SARASOTA, Fla. (Court TV) — A man convicted of manslaughter after killing his friend in a Florida hotel room was sentenced to prison following an emotional sentencing hearing.
Brennan Wakey speaks at his sentencing on March 17, 2026. (Court TV)
Brennan Lee Wakey, 30, was initially charged with second-degree murder in the death of Colton Wright, 24, but was found guilty by a jury of the lesser charge of manslaughter with a firearm. He was also convicted of tampering with evidence for attempting to delete photos.
Wakey admitted to shooting and killing Wright on Dec. 9, 2021, at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Sarasota, but had argued at trial that he killed the victim in self-defense. Wakey claimed that Wright, who was addicted to methamphetamine at the time of his death, had tried to attack him with a glass margarita bottle, forcing the defendant to pull out a gun and fire.
Several members of Wright’s family addressed the court at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, describing the victim as “loved by everyone” and full of life. “Things started spiraling when he met Brennan Wakey,” Wright’s mother, Amy Thompson, testified at the sentencing hearing. “The immediate vibe I got from [Wakey] was ‘con artist.'”
“Every single day of my life, I have to life with the fact knowing that a smug, arrogant, entitled individual thought he could get away with murdering my son, and that he would not be caught or that he would buy his way out of it,” Thompson said. “Brennan Wakey is not what he loves to portray himself to be. He does not deserve to ever be released from prison.”
Thompson took time to address the defendant directly at the close of her statement. “I would love to know what went on in that sick and twisted mind of yours,” she said. “You are nothing but a little man who will be well-liked in prison. … You are evil, vindictive and conniving. May you rot in hell.” Wakey’s defense objected to the statements.
Wakey addressed the court at the hearing, offering condolences and apologies to the victim’s family. “I am deeply and truly sorry,” he said. “All I can do is apologize and ask for forgiveness.”
The defendant suggested he was already being punished with the memories of what happened. “In a way, it doesn’t matter what the sentence today is, because even if it was the maximum, even if it was life, it’s not going to change that I have to live with the knowledge that I took the life of somebody I cared about.”
While Wakey’s defense had asked for a downward departure from the suggested guidelines of 10.5 to 30 years, Judge Thomas Krug refused. He sentenced Wakey to 25 years for manslaughter and five years for tampering with evidence, to be served concurrently.
