HOUSTON – A 40-year old Stafford woman was indicted for the violent robbery of a nail salon technician in May 2015, according to a press release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury convicted Krista Antoinette Wright of aggravated robbery on Dec. 5. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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According to Mandana Mahmoudi, lead prosecutor on the case, Wright was a long-time customer of a nail technician at a Missouri City salon.
While the salon’s manager was out of town, the technician had extra duties, including collecting payments until they were deposited.
Wright visited the salon during the manager’s absence, was aware that they were short-staffed and likely observed the woman collecting payments, according to the release.
According to the report, on May 1, 2015, Wright visited the salon when it opened. While she was getting her nails done, the defendant asked the technician about her plans for the evening and the whereabouts of her relatives – which the technician thought was friendly conversation.
About nine hours later, Wright returned to the salon as the technician and a coworker were closing the store.
Wright first said she returned because there was something wrong with her nails, but then said her car broke down and asked for a ride home.
The technician considered Wright a friend, and agreed to give her a ride home, according to the release.
When they arrived at a home in the Hunters Glen subdivision of Missouri City, Wright pulled out a knife and stabbed the woman multiple times, according to reports.
The defendant reportedly threatened to shoot the technician if she attempted to flee.
The woman believed Wright would continue to harm her, even though she reportedly didn’t believe Wright had a gun.
According to the release, Wright took control of the car and drove through Missouri City, Stafford and Houston, while the woman begged to be released.
Wright demanded the woman to withdraw cash from ATMs, but the victim did not know her PIN.
She offered her car, her purse and personal property and cash from the salon to Wright, according to reports.
In an act of desperation, and still bleeding from her stab wounds, the victim opened the car door and tried to escape while Wright was still driving.
Wright was able to restrain the woman, who suffered severe abrasive injuries to her arms, legs and feet as a result, according to reports.
Wright finally stopped in a poorly lit area while the woman pretended to be dead. Wright pulled the woman out of the car by her legs, causing her head to hit the pavement, according to the report.
Wright then dragged her behind a dumpster and repeatedly stabbed her before leaving in the woman’s car with her phone, purse and the salon’s money, reports said.
The woman said she didn’t make a sound as Wright stabbed her because she wanted Wright to believe that she was dead.
Left for dead, the nail technician reportedly got to her feet once she heard the car leave.
She was able to flag down two women who called 911.
They described the woman as bloody all over, "like something out of a movie."
From her initial contact with the good Samaritans and 911, through the investigation and at trial, the victim identified Wright as her attacker.
Wright was arrested one month later.
Wright’s attorney argued at trial that there was no physical evidence to tie her to the crime, and that the investigation was based solely upon the victim’s statement, according to the release.
In closing, Mahmoudi described Wright as a predator who abused her victim’s trust, separated and isolated her, violently attacked her and threatened her family, then robbed her and dumped her body behind a dumpster.
“We don’t tell victims that we won’t hold predators accountable because there is no video or DNA,” Mahmoudi said. “We ask victims to testify in court, to face the person who hurt them violently, and to be cross-examined by an experienced professional. But we also tell victims that our jurors have sworn an oath to follow the law that one witness can be enough to convict an accused.”