Unsealed court documents reveal Traskwood murder details

TRASKWOOD, AR - An axe attack and plastic used to roll up a body are just a few of the grisly details in newly released court documents stemming from the two bodies found in Traskwood earlier this month.

Saline County prosecutor Ken Casady filed two capital murder charges against Marissa Wright, 50, on Thursday.

Twenty-five pages of court records now unsealed, and first reported by Mara Leveritt with the Arkansas Times, state that Wright admitted killing two men and burying them in the backyard of her Traskwood home.

It started for detectives with an anonymous call in November 2010 from a payphone on the side of I-30 in Benton approximately one month after Joe Lee Richards Jr, 39, disappeared from Benton.

The caller claimed Marissa Wright shot Richards Jr to death in the bathroom of her home at 2902 W. Main St.

The tipster went on to say Wright tortured and killed Randall Anderson in her bedroom in 2008, saying blood went everywhere and Wright repainted the room to cover it up.

Investigators executed multiple search warrants in late September and early October on her property looking for bodies and evidence. And when Wright found out, affidavits say she attempted suicide.

In her first court appearance via video arraignment on October 7th, Wright says she planned to fight the charges.

"I will not commit suicide. I guarantee you I will have a day in court," Wright said.

Detectives met with Wright again right after she made that statement.

According to the search warrant affidavit also filed on October 7, Wright fully described both murders, including striking Anderson with the back of an ax and wrapping his body up in plastic and admitted using an automotive dolly like this one to move the body of Richards Jr around the house before burying it outside.

The documents were all under seal because witnesses said they feared for their lives. Once formal murder charges were filed this week, the judge unsealed them.

Marissa Wright was also involved in a 1989 murder, but testified for the prosecution in exchange for immunity. Her next court date is November 15th.

Casady said Friday he is pursuing the death penalty for both murders.