Robert Lee Wright

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office — Phoenix, AZ

Felonious

End of Watch January 29, 1930

Age 55

Tour of Duty 32 yrs

The Vigil Panel 59 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 27

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Lee Wright succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two weeks earlier in Chandler, Arizona, while attempting to arrest a group of criminals who were on a cross-country crime spree. Two of the subjects, a man and a woman, had murdered Corporal Brady Paul of the Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol on December 27th, 1929. They had picked up a third subject who had recently been released from prison in Texas. The trio then abducted a Pinal County, Arizona, sheriff's deputy. Deputy Wright and another deputy rammed the vehicle into a curb in front of the San Marcos Hotel, stopping it. Deputy Wright was then struck by a gunshot during a shootout with the subjects. The subjects then threw the abducted deputy from the car and escaped. They were apprehended several days later by a posse of several hundred officers and citizens. The couple was extradited to Pennsylvania, where they were convicted of Corporal Paul's murder, sentenced to death, and subsequently executed on February 23rd, 1931. The third subject was convicted of Deputy Wright's murder and sentenced to life in prison. Deputy Wright had served in law enforcement for 32 years. He was survived by his wife and brother. His brother served as the county sheriff at the time of the murder.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-AZ-0594E162
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

32 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Wright gave the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office 32 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Wright.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

Location Phoenix, AZ

Platform Identity mcso.maricopa.az.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 29, 1930

Tour of Duty 32 yrs

Age 55

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Executed

Deputy Sheriff Robert Lee Wright is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In AZ, 204 of 330 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.8% of this state's fallen. That is 7.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, 11 of 28 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 39.3% of this agency's fallen.

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

of 28 officers

39.3% Felonious

AZ — Statewide

204

of 330 officers

61.8% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious