Man Who Fatally Beat Father In Front Of His Son Sentenced To Prison

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A man who fatally assaulted an Anne Arundel County father who was defending his son following a fight between the children at school will serve three years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter, a judge ruled Friday.

Trevor Garrett Taylor, 27, of Glen Burnie, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but 18 months suspended in the May 2023 death of Christopher Wright. Taylor also agreed to waive the more than 15 months of jail time served since his arrest in July 2023.

Taylor will also serve five years of supervised probation once he is released, Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.

"This case sets the example of how actions can have serious consequences," Leitess said. "What began as a petty disagreement between middle school boys turned into a life-changing event when adults inserted themselves into the dispute instead of leading by example."

Leitess continued, "Instead of showing the right way to handle a disagreement, they got physical. Sadly, in this case, a loving father lost his life."

According to prosecutors, on May 19, 2023, Anne Arundel County police responded to West Arundel Road in Brooklyn Park after receiving a call about an injured person. When officers arrived, they found Wright suffering from a head injury.

Wright was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he died from his injuries the following day.

Investigators determined Wright's 14-year-old son had been involved in a physical fight with Taylor's 14-year-old nephew at school earlier in the day. When the boy returned home, Wright — who was gardening in the yard — followed his son into the house and told him that his friends were out front to see him. Prosecutors said the boy told his father the group was there to resume the fight from school.

The boy, his brother and Wright exited the home to confront the group, which included Taylor. A fight took place between Wright and Taylor, ending when Taylor slammed Wright's head to the ground, prosecutors said.

Police canvassed the neighborhood and later found camera footage that captured the incident. In the video, Taylor was seen approaching Wright's home with his nephew, two boys and another man. Video showed Taylor approach Wright before he eventually punched him in the face.

At one point, video showed the men between two vehicles, where Taylor grabbed Wright's legs, causing him to strike his head on the asphalt. Taylor continued to punch Wright in the head as he lay on the ground before he eventually stopped and stepped away.

A medical examiner later determined Wright died from a head injury suffered during the brawl.

Taylor pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and affray in January.