Nine Myrtle Beach Teens Now Face Murder Charges After 16-Year-Old Trey Wright’s Fatal Shooting

A single gunshot on North 1st Neck Road, Johnsonville, has snowballed into a sweeping homicide case involving nine local teenagers.
On June 24, 2025, shortly before midnight, a confrontation between 16-year-old Trey Dean Wright and 19-year-old Devan Raper turned deadly. Deputies say the clash—recorded on video—erupted over a teenage girl. Raper was arrested the next day and remains jailed without bond on murder and weapons charges.

The net soon widened. Trey’s 17-year-old girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher, was charged as an accessory before the fact; investigators say she drove Trey to the scene knowing Raper was armed. Within weeks, three more teens were locked up: 18-year-old Hunter Kendall, 17-year-old Sydney Kearns, and 18-year-old Corrinne Belviso. All three are now charged with murder under South Carolina’s “hand of one, hand of all” accomplice statute, even though their exact roles remain sealed.

Four additional suspects—some still juveniles—have since been arrested, and authorities expect a tenth teen to surrender soon. Major Michael Nunn emphasized the decision to charge each teen with murder was deliberate, made after consultation with prosecutors.

Friends remember Trey as a rising sophomore, varsity athlete, and avid dirt-bike rider who “could make anyone laugh.” A GoFundMe raised over $6,000 for funeral expenses before closing. While some neighbors claim the tragedy was “no surprise,” the victim’s family is left grieving a life cut short and futures now tangled in courtrooms and correctional facilities.