Raymond Wright Jr. Faces Life Sentence

Raymond Wright Jr., aged 18, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, Samantha Humphrey, when both were 14 years old. The murder occurred in November 2022 during a tense discussion about Humphrey’s possible pregnancy. Wright Jr. was found guilty of second-degree murder in a New York court. He is scheduled for sentencing in January 2027 and could receive a life sentence.

Humphrey was reported missing on November 25, 2022. Her body was discovered three months later in the Mohawk River, New York. She was last seen by her family at Riverside Park in Schenectady. At trial, the prosecution argued that Wright Jr. strangled Humphrey after their conversation turned violent. The medical examiner confirmed strangulation as the cause of death. Wright Jr. claimed he punched Humphrey and pushed her into the river but denied further knowledge of her fate.

Prosecutors provided DNA evidence, GPS data, and phone records. They highlighted Wright Jr.’s internet search on “how long does it take the body to come apart in the water” made the day after Humphrey’s disappearance.

“We’ve gone through everything you can imagine—hope, pain, doubt. We doubted the goodness of this city for a while,” stated Jeff Humphrey, Samantha’s father, after the conviction. He continued, “What I want people to remember about Sam is, despite the fact that it probably killed her, she was not afraid. She did not live in fear.”

Wright Jr. was not arrested until May 2025. His sentencing is set for January 20, 2027.