Suspect in South Lake Tahoe murder changes plea to guilty

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - It was an emotional day in court Tuesday as one of the suspects in the January 30, 2016 murder of Dennis "Spike" Wright, Jr. withdrew his plea of not guilty and plead guilty to an amended criminal complaint that included four felonies surrounding Wright's murder and robbery.

18-year-old Tristan Batten of Vallejo, Calif., appeared before Judge Suzanne Kingsbury in El Dorado County Court with his lawyer, George Rosenstock as she read the complaint which has since been sealed at the request of the District Attorney's office.

One by one, Kingsbury asked Batten how he plead to the charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, 2nd degree robbery and 2nd degree robbery where a weapon was present. To each count, Batten quietly said, "guilty."

Wright's parents, who have been at each court proceeding dealing with the seven suspects in their son's murder case, were both in court to hear Batten's guilty plea. Mother Janet Wright was visibly shaken as Batten confessed to taking part in Dennis's murder.

The investigation led officers around the country. Arrested over several months on charges stemming from the robbery and murder of Wright and currently in the El Dorado County jail are:

- 25-year-old Andrew Adams of Suisun City, Calif., was arrested on September 15 in his hometown.
- 26-year-old Dion Jermaine Vacarro was arrested May 31 in Oklahoma City.
- 33-year-old Tevarez Lopez, of Georgetown, Calif., arrested April 28 in his hometown.
- 22-year-old Domenic Randolph arrested on April 19 in Harris County, Texas.
- 18-year-old Vanessa Muzio was arrested February 27 in New Mexico and has been charged with accessory to murder.
- 20-year-old Harvest Davidson of Antioch, Calif., was arrested Feb. 17 in Sacramento, Calif.

Batten had been arrested Feb. 16 in Vallejo, Calif.

Also in court were Batten's family, who also had been at most of Tristan's court proceedings. They were also upset during Kingsbury's reading of Tristan's plea.

Police investigators say Wright had traveled to South Lake Tahoe from his home in Amador County with his girlfriend to sell 100 pounds of marijuana to prospective buyers. Men tried to rob the couple at gunpoint in the parking lot of the Beverly Lodge and there was a struggle. At least one person fired multiple shots at Wright and the suspects fled the scene. Wright was transported to Barton Hospital where he died from those gunshot wounds.

Batten will be back in court March 23, 2017 for a status review on his sentencing. Even thought the terms of his amended plea agreement are sealed and labeled as confidential, Kingsbury told Batten the maximum sentence for his crimes is life in prison.

In earlier action during court Tuesday, one of the suspects in Wright's murder, 20-year-old Harvest Davidson, was granted a change in lawyers. He had been in all previous court dates with Batten at his side. Davidson's new court-appointed attorney, David Brooks, said it could take him 16-20 weeks to get up to speed with discovery in the case. Kingsbury, concerned with that length of time since court proceedings have already been going on for months, scheduled a December 14 status hearing to check in with his progress.

Adams, Vacarro, Lopez and Randolph have all been together in their court proceedings. Their next court date for Wright's robbery and murder is December 16. Lopez will be in court on December 5 to face other charges including the manufacturing of narcotics. ++

Muzio returns to court November 28 to face charges of being an "accessory after the fact."