SARASOTA, Fla. — It’s over for the family of Colton Wright.
Brennan Wakey, 30, was sentenced to 25 years in the Florida State Prison for manslaughter and five years for tampering with evidence, the sentences to run concurrent, on Tuesday afternoon in a Sarasota County courtroom.
Wakey was convicted on Jan. 30 in a jury trial for the death of Wright, who was killed on Dec. 9, 2021 in Sarasota at the age of 24.
The Florida State’s Attorney had sought a second-degree murder charge but Wakey was found guilty of manslaughter, a lesser charge.
Before Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, his defense team filed a sentencing statement that they were seeking 5 years — a downward departure from the guidelines of 10.5 years in the Department of Corrections.
According to the defense statement, “Mr. Wake’s defense was self-defense and he maintains that the shooting of Mr. Wright was justifiable as he acted in self-defense, and believed he had no other choice.”
Judge Thomas Krug, who also presided over the trial, did not find a departure as appropriate.
“I denied your motion for this case to be dismissed,” said Krug on a video provided by Channel 7 WWSB of Sarasota, Fla. “We eventually got to trial. You case was presented to a jury and the jury also did not believe in the self-defense. They believed that you did, in fact, commit an intentional act that resulted in the death of Colton Wright.”
Wakey does have 30 days to appeal his sentence.