Lonnie Wright had his bond lowered from $1 million to $250,000. However, he remained in custody at the Roane County Jail as of press time Thursday.
The bond reduction came after Wright avoided convictions on the most serious charges during his trial at the Roane County Courthouse. He was charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of especially aggravated robbery and one count of auto burglary.
The victims in the case were Steve Groover and Cindy Scruggs. Their bodies were found at Groover’s residence at 662 Buck Creek Road on May 16, 2022.
A conviction for first-degree murder would have brought an automatic life sentence for Wright. However, the jury found him guilty on April 5 of the lesser included offense of criminally negligent homicide.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for August. It may benefit Wright to stay in jail instead of making bond. He’s been in custody since July 25, 2022, and will get credit for all the time he’s served in jail at sentencing.
“If he got out and the judge sentenced him to prison, he’d just have to go right back in,” Wright’s attorney, Matt Ooten, said.
In addition to the four counts of criminally negligent homicide, the jury also found Wright guilty of attempted aggravated robbery, attempted assault and automobile burglary.
He will have to wear an ankle monitor should he get out on bail prior to sentencing. Wright is also prohibited from contacting witnesses in the case if he makes bail.
Wright, 49, had charges of assault and vandalism bound over to the Roane County grand jury in February. Those charges stem from an incident that happened in jail on Christmas Eve. Wright allegedly damaged a jail TV and assaulted the inmate who tried to fix it.
