Minnesota mother of two killed by ex-boyfriend minutes after Facebook post alleging stalking
Ex-boyfriend David Wright, 50, charged with second-degree manslaughter and felon in possession of a firearm; authorities connected the killing to an active protection order
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota mother of two was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend minutes after posting on Facebook that he was stalking her, authorities said. Mariah Rosanna Samuels, 34, was killed Monday while sitting in the driver’s seat of her Jeep, according to police and local media reports. The suspect, David Eugene Wright, 50, had an active order of protection against him at the time.
Witnesses said the gunman rode off on a bicycle after the shooting. Wright was identified by a neighbor’s security camera and arrested Monday, authorities said. In a jail interview, Wright told investigators, "I’m not going to fight this situation… This is not going to be a hard-fought case."
The violence is linked to Samuels’ efforts to obtain protection. The Star Tribune reported that she filed for an order of protection for herself and one of her sons on Aug. 26, after an Aug. 21 confrontation in which Wright followed her to a home near where she was dropping off her son, demanded she meet him on the street, and threatened her with a gun and by choking her against a fence, saying he would kill her.
Samuels’ family has said the case followed a troubling pattern of stalking. Wright followed Samuels on Aug. 21 to a residence several blocks from where she was dropping off her son, according to the Star Tribune, and forced her to confront him on the street. The report said he brandished a gun and made threats before they separated.
Samuels filed for the protection order on Aug. 26, authorities said. Prosecutors said they will review the case for charging once it is submitted.
Wright is charged with second-degree manslaughter and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said.
"The death of Mariah Samuels is devastating, and our thoughts are with her family," a spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said. "We will thoroughly review the evidence for charging when this case is submitted to us, and we are committed to seeking accountability for this horrible crime."
