The Disposition of Utopia Wright

In December of 1993 in an apartment on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, a crime was committed. A Harlem man was pronounced dead by police after being shot in the face during what police described as a lover's quarrel. The apartment was that of Gloria Wright. After being treated at King s County Hospital for razor wounds to his face, Gloria s estranged husband Utopia Wright was arrested for the murder. Utopia pleaded self-defense. He explained to the police that he went from his home on President Street to his wife's apartment to pick up the last of his belongings. At the time, Gloria and Utopia had been separated for several months and this trip would have closed the final chapter in their lives. Upon Utopia s entrance, Gloria called out to the Harlem man. Utopia found himself victim to a razor-wielding attacker. Trying to defend himself, he picked up and fired a double charge of buckshot from a nearby double-barreled shotgun, blowing off the attacker s entire face, killing him instantly. Bleeding from his own face and throat, he stayed in the apartment until the police arrived. Utopia Wright was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for 25 years. Ten years into his sentence, Utopia Wright was beat to death in his cell by Correctional Officers using a laundry bag filled with rocks. None of the officers involved were charged with or convicted of murder. After his death, officers found thousands of un-mailed letters to Gloria in a box under his bunk. When officers discovered his body, he was clutching a journal of writings, which along with the letters to his wife, were conveyed to The Manchester Pearl Group. The Manchester Pearl Group is honored to share with you the words, reason and theory behind The Disposition of Utopia Wright.