Siegler]

Their star expert is psychologist Jerome Brown. He testifies that when he first met Susan about a week after she killed Jeff, Susan was still scared of her husband and believed Jeff was still alive.

[Susan Wright]

She kept looking at the door and looking at the vent into the room, the air conditioning vent, and saying things like, is that him out there? Or I have a feeling he may be out there. Are the doors locked?

[Kelly Siegler]

Prosecutors are ready for Dr. Brown.

[Susan Wright]

Are you aware that she told her mom that his body is in the backyard? Yes. That's a pretty firm affirmation that she knows her husband is not coming back. Would you agree with that? Yes, I definitely think she played Dr. Brown, and that's just kind of part of Susan. She's very good at playing people, particularly men, I think.

[Kelly Siegler]

But Cindy Stewart says her sister couldn't manipulate anyone.

[Susan Wright]

I saw over the course of years, her become just a shell of a person.

[Kelly Siegler]

In fact, she says Susan could barely manage her own life.

[Susan Wright]

She was so broken at the end. And it was because of.

[Kelly Siegler]

For the first time since this case began, Cindy is taking the oath and taking the stand.

[Susan Wright]

I saw my sister who had bruises on her forearms, on her upper arms and on her neck.

[Kelly Siegler]

But nothing frightened her more than what she says she saw a few days after Jeff was killed.

[Susan Wright]

Handprints, fingers on the inside of her thighs. I stood shocked, and I asked her if she had been raped. And she said yes. Thank you. Please raise your right hand.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan's mother, who's now 77, testifies she also knew her daughter was being abused.

[Susan Wright]

She would be in pain. She would come Over. And while I played with Bradley, she would just sit and cry. And when I would ask her about it, she would say, I can't tell you. He'll kill me. I can't tell you what's happening.

[Kelly Siegler]

But prosecutors believe Susan made up the stories of being beaten. They say she learned all about domestic violence growing up watching her own parents.

[Susan Wright]

When she said, jeff did certain things, Jeff didn't do those things. We believe Susan witnessed her own father doing that to her mother.

[Kelly Siegler]

Ask your next question, please. But at the original trial, Susan's mother denied she was ever a victim while her husband looked on.

[Susan Wright]

Is it true or not? I don't look at my husband as an abusive person.

[Kelly Siegler]

This time around, she's a widow. And prosecutors pushed harder to get her to admit that she lied at the first trial that Susan did witness abuse at home.

[Susan Wright]

And you were asked at that time, under oath, were you ever abused or assaulted by your husband? Right. Yes. Is it true or not? And you said no.

[Kelly Siegler]

They cannot have expected her reaction.

[Susan Wright]

She knew if I told her yes, I'd go home and get the hell beaten out of me. I might not be back the next day, and I might not ever get up off the floor again the next day. You think I'm gonna sit here and say, yes, that guy kicks the out of me? I'm not gonna do that. I'm sorry. But abuse is a secret. And it's a secret abused women die to keep. They don't tell. You get kicked, you get hit, you don't tell. And I can't help it if it's the prosecutor. You don't tell. Cause you gotta go home with that guy. I was really proud of her for being honest. I knew how hard that was for her to say about my father. It had only been a few months after his death.

[Kelly Siegler]

It's an emotional moment that stuns the courtroom. But the fireworks aren't over. Misty McMichael is about to take the stand.

[Susan Wright]

I still don't understand what your point is. He put a piece. Piece of glass in my face. I object to the characterization by the.

[Kelly Siegler]

And nobody can predict how that will go.

[Susan Wright]

Yes. You are turning your testimony into a circus. Mommy, give some money. Thank you.

[Kelly Siegler]

Misty McMichael says she doesn't condone the murder of Jeff Wright. But as a mother, she understands why Susan did it.

[Susan Wright]

Any mother is going to protect their children. I knew it was going to happen to him sooner or later.

[Kelly Siegler]

And now she's ready to take the stand at Susan Wright's new sentencing hearing.

[Susan Wright]

Yes. Ma'am.

[Kelly Siegler]

She'll testify that Jeff Wright abused her.

[Susan Wright]

What kind of names would he call you, ma'am? Uh. Whore, Cheater, you know, Bitch.

[Kelly Siegler]

Misty testifies that Jeff Wright didn't just curse at her, that he often beat her and pushed her down a staircase.

[Susan Wright]

What would provoke him throwing you down the stairs? Who knows? I mean, did you ever do anything intentional to him? I didn't do anything. I did not cheat on him. I didn't do anything.

[Kelly Siegler]

It is memorable testimony, especially when Misty describes the night she had Jeff Wright arrested.

[Susan Wright]

There was a bunch of glasses on the table, and I don't know what I said, but he took the glass and he threw it, and it shattered on my face, and it cut me and it bled everywhere. Still, I have the piece of glass in my chin. Okay.

[Kelly Siegler]

Now, Misty is eager to help. Susan.

[Susan Wright]

Yes. Listen to my question. You gotta let him. Sorry. Sorry.

[Kelly Siegler]

I'm sorry, Ms. McMichael, but she is hard to control.

[Susan Wright]

Yes, sir. She has asked me the same question repeatedly. Ma'am.

[Kelly Siegler]

Last.

[Susan Wright]

Ma'am. No more ma'ams. Let her finish. All right.

[Kelly Siegler]

She's not just difficult, she's defiant.

[Susan Wright]

What does that have to do with anything? Thank you so much. He didn't want to know the truth. Kind of like you. You had a piece of glass. Still do. On your chin. Still. It's still here. Can you see it? Absolutely. And you still don't believe that he was an abuser?

[Kelly Siegler]

The judge has to repeatedly remind her of proper courtroom etiquette. There's certain things you can do and you can't do as a witness before long.

[Susan Wright]

And that's why you refused treatment on. Because I heard he was on his way over to me again, and I didn't want to be beat anymore.

[Kelly Siegler]

Judge Wallace has had enough.

[Susan Wright]

Yes. In the hospital emergency room. Let's take the jury out. You and I are going to have a little talk.

[Kelly Siegler]

He sends the jury out of the courtroom.

[Susan Wright]

You are turning your testimony into a circus. If it continues, I'll strike everything you've had to say, and nothing you come. You've come down here for will mean anything. Can I have five minutes?

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan's attorney wants a timeout and escorts Misty out of the courtroom when she returns. She's a little calmer.

[Susan Wright]

Are you okay, Ms. McMichael? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Now, Ms. McMichael, she was a colorful witness, but in terms of believability. Excuse me. Did Jeff get fired? It's difficult to get up on a stand and tell a story, but no Matter how we come across this, the story's still the same. What happened did happen. You are excused. Thank you so much. We appreciate your testimony.

[Kelly Siegler]

Next witness. There apparently is no shortage of Jeff Wright's ex girlfriends.

[Susan Wright]

Raise your right hand, please.

[Kelly Siegler]

And prosecutors have found one for their side.

[Susan Wright]

What kind of a girlfriend were you? Crazy. Irrational.

[Kelly Siegler]

Marcy Holloway says Jeff Wright was a great boyfriend.

[Susan Wright]

He was just never mean about anything ever at all.

[Kelly Siegler]

She says she still carried a torch for Jeff after they broke up. She called him at home and Susan answered the phone.

[Susan Wright]

Tell us exactly what the response was. Same tone. What the response was. I don't know if I have it in me. Don't call her anymore like that. It scared the crap out of me. Then she said that he was married, he had a child. That if I called there again, she would find me and rip my head off.

[Kelly Siegler]

The testimony is over, but the drama is not.

[Susan Wright]

His marriage tuition warning.

[Kelly Siegler]

It is time for closing arguments.

[Susan Wright]

She had black eyes.

[Kelly Siegler]

She had bruises.

[Susan Wright]

She had the usual things that come about with the darkest secret of our lives, which is domestic abuse. As he lay sleeping, she started stabbing.

[Kelly Siegler]

She did it.

[Susan Wright]

10, 20.

[Kelly Siegler]

John Jordan appears to be reenacting 4, 5. Former prosecutor Kelly Siegler's reenactment.

[Susan Wright]

9, 10, 1, 91. 192. 193.

[Kelly Siegler]

As the hours go by, the jury sends out three notes asking about probation with community supervision. Cindy and her mother began preparing to bring Susan home.

[Susan Wright]

There's nobody like her. I wanted my sister back.

[Kelly Siegler]

State of Texas v. Susan Lucile Wright with the defendant.

[Susan Wright]

Please stand.

[Kelly Siegler]

After two days, we the jury, having made a negative finding, the new sentence surprises everyone. Assess her punishment at confinement in the institutional division of the Texas Department of.

[Susan Wright]

Criminal justice for 20 years.

[Kelly Siegler]

20 years in prison with credit for time served. It's only five years off her current sentence and a long way from probation, which Susan Wright had hoped for. The jury has spoken. And then one last surprise. In a voice barely above a whisper, she apologizes to Jeff, writes family.

[Susan Wright]

I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you don't have your son and your brother. And I'm sorry that the kids don't have their father. It's a little bit too little too late. They are not tears for remorse, nor are they tears for what you've done to your two beautiful children. You left them.

[Kelly Siegler]

Ron Wright Jr. Jeff's brother, speaks for his family.

[Susan Wright]

The Wright family has been given a life sentence. And I think you got off too easy. All right. Ms. Wright.

[Kelly Siegler]

Once again, the jury has spoken. Assessed 20 years.

[Susan Wright]

She had hope for a period of time, and that's been taken away. She's devastated.

[Kelly Siegler]

Susan's too devastated to talk to us anymore, but her lawyer has a plea for everyone involved in this case.

[Susan Wright]

Both families have been suffering for years. Let the healing begin.

[Kelly Siegler]

It is a tall order for two families who lost a son and a daughter and two children who lost both parents in one bloody night.

[Susan Wright]

In 2020, Susan Wright was released from prison after serving 16 years. Streaming on Paramount Plus. Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery. We don't know what we're looking for. Their bodies are the scene of the crime. Their symptoms and history are clues. You saved her life. We're doctors and we're detectives. I kind of love it, if I'm being honest. Solve the puzzle. Save the patient. Morris Chestnut is Watson. Now streaming on Paramount plus and new episodes return Sunday, February 16th on CBS.