'I pulled the trigger': Man accused of killing friend testifies at 'Stand Your Ground' hearing

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Brennan Wakey testified Friday during the continuation of his “Stand Your Ground” hearing. He is the man accused of shooting his friend Colton Wright in December 2021. The judge made no decision in Friday's hearing.

According to police, a housekeeper found Wright dead in a hotel room near University Parkway. The following day, Sarasota police charged Wakey with murder.

Wakey consistently claimed self-defense, even on the witness stand.

“He lunged at me and swung the bottle, and I saw it coming at me,” Wakey said. “I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back to avoid getting hit. Then I just closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.”

Wakey testified that Wright threw a laptop at him, tried to take his gun away and became aggressive.

“I was scared of him because I didn’t know what he would do next,” Wakey said.

Deputy District Attorney Karen Fraivillig painted a different picture.

“Five minutes later, you left the scene where you shot Colton in the face and he died before your eyes,” Fraivillig said.

Wakey replied, “Yes.”

A series of images were presented during testimony. The state stated the images were taken by Wright and later deleted from the device by Wakey, who left the scene with Wright's phone. The images were seized as evidence with time stamps from 2:57 a.m. to 3:02 a.m.

Fraivillig asked Wakey to look at each picture and explain what was happening. At 2:57 a.m., Wakey was lying on the bed with his hand behind his head. At 2:59 a.m., Wakey stood up and pointed a gun at Wright. At 3 a.m., Wakey put on his shoes at the edge of the bed and said the gun was “right behind me.”

Fraivillig continued to play hotel surveillance video showing Wakey leaving the hotel with a suitcase at 3:02 a.m.

In his closing argument, Fraivillig stated that Wakey knew what he had done and fled the scene.

“No 911 call. No 911 call. No 911 call. No calling Nick Trail to call an ambulance. No going to the front desk and saying 'Oh my God, there's been a terrible accident upstairs. I was forced to shoot in self-defense. I wish it hadn't happened, but I had no choice. None of that happened,'” Fraivillig said.

Wakey's defense attorney, Liane McCurry, said Wakey was afraid and the state could not refute that.

“Guilt may be one thing, but that is not correct at all. That does not disprove the circumstances Brennan Wakey was in at the time. He felt compelled to shoot his partner, who he was with,” McCurry said.

The judge did not give a timetable for when a decision would be made.

All rights reserved.