MURDER
CASE #: 1973-3
Thomas Roland Wright
Status:
Open
Date of Offense:
Date of Offense:
Jurisdiction:
Offense Location:
Killeen, Texas
Summary:
In the late evening of September 5, 1973, 23-year-old U.S. Army soldier SPC-5 Thomas R. Wright was found shot to death in the bedroom of his home at 2800 Terrace Drive in Killeen, Texas. He had sustained two gunshot wounds—one to the back and one to the head—from a pistol. His wife claimed she discovered his body upon returning from the store around 11:00 PM. Investigators recovered two shell casings at the scene and noted that the pistol Wright normally kept was missing.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Offense:
A close friend of the victim with known involvement in marijuana use and suspected theft activity, who had visited the house earlier that evening. He also passed a polygraph but remained the primary suspect due to evasive behavior and motive.
Additional Details:
Despite an extensive investigation, the case was marked inactive in 1975 and remains unsolved. Thomas R. Wright was a Vietnam War veteran and a recipient of the military order of the Purple Heart.
Case Last Updated:
Timeline of Events
Thomas Wright is pronounced dead at Darnall Army Hospital by Dr. George Pope.
Patrol Officer Dispatched
Mrs. Wright returns home and finds her husband shot in the bedroom. She runs to neighbor Ruth O’Neal’s house.
Mrs. Wright claims she leaves the house to go to U-Tote-M and the 19th Hole to buy electrical tape and beer.
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