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How can a teenager face life in prison without ever pulling the trigger? In South Carolina, the answer lies in a centuries-old legal doctrine known as manus in manu, i.e. accomplice liability — or, as prosecutors often refer to it, “the hand of one is the hand of all.”
This principle is at the center of a case that has rocked the Palmetto State’s Pee Dee region, where 16-year-old Trey Dean Wright was found murdered in the middle of a rural road two months ago.
Now, nine teenagers — most of them not old enough to vote — are learning firsthand how quickly choices can spiral into deadly consequences.
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A DEADLY LOVE TRIANGLE
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At approximately 11:30 p.m. EDT on the night of June 24, 2025, deputies with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) responded to N. First Neck Road near Johnsonville – a town of approximately 1,400 people located 32 miles southeast of Florence, S.C.
“When deputies arrived, (Wright) was discovered laying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds,” an FCSO news release stated. “EMS transported (him) to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.”
Witnesses told local media outlets Wright sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest from a weapon fired at close range – causing his lungs to fill with blood. Witnesses further reported seeing the alleged shooter flee the scene in a white Mazda sport utility vehicle driven by a female with at least two other male passengers.
Two shotguns were recovered at the scene of the shooting, including one located near the road where Wright was murdered. That shotgun appeared to have been fired three times, per an investigative report (.pdf). A second shotgun was retrieved from beneath a tree approximately eighty yards from where the victim was found.
What happened?
“It became clear that the incident was a result of a planned confrontation that escalated into violence,” investigators noted in their report. “The involvement of alcohol and previous altercations between the parties were contributing factors.”
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Nineteen-year-old Devan Scott Raper of Conway, S.C. stands accused of pulling the trigger. He was arrested by FCSO investigators – with assistance from the U.S. Marshals’ fugitive task force and the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) – within forty-eight hours of the shooting and was subsequently charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Raper remains behind bars pending the outcome of the charges filed against him.
Four days later – on June 30, 2025 – FCSO investigators arrested 17-year-old Gianna Helene Kistenmacher of Myrtle Beach, S.C. and charged her with accessory before the fact. Kistenmacher was granted bond and released to home confinement.
“Kistenmacher is alleged to have brought the murder suspect, Devan Raper to the incident location knowing that Raper was armed and that there would be a confrontation for violence likely to lead to death based on statements made in her presence,” FCSO’s release noted.
Her charge has since been upgraded to murder…
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“The investigation into this incident is ongoing and additional charges and arrests are possible,” FSCO added in its release on Kistenmacher.
That turned out to be quite the understatement.
In the weeks since, seven additional teenagers have been charged in connection with the shooting – which was reportedly captured on camera. Eighteen-year-old Hunter Matthew Kendall of Myrtle Beach, S.C. has been charged with murder and is currently being held without bond alongside Raper. He has been incarcerated since July 31, 2025.
Sydney Marissa Kearns, 17, and Corinne Elizabeth Belviso, 18 – both of Myrtle Beach – were also charged with murder in connection with Wright’s death. Both were granted bond in the amount of $20,000.
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Jaden Blaze Auclaire, 18, of Loris, S.C. and Braylyn O’Neill Thompson, 17, of Myrtle Beach, S.C. were also charged with murder. Both were also granted bond in the amount of $20,000.
Two additional suspects who were sixteen years old at the time of the shooting have been charged by the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) in the family court system. Their identities have yet to be released by police or by prosecutors in the S.C. twelfth circuit solicitor’s office.
All five of the recently named defendants – Auclaire, Belviso, Kearns, Kendall and Thompson – were accused of “bringing the armed co-defendant to the incident location knowing that there would be a confrontation and violence and the propensity of death due to statements made in their presence.”
Specifically, the defendants “knew that the co-defendant had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him,” probable cause affidavits accompanying the warrants for their arrest noted.
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THE LAW BEHIND THE CHARGES
Under South Carolina’s “hand of one” rule, prosecutors don’t need to prove who fired the fatal shot. Instead, they must show three conditions were met: that a defendant was present, knew a crime was being committed and participated in or contributed to it.
In other words, you don’t have to fire the gun to face the same punishment as the one who did.
Florence County sheriff T.J. Joye made it clear he believes all three conditions apply. Authorities say Kistenmacher lured Wright to the scene, knowing Raper was armed and violence was likely. Other teens allegedly taunted Wright, escalated the confrontation, and staged the verbal altercation that erupted into fatal gunfire — all of which was captured on video.
For prosecutors, the law makes little distinction between pulling the trigger, luring a victim or provoking violence. Each act, under accomplice liability, carries the same weight.
For Trey Dean Wright’s family, the potential for expanded accountability offers no solace. Wright was a rising sophomore at Johnsonville High School, a proud varsity athlete in both football and baseball — a young man who loved riding dirt bikes, spending time outdoors and living life to the fullest.
What began as adolescent drama ended in an unimaginable tragedy. Nine teens now stand charged — and potentially face decades behind bars — for the deadly confrontation they allegedly helped set in motion.
In South Carolina, prosecutors say, choosing your company can carry as heavy a burden as pulling the trigger yourself. Will these teens learn that lesson the hard way?
Keep it tuned to FITSNews for updates on this case as it progresses…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Callie Lyons is a relentless investigative journalist, researcher, and author known for exposing hard truths with heart and precision. As a journalist for FITSNews, she dives into high-profile and murky cases—like that of Mica Francis Miller— with fearless resolve and a sharp eye for detail, whether it’s tracking white-collar crime, uncovering religious abuse, or examining the often-bizarre behavior of those who believe they’re above the law.
Callie made waves with her groundbreaking 2007 book Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal, the first to reveal the dangers of forever chemicals, a story that helped inspire the film Dark Waters and influenced global scientific dialogue. Her work has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Toxic Soup, National Geographic’s Parched: Toxic Waters, and more recently Citizen Sleuth, which examines the complexities of true crime podcasting.
Whether she’s navigating environmental disasters or the darker corners of society, Lyons operates with one guiding belief: “Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
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