Raymond Wright disappeared from the Sacramento area in January 2018; Robert Manor and Victor Merle Gray were convicted of his murder and kidnapping, and the California Court of Appeal affirmed both judgments in August 2025.
Raymond “Ray” Wright was a 55-year-old father and construction contractor from Rocklin, California. He disappeared on January 11, 2018, after going to a workshop he rented in Rio Linda. His truck was recovered later that month, and investigators found blood and other evidence linking the disappearance to a broader inquiry. Wright's remains have not been recovered.
Prosecutors alleged that Robert Manor arranged for Victor Merle Gray to abduct Wright in retaliation for an earlier impaired-driving crash that had injured Manor and his wife. At their 2023 trial, the prosecution presented DNA evidence, Wright's property recovered from Gray's vehicle, a photographed letter, electronic records, and witness testimony.
On March 17, 2023, a jury convicted Manor and Gray of first-degree murder with a kidnapping special circumstance and kidnapping for ransom causing death. Both men were later sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Those judgments support classifying the homicide as solved even though Wright's remains have not been found.
On August 20, 2025, the California Court of Appeal affirmed both judgments. This account does not call the convictions final or imply that every possible avenue of review is exhausted. It also does not make a current claim that police are actively soliciting recovery tips, because no current official recovery notice was included in the audited source set.
Raymond Wright disappeared from the Sacramento area in January 2018; Robert Manor and Victor Merle Gray were convicted of his murder and kidnapping, and the California Court of Appeal affirmed both judgments in August 2025.
Where did the murder happen?
Rocklin, California, United States.
Who was convicted?
Victor Merle Gray (Convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping for ransom causing death; the judgment was affirmed in August 2025.) and Robert Manor (Convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping for ransom causing death; the judgment was affirmed in August 2025.).
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