Bail for rape and murder suspect increased after family requests

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) – A man accused of raping and killing a woman in west Charlotte in June is back behind bars Tuesday night after a judge ordered his bail increased from $50,000 to $850,000.

This request came after a public outcry and a statement from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings saying he was “disappointed” with the low bail decision.

The family of slain Michelle Schechter asked Judge Reggie McKnight to increase or revoke the suspect’s bail during a July 16 hearing. Judge McKnight increased the bail for Raphael Omar Wright Jr. from $50,000 to $850,000.

Wright was taken into custody in the courtroom as the tears of his family could be heard behind him.

The shooting occurred on June 16 at around 10:30 p.m., when police found 27-year-old Michelle Lynn Schechter shot to death inside the Econo Lodge on Glenwood Drive. She was taken to the hospital, where she died shortly thereafter.

Wright Jr., 22, was arrested June 20 in Rock Hill with the assistance of SLED. He was charged with first-degree murder and rape.

Differing reports on the June 16 shooting

In a controversial and emotional hearing, Mecklenburg County Assistant District Attorney Nikki Robinson and Wright’s defense attorney Christine Clarke-Peckham presented differing accounts of the events.

Relying on surveillance footage and Schechter’s statements when she died, Robinson said Wright came to Schechter’s hotel room after signing up through an escort website. Schechter told police she was raped when they found her in the room and shot in the back. She later died in the hospital.

Schechter’s longtime boyfriend arrived at the hotel after the incident, prosecutors said, adding that he was not at the hotel at the time of the shooting and had been hanging out with friends that evening.

Surveillance footage showed only Wright and Schechter entering or leaving the room, Robinson said, although Wright later told investigators he was attacked by an unknown man in the room and fired in self-defense.

“I don’t know how anyone can believe that this defendant is not a danger to the community,” Robinson said.

Wright’s defence lawyer Christine Clarke-Peckham called the original bail conditions fair and described Wright as a churchgoer and, at 22, “barely a man” with no previous convictions.

Clarke-Peckham accused Schechter and her boyfriend of lying, saying Wright was being robbed and fired in self-defense. She did not refer to Wright’s earlier statement to police that a man was present, but said Wright suffered a black eye and other injuries in the days following the shooting.

“Raphael Wright is a victim,” Clarke-Peckham said. “What Raphael said makes sense and fits the evidence, whereas the statements this woman and her partner gave to police before her death do not add up.”

Clarke-Peckham also said that overturning the judge’s original decision would set a dangerous precedent and that the state had not presented enough new evidence to justify overturning the initial bail decision.

Shortly before the decision was made, the MP warned the family members in the courtroom not to get too angry.

Victim’s family testified in court

Schechter’s father, as well as her boyfriend’s mother (and her child’s grandmother) appeared in court on Tuesday to request a bail increase.

“This is not fair. His bail should be higher. In fact, it should be revoked. He should be locked up. Because this is a life lost,” said the grandmother of the victim’s child, moved.

“I just can’t do it. If he’s free, I’m a prisoner. I’m not safe. My children aren’t safe. Who else do we need?”

Assistant District Attorney Nikki Robinson said Michelle Schechter’s father was too emotional to speak.

“His world is turned upside down,” Robinson said. “He stays awake every night thinking about it, he can’t sleep anymore.”

Defense attorney: Changing bail would set “dangerous precedent”

Judge Jennifer Fleet set Wright’s bail at $50,000 last week, leading to his release. CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings called the decision disappointing.

“Disappointment doesn’t come close to what I feel about the decision to set such a low bail for a suspect charged with such serious violent crimes,” he said. “This type of bail amount for murder is exactly what I advocated for when I advocated for the Pre-Trial Integrity Act, which will take effect in 2023.”

At the time, prosecutors had asked the judge to revoke bail entirely – as is common practice in many murder cases.

At Tuesday’s hearing reconsidering that decision, Clarke-Peckham said Judge Fleet had followed the law in setting the release conditions she had imposed. If another judge were to change that decision, she argued, it would set a dangerous precedent.

“The conditions imposed by Judge Fleet were entirely reasonable, fair and sufficient to meet the bail and pretrial detention requirements.”

Ultimately, Judge McKnight agreed with the prosecution that $50,000 bail was insufficient and increased the bail for both counts to a total of $850,000.

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