Isaac Wright Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isaac Wright Jr.
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| Born | January 23, 1962 Orlando, Florida, U.S.
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| Education | Thomas Edison State University (BS) St. Thomas University (JD) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Falsely accused, convicted and sentenced to life in prison inspiration for ABC TV series For Life |
| Spouse(s) | Sunshine Wright (m.1982; div. 1991) |
| Children | 1 |
Isaac Wright Jr. (born January 23, 1962) is an American attorney, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for being falsely sentenced to life in prison in 1991. His conviction was overturned in 1997 after litigation brought by him on the basis of police corruption during his investigation and the prosecutor’s knowing presentation of perjured testimony at his trial. His story is depicted in the television drama/series production For Life, which premiered in 2020 on American Broadcasting Company. He was a candidate for mayor of New York City in the 2021 New York City mayoral election.
Early life and education
Wright was born on January 23, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, to Isaac Wright Sr. and Sandra B. Wright. Wright’s father was a career military man and Wright lived both in numerous cities of the U.S. and abroad. He attended Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
Career
In the early 1980s Wright, while living in New York City along with his wife and daughter, appeared on the talent show Star Search for several weeks as a member of the dance trio Uptown Express. By the late 1980s he was a talent manager and owned an independent record label called X-Press Records while his wife, Sunshine, was a member of platinum selling group he co-founded called The Cover Girls, a pop and urban contemporary musical group.
Post-release career
After his release from prison, Wright pursued law and graduated with the degree of Bachelors of Science in Human Services from Thomas Edison State University in 2002, entering law school in 2004 and graduating from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2007. After attaining admission to the bar in 2008, Wright spent the next nine years being investigated by the New Jersey Bar’s Committee on Character before being granted admission to the bar by the New Jersey Supreme Court on September 27, 2017. On that date, Wright became the first and only person in the US history to have been sentenced to life in prison, securing his own release and exoneration, and then being granted a license to practice law by the very court that condemned him.
In 2017, Curtis Jackson signed a deal to produce a TV series For Life, inspired by Wright’s life.
In August 2022, Wright published a memoir, Marked for Life: One Man's Fight for Justice from the Inside.
Politics
In December 2020, Wright announced that he would run for mayor of New York City as a Democrat.
