Rape and murder suspect released from prison on $50,000 bail

A man accused of raping and killing a woman in west Charlotte earlier this month has been released from jail on bail.

“The word disappointment does not begin to describe how I feel about the decision to set bail so low for a suspect charged with such serious violent crimes,” said Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

According to court documents, Raphael Wright was charged with first-degree murder and rape.

These charges stem from the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Michelle Lynn Schechter on June 16.

According to CMPD, the incident occurred at the Econo Lodge on Glenwood Drive, near Interstate 85.

At the scene, police found Schechter with a gunshot wound. She told them she had been raped before she was shot.

She was then taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died, according to police.

According to police reports, surveillance footage showed a man parking a black Ford Fusion outside the hotel. The man was then observed using his cellphone before walking to Schechter’s room.

About 10 minutes later, Schechter was observed running out of her room and grabbing her. The same man then left Schechter’s room and drove away in the black Ford Fusion, police reports state.

According to police, no one else was seen entering or leaving Schechter’s room between the man’s arrival and his departure from the scene.

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An investigation revealed that the Ford Fusion belonged to Wright. According to police, he also matched the description of the man seen in the surveillance footage.

Police said they were able to track Schechter’s cellphone and the data showed she received a text message from Wright saying, “I’m parking.”

According to police, this message matched the surveillance footage.

According to court documents, Wright was arrested by Judge Jennifer Fleet and ordered held on $50,000 bail. He has since posted bail.

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Jennings issued a statement on the suspect’s release:

“Today, a suspect charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape was released after posting bail set at $50,000 by a Mecklenburg County District Court judge. Disappointment doesn’t even come close to the best word for how I feel about the decision to set such low bail for a suspect charged with such serious violent crimes. I have always maintained that there is no bail amount sufficient to make a community feel free to worry about its safety. That is exactly the kind of bail amount for murder that I eliminated when I advocated for the Pre-Trial Integrity Act, which will take effect in 2023.

CMPD takes violent crimes against members of our community seriously and we utilize all available resources to hold these perpetrators accountable. We continue to urge our partners in the justice system to do the same.”

The District Attorney also issued a statement:

“For ethical reasons, the public prosecutor’s office is prohibited from commenting on a specific pending case. Our prosecutors regularly demand that defendants accused of murder and other violent crimes remain in custody until the trial.”

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