After serving the minimum of his 15-year sentence, Dale C. Wright's bid for parole was recently rejected by the Ohio Parole Board, as reported by the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office. Wright was convicted of the murder of his five-month-old son, Dash Wright, in 2011 and has been incarcerated ever since. The case, a harrowing reminder of a father's heinous act against his child, continues to leave an indelible mark on the community. The parole board has scheduled Wright's next hearing for May of 2035, extending his time behind bars by at least another decade.
Details of the case re-emerged during the parole hearing, and as stated by the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office, on the night of August 2, 2010, Wright placed his son face down in a bed after feeding him, subsequently leaving to do laundry. Discovering Dash unresponsive with vomit on his clothing, Wright frantically ran around the house, an act during which he claimed the possibility of unintentionally hitting the child's head. Having been awake for over thirty hours without a break from his son, Wright's recollection of the events remained unclear, but subsequent medical reports revealed severe injuries, indicative of no accident but rather a deliberate act of violence.
The medical examination determined that Dash had sustained extensive retinal hemorrhages and a diastatic skull fracture, injuries consistent with deliberate shaking or blunt force trauma. The Franklin County medical examiner ascertained that these injuries led to a traumatic brain injury, which ultimately resulted in Dash's death. Throughout the investigation and even at the hospital, Wright's behavior was disconcertingly detached, as he chose to leave his critically injured son and the boy's mother at the hospital to return home.
Each year, Dash's memory is kept alive by his family, as they celebrate his birthday and memorialize the date of his passing with a celebration of life. Dash's mother maintains a memorial garden in his honor, and the grandparents continue the heartfelt tradition of buying Christmas gifts for the young soul gone too soon. Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch, vigilant in opposing Wright's release, told the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office, "The defendant received the maximum sentence following his trial. My office will continue to oppose his release. Justice requires that this defendant never leaves prison, and I plan on making sure justice is delivered."
