Savannah man sentenced to life in prison for 2025 killing of Benny Wright

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A 22-year-old Savannah man was sentenced to life today following his murder conviction by a jury.

Earlier this month, a jury found Nathaniel Lewis guilty on all counts in connection with the March 2025 shooting death of 41-year-old Benny Wright.

Lewis was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

What happened

Wright was shot and killed in the 1800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, near the cross street of 35th Street, around 4:30 a.m. on March 8, 2025. He was injured in front of a home. The shooting was one of several that occurred that weekend.

Investigators said Lewis and Wright did not know each other. The two met in the early morning hours and were seen walking together before surveillance video showed an argument, followed by gunfire.

Evidence presented at trial

Evidence presented during the trial included a 9mm handgun, shell casings recovered from the scene, an autopsy report and scene photos, a bullet recovered from Wright’s body, surveillance video, a jail phone call from Lewis recorded July 16, 2026, a ski mask, body camera footage from officers, a 911 call, and additional shell casings.

Self-defense claim rejected

Throughout the trial, Lewis claimed self-defense, arguing he feared for his life after Wright yelled at him, threatened him, and moved toward him. He took the stand and testified in his own defense. The jury rejected that claim and convicted Lewis on all counts.

Bond background

Court records show Lewis was out on bond for illegal firearms charges at the time of the shooting. According to previous coverage, the presiding judge granted Lewis bond over the State’s objection and released him from custody in November 2024.

Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones said in a statement at the time that Lewis was released despite the State’s objection.

Sentencing hearing

Friday, the judge heard from the brother of the victim and the grandmother of the suspect. Both were emotional, talking about the loss on both sides of the case.

Gary Wright, the victim’s older brother, said, “I’m praying that you guys show him the same mercy that he showed my brother. He showed my brother no mercy. He had no intent to let my brother live.”

Gary Wright also said, “I used to go visit my mother when she was going through depression and anxiety. She just wasn’t the same. Nobody was. She was always crying, looking out the window, talking about my little brother. And six months after my brother passed, my mother passed. And when we got the autopsy back, they said she died from cardiac arrest. There’s little doubt in my mind that a lot of that was on her mind. And today, on this sentencing, it’s my mother’s birthday. Today, it is sad that I got to go through this on her birthday.”

Alice Lewis-Green, the suspect’s grandmother, said, “I know he has to pay for what he did. And I just ask, you know, that the court don’t take his whole life from him. At some point, that he can come out and do good, in spite of what he did.”

Lewis-Green also said, “We raised him to be a good boy. Raised him up. And he really never gave us trouble. Like, just regular teenager stuff. But he really never gave us trouble. He stayed to himself. And he just loved being with family. So I don’t know what happened, how he got to that point. I can’t say that I saw it coming, because I didn’t.”

The prosecutor showed a video of the actual shooting right before the judge granted Lewis a life sentence with the possibility of parole plus five years.

The video showed the two men walking together, before turning around and going back in the direction they came from.

Prosecutors highlighted to the Judge that Lewis then pulled a gun on Wright out of nowhere, Wright just held his hands in front of him with no weapon. The prosecution said he was defensless and at the mercy of Lewis at that point.

Prosecutor Casey Blount pointed out that Lewis waited about 10 seconds between pulling out the gun and pointing it at Wright, and shooting him in the chest area.

He said after that Lewis had the opportunity to get Wright help, but the fact that he spoke to officers minutes after the shooting, and said nothing about a man dying right around the corner from gunshot wounds, showed Lewis’ true character.

Lewis’s family members can be seen crying as the video played in the courtroom.

Judge Christopher Middleton, of the Superior Court of Chatham County, spoke to Lewis directly before sentencing, “This is the point in time in which the court shares some commentary. However, I do not have any today. I believe once an individual is met with a life-defining situation, I believe that several people have already had conversations and said things that needed to be said. We’ve heard two witnesses today. The testimony resonated within this court. And I hope that it landed squarely on your heart. So the court has nothing additional to add.”

Lewis will be able to ask for parole after 35 years, as his sentence was life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 5 years for a gun charge. His attorney said today Lewis is filing for a new trial.

He will now go to a classification facility to determine which prison he will serve his sentence at.