A South Carolina man convicted of kidnapping and killing a 27-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison, according to First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe.
Authorities said Dominque Harper’s girlfriend was home alone with their 2-year-old son the night of February 4, 2021, when three masked men entered the Summerville home through a bedroom window.
“Once inside, the intruders held her at gunpoint and used her phone to lure the victim back to the residence,” explained Pascoe. “They then tied her around her hands and feet.”
Harper arrived about an hour later. The child was placed in front of the residence to lure Harper inside.
“When the child called out for his father, the intruders began assaulting him and then kidnapped him using Harper’s car to flee from the scene,” the solicitor said. “A neighbor’s security camera captured surveillance video of the three men entering the home from the backyard.”
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office located Harper’s body on Cypress Campground Road the next day. He was found with his hands tied behind his back.
An autopsy revealed that Harper had been struck several times in the head. Injuries were consistent with shoe prints. Officials said Harper’s cause of death was determined to be from two gunshots to his head.
Harper’s vehicle was found burned and abandoned nearby.
“Fernando Wright became a suspect when investigators learned he sold Harper’s stolen Play Station 5 (PS5) four days after the murder using the moniker of “Rico Mayor.” Harper’s mother, Victoria Harper, testified at trial that Wright and Harper were childhood friends who grew apart as they grew older,” explained Pascoe. “Victoria said Wright contacted her on February 14, 2021 saying he could acquire Harper’s stolen PS5 from a codefendant if Victoria paid him $500. Evidence showed Wright had already sold the PS5 when he told this to Victoria.”
Investigators found that Wright and a co-defendant communicated in the days leading up to the killing and planned to rob two different individuals. One of them was “D-Hop,” which they learned was Harper’s nickname.
“During this exchange, a co-defendant texted Wright indicating the best time to rob Harper would be when he was with his son,” said Pascoe.
Wright’s mother and two sisters were arrested after officials said they brought a change of clothes to the courthouse for him to wear during the trial. Deputies with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office found that a handcuff key was sewn into the zipper of a pair of pants.
Nyasha Ationia Symone Bradley, Rashae Tymane Brazill, and Cindy Wright Brazill were charged with conspiracy to commit escape.
“Wright’s criminal history consisted of a 2011 Failure to Stop for Blue Light and Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, 2012 Grand Larceny, 2015 Strong Armed Robbery, Assault and Battery and Carjacking, and a 2019 Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance,” the solicitor’s office said.
A jury found Wright guilty of murder, first-degree burglary, and two counts of kidnapping after deliberating for only 25 minutes.
Judge Maite Murphy sentenced Wright to life in prison without parole for Harper’s murder. Wright was also sentenced to a concurrent life sentence for Burglary 1st Degree. Additionally, he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for two counts of Kidnapping. Those sentences are to run consecutive to his two life sentences.
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