Murder suspect held in Aiken pending trial

A man serving a life sentence in Georgia for the brutal beating of an Augusta convenience store clerk has been transported to Aiken County for authorities to evaluate whether he will be tried in the 2010 crimes where he is suspected of killing and setting fire to two women.

Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputies brought Franklin Wright, 56, to the Aiken County Detention Center pursuant to an interstate agreement on detainers, explained Aiken County Solicitor J. Strom Thurmond Jr.

Wright was arrested in Georgia in September 2010 for assaulting and kidnapping 54-year-old Jennie Hope while he was on the run from the Aiken County authorities. He was wanted for the murders of 75-year-old Yana Schenker and 38-year-old Shalamar Byrd, officials said.

The murders occurred two weeks before the beating in Georgia, but because Wright was arrested in Georgia he was first required to face his accusers in Richmond County. He was the subject of an intense two-state manhunt after he was identified in the beating of the Augusta clerk.

Wright pleaded guilty in January of this year to the Georgia assault.

He was sentenced to life in prison, but has not been tried in Aiken County.

He is charged with murder and arson on allegations he killed the two women in Aiken in August 2010 and then set fires to cover up the murders.

Thurmond said the solicitor's office is in the process of evaluating the strength of its case, while understanding that Wright is already serving a life sentence in Georgia.

Wright is not scheduled to appear in court unless the allotted 180 days runs out that the accused man can be held while the authorities evaluate the case.

Wright has a long list of convictions, dating back to the 1970s, serving time for rape, attempted escape, multiple assaults and armed robberies, and has spent more than 30 years in the South Carolina prison system.

Staff writer Anna Dolianitis

contributed to this article.