Woman Raped and Murdered - Her Killer Free on Insane Low Bond.

Michelle Schechter, 27, was murdered on June 16, 2024, on Glenwood Drive in Charlotte, NC 

On June 16 just around 10:20 PM CMPD Officers were dispatched to Econo Lodge at 4115 Glenwood Drive, Suite 248 in reference to an assault with a deadly weapon with injury call.

Upon arrival, Officers located the victim, Michelle Lynn Eakin Schechter who was being treated by Charlotte Fire Department (CFD) for gunshot wound. The victim stated to CFD that she was raped before being transported by Medic to Atrium Pineville where she died less than an hour later.

CMPD Detectives reviewed surveillance footage and observed the suspect Raphael Omar Wright, Jr. park a black Ford Fusion at the hotel. Wright was then seen using his phone before going to the victim's room, about 10 minutes later the victim was seen running from her room while holding her back. 

Moments later the suspect exited the victim's room and left in his vehicle. No one else was seen entering or exiting the victim's room between the time when the suspect arrived and when he left the scene.

The license plate of the Ford Fusion, SC tag UKI-199 is registered to the suspect, Raphael Omar Wright Jr. (B/M, DOB 08/01/2001). Wright matches the description of the suspect seen in the surveillance footage. Detectives processed the victim's room and located the victim's cell phone. Data from the victim's cell phone showed the victim had received a text message from the suspect which stated, "I'm parking," at the same time as when the suspect had parked.

Wright was later located in Rock Hill at 2311 Nuthatch Drive and arrested by York County, Rockhill and CMPD officers.

Originally a Mecklenburg County Magistrate issued that bond order at $50,000 but due to the nature of the crime it was automatically reviewed by Judge Jennifer Fleet.

Judge Jennifer Fleet gave him a $50K secured bond.

Within hours, he posted it and was released from the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff.

Outrage over the insanely low bond was swift, following social media posts by WSOC's Joe Bruno and Hunter Sáenz.

CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings was not pleased issuing the following statement:

Today, a suspect who was charged with First Degree Murder and First Degree Rape was released after posting bond that was set at $50,000 by a Mecklenburg County District Court judge. Disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how I feel in the decision to set a bond that low for a suspect charged with such serious violent felonies. I have always maintained that there is no bond amount that is sufficient for a community’s peace of mind regarding their safety. This type of bond amount for Murder is exactly what I worked to eliminate when I advocated for the Pre-Trial Integrity Act that was signed into law in 2023. The CMPD takes violent offenses against our community members seriously and we utilize all available resources to hold those offenders accountable. We continue to ask our judicial partners to do the same.

A few hours later Meck DA Spencer Merriweather released his own statement:

The District Attorney’s office is ethically prohibited from commenting on any specific pending case. Our prosecutors regularly ask for defendants charged in homicide and other violent offenses to be detained in custody pending trial.

Shortly after US Senator Thom Tillis:

$50K bail posted by a suspect charged with first degree murder and rape. This judge is an absolute disgrace to the criminal justice system. What a slap in the face to the victim’s family and a betrayal of @CMPD and the brave officers putting their lives at risk to keep Charlotte safe. #ncpol

Former Meck County Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour also spoke up filling in gaps and adding a few more details.

I'd like to introduce to you Judge Jennifer Fleet, pictured being sworn in, a Mecklenburg County District Court Judge. On Friday, she gave an 'alleged' murderer and rapist a $50k bond. Yes, you read that correctly. This guy is probably halfway to Mexico by now.

She's a hyper-progressive judge who has a history of setting low (or none at all!) bail amounts.

Remember that 19 year old woman who broke into 197 cars in a 30 day period last winter? $165k unsecured bond, which means the woman didn't actually have to post any money. Or how about the 19 year old that shot and killed a 14 year old? The state recommended not to release him on bond--but Judge Fleet let him out on $250k bond. In 2018, Mecklenburg was divided into several districts for District Court, and we had several excellent GOP District Court judges. Three Democrat judges filed suit in 2019 (Judges Cureton, Best, Brooks), and now District Court judges are elected countywide. Unsurprisingly, now 21 of 21 Mecklenburg District Court Judges are Democrats. And this is what we get. Remember, we don't have to live like this. But progressives ensure that we do.

Cedar's Take:

Understand that the $50,000.00 bond required Wright to only "promise" to pay $4,500.00 in cash to which he produced only $2,400.00 before being released.

The only requirements of his release is no contact with witnesses and "banned" from the location of the crime.

Electronic monitoring was not required.

This girl's life was was worth all of $2,400.00 to this judge.

Wright's next court date is July 17, 2024 at 1:30 in courtroom.

Cedar Update:

I'm not going to judge this angel. Y'all need to understand there are people who are heartbroken. Regardless of why she was at this cheap hotel.

Miss Schechter was just 1 of 57 homicides in the first six months of this year. 7 of those are women and 17 are young people under the age of 18.

World Class Ship Hole

Charlotte City Council is likely going to give David Tepper a $650 million dollar payday. 

But the clowns who make these decisions are no less arrogant than the Classless King Rube himself. 

Sure bright shiny new things are fun.Light rail,uptown parking benches, gay pride murals.

OK Fine whatever makes you happy.

But $650 million is comical at best.

Head out South Blvd, it doesn't take long go just four miles to Woodlawn. Along the way you'll pass a couple homeless camps and a dozen or so panhandlers. Trash lined streets and sidewalks in what was once a fairly OK part of Charlotte. But no more.

As long as it is not raining you can manage to navigate the area of South Blvd and Woodlawn but the lack of pavement markings around Woodlawn are confusing, more so if you are inbound approaching Woodlawn because the lack of lane markings makes it hard to tell which lane is left and which is a through lane.

Add a summer thunderstorm and the streets become a no-man's land of drive where you what if you dare. 

Outbound past Woodlawn is worse there are no lane markings whatsoever.

Between BofA stadium and Woodlawn there are 3 traffic lights with non functional bulbs.Street lights are pretty good after dusk with no more than every sixth or eighth light dark. 

Trash cans at bus stops haven't been emptied in weeks.

My father used to preach "start with your socks" in other words if you don't take care of the small things until later you'll look pretty funny with your socks over your shoes and under ware on top of your pants.

Maybe Charlotte City Council should start with their socks, fix the streets, take care of the homeless and repair some potholes, before giving a billionaire another 1/2 a billion?

 

CMPD More on the Outer Carrier Vests

 Local Charlotte media is portraying the discussion regarding CMPD's lack of outer carrier vests as a "battle" and "fight.

It should not be a fight or a battle. CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings is a solid opponent of the vests. 

His biggest argument is regarding the image it gives Officers.

The argument about image however is totally without merit. 

Here's a local example:

In tourist dependent Pinehurst, North Carolina where image is everything all Police Officers wear outer carrier vests.

Speaking with Officers yesterday at the US Open they agreed, the vests are far superior. They speak of  weight distribution, comfort, the lack of back injury from heavy duty belts and most importantly safety.

As one Office said "It is far better if you are thin and don't own at lot of real estate around your middle".

The same is true with next door Southern Pines, North Carolina where the small department has also adopted outer vests. As one Southern Pines Officer told me he was surprised that Charlotte "of all places has not moved past the antiquated duty belts of the 1900's" pointing out the tired design has been basically unchanged for the last 100 years. 

You can read and if you like sign the petition here.

Serious Question for CMPD

Morning

I'm going to bump this up a little.

"If you don’t sign this petition then I never want to hear any of you complain ever again about anything at CMPD. If a majority of your colleagues want to bring about much-needed change at the department and you decide not to help in their fight, then don’t speak another word about your grievances. We don’t care to hear them because we know you won’t stand with your brothers and sisters on a simple issues like true employee wellness."

https://www.change.org/p/approve-outer-carrier-vests-for-charlotte-mecklenburg-police-officers

So, what are your thoughts? 

Personally I don't buy into the "scary" tactical look or unprofessional aspect of the argument against switching to outer carrier vests. I see no merit to the "public will be intimidated" complaint either.

I get it Police Offices won't look the same or will they? Kinda hard to say given the photo above. But even if they do look different to some people sadly Police work is not the same as it was even ten years ago. Today's duty belt is crazy heavy and who knows what kind of additional weapons command will want you to carry around next. 

I'm not active duty so I have no skin in the outcome of this issue.

So you tell me.

Will a bunch of signatures on a this petition help?

Happy to promote if that's what y'all need.

And one more thing.....

"Let's be careful out there".

CP

By the way here are just a few of the Law Enforcement agencies using the vest currently:

Los Angeles Police Department,  Chicago Police Department,  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Torrington, WY Police Department,  Nevada Highway Patrol DPS,   Arizona Highway Patrol DPS, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Forest Service,  Kentucky State Police Troopers,   Mesa, AZ Police Department,   Champaign, IL Police Department, Manhattan Beach Police Department,   The Oceanside Police Department,  Las Vegas Police Department,   San Diego County Sheriff's Department,   The Hawthorne Police Department,   The Santa Monica Police Department,   The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department   Orange County Sheriff's Department, The Kern County Sheriff's Department, Kingsville, TX Police Department   California Department of Motor Vehicles  The Pasadena Police Department   The Redondo Beach Police Department   The Chico Police Department   The Stockton Police Department 

File this under Mom's Gonna Be Pissed - Avery Sehorn Arrested

According to local media, the daughter of actress Angie Harmon and ex-NFL star Jason Sehorn has been arrested after being accused of breaking into a Charlotte night club.

Harmon's daughter, 18-year-old Avery Sehorn, was arrested after police say she and two others broke into World Night Club on Music Factory Boulevard.

One of the club owners said that Sehorn and two 17-year-old boys broke in through a back door, then hid behind his bar and drank his liquor.

According to the warrant, the trio is accused of stealing six bottles of liquor worth $500 last Thursday. The owner says one of his cleaning crews caught them. He says the teens ran off but were caught by police shortly after.

Social media posts show Avery graduated from Charlotte Christian School on June 2nd. She is set to attend the University of Alabama this fall.

                                                                            Angie Harmon with daughters Avery, Finley and Emery. 

A post on People Mag's website states:

"On Sunday, June 2, the actress, 51, shared a post in honor of her daughter Avery Grace, 18, who graduated from high school."

The post goes on to add: “We are all immensely proud of you Avery!,” Harmon wrote in her Instagram caption as she posed alongside her three daughters Avery, Finley Faith, 20, and Emery Hope, 15, who she shares with her ex-husband Jason Sehorn.

The club owner says surveillance video of what happened does exist, but he doesn’t plan to release it.

 

I'm Not Crunk! Marion MacPhail

Marion Ayliffe MacPhail had big Friday night in Charlotte. Too bad it ended with her being "Cuffed and Stuffed" just after midnight and then transported to the Mecklenburg County Intake Center.

She finally checked in around 0700 but after a short nap was on her way home to Greensboro around 1100 on Saturday Morning.

Charges include Driving While Impaired, Assault on a Government Official and Resisting. 

More details as provided by our vast and wide ranging "field agents".

Another Uptown Shooting? And Then Another? Plus One More?

Reports by local media say that was a shooting in Uptown Charlotte early Saturday morning that left four people injured.

The incident occurred just before 2 a.m. outside of a business on N. Tryon Street, near W. 10th Street.

Police said one victim had life-threatening injuries, while the other three victims only sustained non-life threatening injuries.

All four victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment, according to police.

Police said initial reports indicate that an argument occurred before a man went to his car, retrieved a gun, returned to the area, and started shooting.

That man then left the scene before officers arrived, according to police.

The second shooting happened around 5 a.m. on East Trade Street near South College Street. Medic said one person was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries from that incident.

Meanwhile hours earlier outside of uptown, another person was shot in northeast Charlotte on Ryan Jacobsen Drive, in the Pavilion Village apartment complex off North Tryon Street. That person also sustained life-threatening injuries, according to Medic.

It is unclear what led up to the East Trade Street or Ryan Jacobsen Drive shootings, or if anyone has been arrested in connection to the incidents.

Kylie Nicole Mast Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

 

It seems that the BF of the rather diminutive Kylie Mast was worried he'd end up like John Bobbit at the hands and knife of former wife Lorena Bobbitt.

Perhaps being nick named "Stubby" wasn't something the perhapes now ex Lucas was interested in and so he filed a complaint against Ms. Mast for misdemeanor domestic violence and the Cornelius Police Department was happy to transport her to Garry McFadden's Mecklenburg County Hilton.

She has since been released but no word on court date or if the charges will be dismissed.

Update:

By Popular Request (Your Mileage May Vary) (Props to North Division Guys)

Cedar Update: Advice to Ms. Mast, you can do far better than a guy who calls the cops on you after all a girl who likes golf deserves a second, third, fourth and more chance. You need a good lawyer to get this case dismissed and your record cleared via court order. Need a name hit me up.