Pasadena Murder Suspect Steven Wright Taken Into Custody in Nevada

After a multi-agency, collaborative effort and numerous tips from the public, alleged murder suspect Steven Lawrence Wright was taken into custody at a hotel in Boulder City, Nevada Monday morning.

Wright was mistakenly released from jail by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. on January 30 due to a mixup in paperwork.

Today at 11:45 a.m., during their investigation, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – Major Crimes Bureau Metro detectives, learned the suspect might be hiding in a Boulder City hotel in Nevada.

Detectives requested help from the Federal Bureau of Investigations – Criminal Apprehension Team, Henderson Police Department, Boulder City Police Department, and Las Vegas Metro Police Department who each assisted in the apprehension.

The FBI responded to the identified hotel, where Wright was taken into custody without incident.

No additional charges will be filed against suspect Wright, authorities said.

Wright will be held in a Nevada custody facility, pending an extradition hearing.

At the time of his erroneous release, Wright was being held for suspicion of the murder in the fatal shooting of a 47-year-old Donnell Taylor on January 19th, 2011.

Shortly after gunshots were heard near the scene of that crime, witnesses told police that a black man in dark clothes was seen dashing away from the scene.

In April 2011, police in Pasadena conducted a gang sweep in the early morning hours in which they arrested several suspects in the shooting, including Wright. According to reports, both Wright belonged to the Altadena Block Crips.

Wright’s gang connections could get him more time in prison if he is convicted of the homicide.

The paperwork mixup resulting in Wright’s release reportedly happened when a clerk apparently listed the docket number of an earlier contempt of court charge that Wright had been charged with when he refused to testify in a separate murder trial for a 1997 killing.

The contempt charge was only for five days, and as the paperwork moved along rapidly from officer to officer, Wright got incorrectly released on January 30 under the assumption that he’d satisfied that very short sentence.