Samuelu Wright Convicted on Three Counts

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Samuelu Wright had a blank look on his face when the verdict for his one and a half day trial was delivered yesterday,

The four men two women jury found him guilty on all three counts: robbery first degree, felony stealing and unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the 2014 armed robbery of the Gold Conda Store in Fagaalu.

At trial Wright’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Michael White attempted to deflect his client’s role in the armed robbery by discrediting the testimony of the government’s main witness, Alatuna Simi, one of the two men that was with Wright on the night of May 1st, 2014.

Simi has already entered a guilty plea or his involvement and so too has codefendant Falefatu Asi.

However the verdict delivered yesterday indicates that the jurors believed the prosecution’s version of what took place .

That Wright was the person captured on the surveillance camera for the Gold Conda wearing a mask and hat giving orders to the cashier to hand over money,

After the verdict was announced and the jury panel was excused, Chief Justice Michael Kruse announced that he would accept submission on the question of whether count two, felony stealing, was an included offense in the first count, robbery in the first degree.

The court will hear arguments on that question on Friday morning.

Prosecuting the case was Assistant Attorney General Tylor Ganzel, assisted by Russel Smith.

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