This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Still insisting on his innocence, Salt Lake City land developer Eugene Christopher Wright was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison for killing Kenneth Dolezsar outside a Village Inn in Sandy three years ago.
Wright, 35, was convicted by a jury in April of first-degree felony murder for fatally shooting Dolezsar, 50, on the morning of Nov. 15, 2007.
Wright was also convicted of first-degree felony aggravated robbery for stealing the victim's SUV immediately after the shooting.
Third District Judge Royal Hansen -- who said Wright's lack of contrition was "troubling" -- sentenced Wright to serve a five-year-to-life prison term for the robbery and ordered it to run consecutively to his murder sentence.
During the hearing, Wright called Dolezsar's death a "tragedy" but maintained his innocence.
"I had nothing to do with that horrible crime," Wright told the judge, adding that his own conviction and sentencing was "just another tragedy."
During Wright's two-week trial the defense raised questions about the involvement of convicted con man David Novak, saying he had a motive to kill Dolezsar and was not thoroughly investigated by police.
Novak -- who introduced Wright to Dolezsar -- owed the victim $1.6 million for a movie project and had "swindled" him out of another $400,000, according to defense attorney Ed Brass.
Wright, on the other hand, had no reason "to kill the golden goose," Brass said, referring to Wright's hope of convincing Dolezsar -- an assistant Utah Valley State College hockey coach and entrepreneur -- to invest $2 million in his Park City land development.
After the hearing, Dolezsar's stepson, Robert Steed, said the family supports the jury's decision to convict Wright and that Wright's sentencing will bring them closure. But Steed added, "The family is also interested in knowing if additional parties were involved. If so, they need to be brought to justice."
Steed called Dolezsar "an amazing human being" who was involved in a number of humanitarian projects and who "brought joy to everyone he met."
Friends of Wright claim he was framed for Dolezsar's murder and have formed the Justice Support Foundation to prove his innocence.
David McCammon, a friend of Wright's who is general director of the group, said the organization will focus on Wright's court appeal and put pressure on the Sandy Police Department to investigate evidence that "others were involved" in Dolezsar's death.
Wright's wife, Bianca Pearman-Brooks, a native of Great Britain, said she plans to remain in Utah "until I clear my husband's name. I don't care how long it takes."
Crucial evidence in the trial came from eyewitness Lee Carlson, who was sitting in his car in front of the Village Inn at about 7 a.m. when he noticed Dolezsar arguing with a man who was wearing a wig with a ponytail. Carlson said the two were right in front of his car when the wigged man pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Dolezsar five times.
Carlson initially told police the shooter had no facial hair, and that he could not recall the man's eye color. But he later said the shooter had a mustache. And a month later, when he picked Wright from a photo lineup, he recalled the shooter had distinctive blue eyes.
Carlson did not pick anyone from a previous photo lineup, which included a photo of Novak, at which time police eliminated him as a suspect.
But Brass said Novak's sudden disappearance after Wright was arrested in February 2008 for killing Dolezsar was evidence of Novak's involvement.
Called by the defense, Dolezsar's wife, Dee Mower, testified that she believed Novak was the person her husband was going to meet on the morning he was killed.
During his closing argument, prosecutor Josh Player acknowledged "there is a very real possibility David Novak was involved. But this trial is not about Novak. This case is about the shooter. Novak was not the shooter. There is no physical evidence tying Novak to the shooting."
Both the Sandy police and Salt Lake County prosecutors have declined to comment on whether they are seeking to locate and question Novak.
In April, a West Jordan jury found Eugene Christopher Wright guilty of murdering Kenneth Dolezsar after prosecutors presented evidence including:
» An eyewitness to the Nov. 15, 2007, shooting of Kenneth Dolezsar.
» A prepaid cell phone purchased by Wright and used to set up the Sandy meeting that resulted in Dolezsar's death.
» A message left on the victim's cell phone that was identified by two witnesses as Wright's voice.
» DNA evidence matched to Wright that was found inside on the driver's side door of Dolezsar's SUV, which was stolen by the shooter then abandoned.
» A test-fired shell casing found at Wright's Salt Lake City home, which was fired from the same 9 mm pistol as five shell casings found at the murder scene.
Wright had explanations for much of the evidence. He said he bought the phone at Dolezsar's request and gave it to Dolezsar. His DNA was in the SUV because he had ridden in it during a meeting with Dolezsar. He said his pistol was lost or stolen a month before Dolezsar was killed. Wright's wife claimed he was home sick with her the morning Dolezsar was killed.