Opening statements begin in 2021 hit-and-run murder trial

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Opening statements began Wednesday in the murder trial against a Savannah driver who hit and killed someone during a high-speed chase.

Kenneth Wright is charged with felony murder and homicide by vehicle for the death of 56-year-old Stephen Milton.

Milton was killed in June 2021 while crossing Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when Georgia State Patrol chased Wright through the intersection at 38th Street.

In opening statements, the prosecution claimed Wright was going over 100 miles per hour through red lights and stop signs and that he got away because the trooper’s car caught fire.

The defense argued that because the trooper used excessive force, Wright cannot be charged with felony murder which requires proof the defendant was fleeing without reason.

The defense is now hoping to get ahold of a GBI report on an investigation into a different incident involving the same trooper being accused of using excessive force.