Disclaimer: This episode contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
CBS 48 Hours looks into the mysterious disappearance of Raymond Wright, a father from Rocklin, California. The upcoming episode titled “Who Took Our Dad? The Abduction of Ray Wright” will air on CBS this Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. The synopsis reads, “A family man abruptly vanishes. Police tie his disappearance to a monstrous plot for revenge.”
According to CBS News, Wright mysteriously vanished on January 11, 2018. Two days later, his brother found an intruder inside Wright’s home, who managed to escape. However, this intruder left behind a drinking cup. A few days later, police found the missing man’s abandoned truck in Sacramento.
DNA from the cup eventually led authorities to Victor Gray after police had already arrested him for a DUI crash. Inside Gray’s van, authorities had also found a blood-soaked raincoat, Raymond Wright’s wallet, a letter, and other key evidence. The letter led them to a second man named Robert Manor, reported Fox 40. Prosecutors alleged that Manor hired Gray to murder Wright in a “revenge killing” over a previous DUI crash.
The case ended with Victor Gray and Robert Manor’s separate convictions on murder under special circumstances and kidnapping. As per the California Department of Corrections, Gray is serving time in the Sierra Conservation Center. Meanwhile, Manor remains incarcerated in the California State Prison, Solano.
How were Robert Manor & Victor Gray linked to Raymond Wright’s murder?
According to the Sacramento County DA’s Office, a judge sentenced Robert Manor and Victor Gray to life in prison without parole on April 28, 2023. A jury had previously convicted both men of first-degree murder in Raymond Wright’s case on March 17. The murder charge carried a special circumstance since the crime was committed during the commission of a kidnapping. The same jury also found them guilty of kidnapping for ransom that caused death.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2011, Wright caused a car crash in a DUI incident, in which Manor and his wife incurred severe injuries. He had even served prison time and probation in the felony case, per Law & Crime. The DA’s Office wrote, “However, Manor held a grudge against the victim for years and put his plan for revenge into motion in 2018.”
On January 11, 2018, Raymond Wright went missing from Rocklin, California. Then, two days later, on January 13, Wright’s brother found a strange man inside his residence. The intruder ran away but left behind a soda cup in the kitchen. The DA’s Office said that the cup had a fresh drink. Police later used the straw from the cup to test for DNA and also uploaded it to the CODIS database.
A few weeks later, on January 27, police arrested Victor Gray following a high-speed DUI car chase that led to a crash. Inside Gray’s van, they found a blood-soaked raincoat, Wright’s wallet, and several other items belonging to the victim. The missing man’s DNA reportedly matched the blood from the raincoat.
The investigation then revealed a letter Gray wrote to Robert Manor, which proved crucial to Raymond Wright’s case. In the letter, the former complained that he was yet to receive payment for “delivering dude,” stated the DA’s statement. Gray further “asked Manor to take care of the person ‘who hand delivered you your revenge.’ Other evidence also linked Manor to the “revenge killing and the hiring of Gray to kidnap (Wright).”
Moreover, Gray’s DNA matched the one from the cup he left behind at Wright’s home. The victim’s body has never been found.
CBS 48 Hours will revisit Raymond Wright’s slaying by Robert Manor and Victor Gray on February 3, 2024.
