Ga. man sentenced to 30 years in '76 Mo. slaying

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Missouri (AP) - A 66-year-old Georgia grandfather has been sentenced in Missouri to 30 years in prison for killing a waitress nearly 35 years ago and then going into hiding for the next three decades.

Suburban Atlanta resident Johnny Wright received the maximum sentence Monday from a Boone County judge. He was convicted in January of second-degree murder in the August 1976 disappearance and death of 23-year-old Rebecca Doisy. The former University of Missouri student's body was never found.

Wright won't be eligible for parole for at least a dozen years. Prosecutor Richard Hicks said in court that Wright deserves to die in prison because of the crime's violent nature.

Wright lived under the assumed identity of Errol Edwards for years in Seattle, Texas and most recently Georgia, where he raised a family.

Upcoming Events