EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (Court TV) — A Georgia man received the maximum sentence for his participation in the systematic torture and murder of his 13-year-old niece, Mary Crocker, and 14-year-old nephew, Elwyn “JR” Crocker Jr., whose bodies were found buried in his backyard in 2018.
Mark Wright appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Nov. 14, 2025. (Court TV)
Superior Court Judge Matthew Hube sentenced Mark Anthony Wright to 80 years in prison after calling the case the most depraved he had encountered in his 25-year legal career. Wright pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder, cruelty to children, and concealing the deaths of both victims.
“The picture painted by people who were around you, knew you best, is in direct conflict with what Dr. Garbarino told us,” Judge Hube said during sentencing. “You did not protect Mary Crocker. You participated in torture and death.”
The children’s remains were discovered in December 2018 after Wright himself called police to report overhearing a conversation suggesting the children were dead. JR had been buried for over two years, while Mary had been in the ground for approximately two months, when authorities found their bodies in trash bags in Wright’s backyard.
Discovery of the children
A photo of JR and Mary Crocker was shown in court during Mark Wright’s sentencing. (Court TV)
The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office initially responded to the home of Candice and Elwyn Crocker Sr. after someone called in a tip that 14-year-old Mary was missing and feared dead. At the time, Mary hadn’t been seen in weeks. When deputies arrived at the home, the adults inside stated that Mary had gone to live with her mother.
Elwyn Sr. was the biological father of both Mary and Elwyn Jr.; Candice was the children’s stepmother. Also living inside the home were Candice’s brother, Mark Wright, Candice’s mother, Kim Wright, and Kim’s boyfriend, Roy Prater.
Deputies on the scene said a comment from Elwyn Sr. led them to check the woodline behind the residence, where they found the bodies of the children buried. 14-year-old Elwyn Jr. had not been seen since November 2016; neither he nor Mary had ever been reported missing to the police.
Systematic torture revealed
Prosecutors presented disturbing evidence showing the children endured months of systematic starvation, physical abuse, and confinement. Mary was kept in a small dog kennel for up to 24 hours at a time, often naked, and became so weak in her final days that she was duct-taped to a pool ladder when she could no longer stand.
“This isn’t some statement from somebody after the fact, this isn’t some interview, this is them in the moment texting each other,” Asst. District Attorney Matthew Breedon said, referring to text messages showing Wright’s active participation in disciplining Mary hours before her death.
DNA evidence linked Wright directly to the abuse. His DNA was found on the speaker wire used to beat Mary, with forensic analysis showing an 8.2 septillion probability match. Wright also suggested using ginger root as punishment, which was later inserted into the child’s body.
Text messages presented at trial showed Wright, along with co-defendants, berating Mary for not standing up just hours before her death on October 28, 2018. The messages revealed Wright telling the starving child to “get up and exercise” despite her severely weakened condition.
In charging documents, prosecutors alleged that the adults murdered Mary by confining her in an “animal travel crate” and tortured her, withholding food and nourishment over an estimated period of 10 months.
Defense arguments rejected
Wright’s defense team, led by attorney Allan Sincox, argued for the minimum 10-year sentence, claiming Wright was the reason the case came to light and had minimal direct participation in the abuse. They presented character witnesses who described Wright as protective and helpful to others.
However, Judge Hube rejected these arguments after hearing extensive testimony about Wright’s active role in the children’s torture and death.
Multiple defendants involved
Wright was one of five defendants charged in the case. His mother, Kimberly Wright, and sister, Candice Crocker, both pleaded guilty and received life sentences without parole. Roy Prater has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, while the children’s biological father, Elwyn Crocker Sr., is scheduled to stand trial and faces a potential death sentence.
The case revealed a household where the children were systematically starved while the adults had adequate food. Text messages showed the defendants discussing ways to make Mary’s food taste bad and expressing hope she would have diarrhea at school.
Sentencing details
Judge Hube imposed consecutive sentences totaling 80 years: 30 years for second-degree murder, 20 years for cruelty to children, and 10 years each for concealing deaths and false imprisonment.
Wright, now 38, had spent nearly seven years in county jail awaiting trial with no disciplinary violations. Character witnesses testified about his regular church attendance and participation in Bible study while incarcerated.
The judge noted Wright’s clean jail record but emphasized the severity of his crimes against the children who trusted him as their uncle.
“If these children, particularly Mary, could speak from the grave, imagine what they would say: ‘Uncle Tony, why did you do this to us?'” Judge Hube said.
District Attorney Robert Busbee said in a statement that the sentencing marks an important step toward accountability.
“Today’s sentencing is the result of years of dedicated effort by law enforcement and prosecutors to ensure accountability,” Busbee said. “Nothing can erase the suffering these children endured, and while no outcome can erase that pain, we remain the only voice they have.”
Wright has 30 days to appeal his conviction and four years to file for habeas corpus relief. This sentencing marks the conclusion of proceedings for three of the five defendants charged in connection with the Crocker case.
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