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Man Played The Slots After Parents Slain, Police Say

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By LISA A. DAVIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 22, 2008

Updated: 02/23/2008 10:59 am

NEW PORT RICHEY - About three hours after Pasco detectives think Jackie Lee Braden killed his mother and stepfather, he was feeding slot machines at Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa and ordering drinks.

Investigators secured video of Braden, 36, walking into the casino and hotel and carrying a black adidas bag just after 6 a.m. Feb. 8.

About three hours earlier, neighbors of his mother and stepfather, David Ray and Sherrill Shelton Wright, had heard gunshots. But it wasn't until the evening of Feb. 11 that David's brother Woodrow found the bodies.

Detectives say David Wright was shot once in the head while he sat in his living room recliner at his home at 18101 Moorhaven Drive. His wife was shot three times and was found in her night clothes lying on her bedroom floor. They were both 54.

"She was only a few feet from the bed when she was shot and killed," said Lisa Schoneman, the case's lead detective.

A large safe had been moved away from a wall, dragged into the middle of the room and sawed through, drilled and pried open, she said. Three broken saw blades were found in the room, an arrest warrant states.

Several guns remained inside the safe, as did some marijuana, Schoneman said. About seven pounds of pot was found in the house during the homicide investigation, as well as numerous baggies, she said. Detectives are still investigating whether David Wright might have been dealing marijuana.

On Feb. 8, Braden called a buddy, Christopher Catalano, and arranged to meet at the casino, Schoneman said.

"I hit it big, Bro. Come on down," Braden reportedly told his friend.

Hotel Hopping

Braden tried without success to check into the hotel anonymously before renting a room under his name. He and Catalano partied with some women, possibly prostitutes, Schoneman said, until the men began worrying they might get ripped off.

They left the Hard Rock around 2 a.m. and checked into the Comfort Inn on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater about 2:36 a.m. that Saturday. At some point that day, the men moved to the Holiday Inn Harborside Hotel in Indian Rocks Beach.

They stayed in a standard room before upgrading to a condominium two-story suite, and that's where they were when authorities caught up with Braden on Feb. 11.

"The timeline we have for him is really, really tight," sheriff's Detective Jim Gariepy said.

From the moment the Wrights' bodies were found around 6 p.m. that Monday, the homicide investigation moved quickly. Detectives learned through neighbors and family that David Wright's pickup was missing, that nobody else was allowed to drive it, and that Braden had been staying with them recently.

Schoneman told the Wrights' relatives they needed to notify Braden about the double killing. The chain of phone calls evidently worked and word of the deaths reached Indian Rocks Beach.

Braden dropped to his knees, cried and, according to an arrest warrant, told Catalano, "I had to do it; they were never going to give it to me."

Catalano told detectives he was shocked by Braden's admission. Then his friend grabbed him by the throat.

"Don't ever judge me," he reportedly told Catalano. "I did it the best way; there was no pain. I did it while they were sleeping."

Because he was afraid of Braden, Catalano started calling people to tell them where he and Braden were staying, the warrant states. Those phone calls are largely credited with Braden's arrest on two counts of first-degree murder Thursday.

Nobody answered when Pinellas and Pasco sheriff's detectives knocked on the door of Room 205 at the Holiday Inn on Feb. 11. A couple of Pinellas deputies standing outside saw Catalano on the balcony.

"He's got a gun. He's got a gun," Catalano reportedly yelled.

Moments later, Braden and a woman walked out of the room, detectives walked in and immediately spotted a large amount of marijuana in a horse-feed bag and piles of money in a black adidas bag.

In all, 43 pounds of pot and $194,000 in cash were discovered, according to a warrant.

David Wright's 2005 Toyota Tundra also was found at the hotel and impounded.

Gun Used In Fatal Shootings

Braden had Wright's wallet in his pocket, detectives said. A .357-caliber Dan Wesson revolver was found in a dresser drawer, and a couple of days later, hotel guests found a .357-caliber Ruger on the balcony of Room 209. Ballistic tests showed the guns were used in the fatal shootings, Schoneman said.

Braden has denied killing his parents, saying they were alive when he borrowed his stepfather's pickup. Family members have told detectives he had a close relationship with his mother, but Braden was the first person they pointed fingers at when the Wrights' bodies were found.

"I think everyone was suspicious of him," Schoneman said.

So far, detectives say, Braden "shows no remorse at all."

In addition to the murder charges, Braden faces drug charges in Pinellas, where he's been held since Feb. 11.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083 or ldavis@tampatrib.com.

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