A man in Georgia has confessed to helping kill and bury his sister’s stepchildren. Mark Wright, of Effingham County, entered a guilty plea to serious charges such as second-degree murder, cruelty to children in the first and second degrees, and two counts of concealing the death of another.
Other people involved in the shocking crime are his sister, Candice Crocker, and her husband, Elwyn Crocker Sr. The couple was indicted for the murder of two children, Mary Crocker, 14, and Elwyn Crocker Jr., also 14, in 2018 and 2016, respectively. Candice and Mark’s mother, Kim Wright, and her boyfriend, Roy Prater, were also accomplices.
NEW: Elwyn Crocker Sr. and Mark Anthony Wright are both being held on charges related to the death of 14-year-old Mary Crocker and her brother Elwyn Crocker Jr., who would have been 16 this year. Bond was and the cases were bound over to a grand jury.
Crocker (L) Wright (R) pic.twitter.com/5X1VnMLjfm
— Darius Johnson (DJ) (@DariusJohnsonTV) March 6, 2019
As per Law & Crime, Elywn Jr disappeared in November 2016, and Mary was last seen in October 2018. However, neither of them was ever reported missing. The case came to light when someone concerned about Mary’s whereabouts tipped off the authorities. In December 2018, the cops searched a farm property in Effingham County and grilled Crocker Sr. His answers led them to his backyard, where the bodies of two children were found.
The forensics report concluded that Mary was starved to death. According to a forensic pathologist who took the stand in May, told that Mary’s “body mass index was 8.6, which is drastically underweight.”
“Her body length was under 2nd percentile. Her actual weight was below 1st percentile. I’ve never seen such a low number,” said Dr. Edmond Donaghue, former medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. However, Elwyn Jr.’s cause of death couldn’t be determined as his remains were just bones.
BREAKING: Here are 2 of three people in custody. Father Elwyn Crocker Sr and step mom Candice Crocker. Bodies are believed to be 14-year old Mary Crocker and Elwyn Crocker Jr (not seen since ‘16; would be 16 today) @WTOC11 #EffinghamCounty pic.twitter.com/iXa7EiKAci
— Wright Gazaway (@WrightKATU) December 20, 2018
According to the reports, after the teen girl was starved to death by the family, Crocker Sr. texted his mother-in-law, Kim Wright, and said that he was “almost done” with burying Mary in the backyard. Kim, in her response, looked enthusiastic. She replied, “Cool! How deep?”
The records also show that at one point, he became scared. “There was a car driving by, driving by very slowly. I think it was a cop,” Crocker Sr. told Kim.
Crocker Sr. also texted his children’s stepmother, Candice Crocker. It reads, “I think she’s been hit in the head too many times.”
Text messages between Crocker Sr. and Kim Wright also suggested that they were going to the movie theater right after burying Mary’s body in the backyard.
According to the court documents, Kim Wright and her boyfriend pleaded guilty to murder in 2020.
Mark Wright confessed to helping her sister’s husband kill and bury the bodies. He will be sentenced in October, and he is facing 10 to 80 years in prison. Meanwhile, the deceased children’s father and step-grandmother are facing the possibility of the death penalty.
