In a chilling case that has shaken the Minnesota community, a 50-year-old man, David Eugene Wright, is now facing heightened legal repercussions after allegedly stalking and murdering his former girlfriend, Mariah Rosanna Samuels. The tragic incident unfolded mere minutes after Samuels publicly shared her concerns about Wright’s troubling behavior in a Facebook post, authorities report.

New information has surfaced, leading to additional charges against Wright, including first-degree murder and murder while committing domestic abuse, reflecting a prior history of such abuse. This development comes in the wake of investigators discovering incriminating text messages sent by Wright to Samuels before her untimely death. Each of these charges carries the weight of a mandatory life sentence, as confirmed by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in a recent news release.

Expressing profound sorrow and determination to prevent similar tragedies, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared her thoughts with the public. “Mariah should be alive. She should be with her family, and my thoughts have been with them since they lost Mariah in September,” Moriarty stated. She emphasized the necessity for systemic accountability, urging every part of the justice system to critically evaluate their roles in the events leading to Samuels’ death. “Mr. Wright will be held accountable, and he will do no more harm to our community,” she affirmed.

The chilling details of the crime describe Wright allegedly lying in wait outside Samuels’ residence on September 14, proceeding to fatally shoot her as she attempted to enter her vehicle. The community and authorities alike are grappling with the implications of this case, as it highlights the dire need for effective intervention in situations of domestic abuse and stalking.

Wright is accused of hiding outside Samuels’ home on Sept. 14 and executing her as she got into her vehicle.

According to an amended complaint filed Monday, a review of messages sent between Wright and Samuels from August showed Wright was “controlling” of Samuels and “jealous due to his belief she was involved with a former partner.”

For example, in an Aug. 20 text exchange, the two discussed an incident from the prior evening. Wright allegedly wrote to Samuels: “I hate that this situation took place.”

“The situation escalated after you tried slamming the door on me,” she responded, adding that she “needed space” because she “just can’t do it anymore.”

On Aug. 21, Wright allegedly wrote to Samuels, “If you don’t bring your a— home right now I’m bout to blow this b— down,” as well as “Man, someone going to die tonight.” Later that evening, Wright allegedly pistol-whipped Samuels and was subsequently charged with assault.

As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department on Sept. 14 responded to a call about a shooting at a residence in the 1400 block of Russell Avenue North at 7:53 a.m., with the caller reporting that “roughly 12 gunshots had been fired.” Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located an adult female — later identified as Samuels — suffering from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds to her chest and torso. She was lying on the ground near the opened driver’s-side door of a Jeep Compass.

Paramedics arrived shortly after police and pronounced her dead at the scene.

Investigators soon found that Samuels recently filed a petition for protection from Wright, stating she had ended the relationship with him after the Aug. 21 pistol-whipping incident. Police detailed that alleged attack on Samuels in the original complaint:

“Later that evening, [Wright] began threatening her and arrived at a residence where she was dropping off her child. When the Victim exited the residence, [Wright] approached her with a firearm in hand, yelled at her, and struck her in the face and upper body with the weapon. He pushed her against a fence and attempted to grab her throat with his free hand. [Wright] threatened to shoot the Victim and to break her vehicle windows with the firearm. In her petition, the Victim expressed extreme fear and stated she took [Wright’s] threats seriously.”

Investigators said surveillance footage from the scene showed the suspected shooter matched Wright’s description.

A witness told police he was in an upstairs bedroom that morning when he heard “an initial five gunshots, followed by a pause, someone screaming, and then another round of gunfire.”

“He looked out his window and observed the Victim lying on the street with one leg partially inside her vehicle,” the affidavit says. “He saw an individual standing next to the vehicle who appeared to be removing items from the Jeep. The individual then moved from the driver’s side to the passenger side and retrieved a bicycle. The witness observed the suspect riding away on the bicycle while holding a firearm. He stated that the male appeared to examine the firearm before placing it into his right pocket.”

A second witness said he also heard the initial five gunshots and looked out the window to see “a male with shoulder-length dreadlocks, wearing a long-sleeve shirt, open the Jeep’s driver-side door and shoot the Victim at point-blank range multiple times.”

Wright was further implicated by the victim’s own words.

In a post to Facebook at about 7:45 a.m. that morning, Samuels accused Wright of “stalking” her.

“I was trynna stay silent but stalking me at 4 in the f—ing morning and the police ain’t doing s— or did a [motherf—ing] thing beside serve him a protective order and clearly it’s not doing s— G! F— this!”

Eight minutes later, police were responding to the fatal shooting at Samuels’ home.

When brought in for questioning and shown a photo of the victim, Wright allegedly said, “I’m not going to fight this situation.” A short while later, police say he stated, “This is not going to be a hard-fought case.”

Wright has remained in detention at the Hennepin County Jail without bond since his initial arrest.

A GoFundMe for Samuels can be found here.