- calendar_today August 6, 2025
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Nine teenagers have been arrested in the shooting death of a 16-year-old in South Carolina. The fatal June 24 shooting of Trey Dean Wright of Johnsonville, South Carolina, authorities say, was the result of a dispute “over a girl.”
Florence County deputies said on June 24 that Wright had been shot and killed on First Neck Road. The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The road where his body was found is located about 45 miles west of Myrtle Beach in rural Florence County. The next day, 19-year-old Devan Scott Raper of Conway was arrested. The suspect is alleged to have shot and killed Wright after an argument escalated between the two.
But Raper, who allegedly brought a gun to the encounter with Wright and had threatened him before, may not have acted alone. As the case moved through the courts over the past few weeks, Florence County Sheriff’s Office officials announced a series of arrests. The investigation determined that several other teenagers had helped to lure Wright to the location where Raper was waiting and allegedly had a gun.
The case has continued to weigh heavily on Wright’s family as the legal process continues. His mother, Ashley Lindsey, said in an interview that repeated trips to court for various hearings have left her reeling. “All this court hearing and bond court and stuff is driving me crazy,” she told Fox News Digital. “I don’t even have time to sit down and think half the time, on top of losing my precious baby.”
Teen Arrested After Arguing and Shooting Trey Dean Wright
One of the teenagers arrested over Wright’s death is his girlfriend, 17-year-old Gianna Kistenmacher of Myrtle Beach. She is among six other people arrested in connection with Wright’s death and is charged with being an accessory before the fact. Prosecutors say she helped bring Raper to the place where the shooting happened and was aware that Raper was armed and that there was a high risk of violence.
In an interview with The Greenville News, Major Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said that several other teenagers had assisted Raper. “They were complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation,” he told the local news outlet. “They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him, according to the arrest warrants.”
South Carolina state law allows prosecutors to try teens as adults for violent crimes such as murder. State officials confirmed that five of the teenagers were being charged as adults, in keeping with state law. “The hand of one being the hand of all is part of South Carolina law as well, so that’s the basis of the charge for each of those individuals,” Nunn added.
A total of seven Myrtle Beach-area teenagers have been charged in connection with Wright’s death. The others are three people – 18-year-olds Hunter Kendall and Corrine Belviso, and 17-year-old Sydney Kearns – who were all subsequently charged with murder in addition to Raper.
The three have all been charged as adults. All but Kendall and Belviso have posted bonds and have been released. Kendall and Belviso each face a $750,000 surety bond and remain in custody. Kendall and Belviso each posted $20,000 surety bonds last week and have been released. Kearns was released on a $10,000 cash bond.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office has since declined to provide more information, as the case is still active. Nor did prosecutors for the state of South Carolina comment when reached by phone or email.
