Dennis Wright stands in court during a pre-trial hearing Wednesday, August 3, 2016. Wright is charged for a hit-and-run accident that caused the death of MMA fighter Jordan Parsons. Wright's bid for a bond reduction was denied. (Lannis Waters / The Palm Beach Post)
Driver who killed Jordan Parsons denied reduced bond
Driver who killed Jordan Parsons denied reduced bond
BY JANE MUSGRAVE
To the relief of family and teammates of MMA fighter Jordan Parsons, the man accused of killing the 25-year-old in a drunken accident in May on Wednesday was told he must come up with $450,000 to be released from the Palm Beach County jail.
Cheers and whistles went up in the courtroom when Circuit Judge John Kastrenakes denied Dennis Wright’s request for a bond reduction. Pointing out that Wright, 28, of Boca Raton was a habitual traffic offender and eight times failed to appear in court on previous charges, Kastrenakes said he wasn’t a good risk for house arrest.
“Despite this young man’s apparent responsible position in our community (as business owner), his behavior in the past has been irresponsible,” Kastrenakes said. Wright’s history of ignoring court orders “tells me that this person doesn’t abide by the rules of society or rules of the court.”
Wright, who faces a possible 70-year prisons sentence on various charges in connection with Parson’s death, was arrested days after the rising mixed martial arts champion died of injuries sustained when Delray Beach police said he was hit by a Range Rover traveling at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour on Federal Highway at Lindell Boulevard. Wright’s attorney, Robert Resnick, said there are questions whether Wright was driving the car or whether the Range Rover, which was registered to Wright’s mother, was involved in the crash. A witness told police that a silver two-door sports car struck Parsons, he said.
Assistant State Attorney Laura Burkhart-Laurie disagreed. Witnesses say Wright was driving the Range Rover and there is video of Wright talking about being involved in the crash, she said. Wright had spent the day at Sunfest, then hit bars in Delray, she said. Friends said he was impaired but he ignored their entreaties not to drive, she said.
Wright and his mother, Patricia Faller, told Kastrenakes they don’t have the means to raise $450,000 to secure his release. Faller said friends and family have pledged roughly $10,000 to $15,000. Since his arrest, Wright said he has received no income from a medical marketing firm he owns. While Resnick insisted Wright and his mother aren’t wealthy, before the crash Wright testified that he was splitting the rent for a $4,000 to $5,o00-a-month condominium. Faller said the monthly payment on the Range Rover is about $985.
