Rochester man pleads guilty in fatal shooting of Ogden man

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(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect) – Terrance Wright, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday in Monroe County Supreme Court to first-degree manslaughter in the May 8, 2025, shooting death of Richard Gollwitzer, 36, of Ogden, according to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.

Wright was originally charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Police responded around 11 p.m. May 8, 2025, to 367 Orchard St. in Rochester, where they found Gollwitzer’s body in a wooded area on the north side of the building. He had been shot at least once in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators linked the homicide scene to a residence on Smith Street. Wright, a convicted felon, was later arrested on an unrelated warrant. A Monroe County grand jury indicted him in February in connection with the killing.

“By taking Richard Gollwitzer’s life, the defendant demonstrated a complete disregard for human life,” Assistant District Attorney Aliyah Fowler, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement.

At the time of the shooting, Wright was out of custody while facing a pending fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property charge, according to Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino.

In October 2025, Wright was sentenced to one to three years in state prison after pleading guilty to that felony. He has been incarcerated at Otisville Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in Orange County, and was temporarily transferred to the Monroe County Jail for the court proceedings.

Wright is scheduled to be sentenced July 30. Under the plea agreement, he is expected to receive 20 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, according to the district attorney’s office.