DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A songwriter and music industry entrepreneur from Atlanta has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing his girlfriend in Iowa.
Justin Wright was found guilty of first-degree murder in April in the death of 20-year-old Wilanna Bibbs, and was sentenced Wednesday, the Quad-City Times reported.
Wright, 34, also known as J Wright, founded Camp Entertainment Worldwide in 2011. His company worked with artists that included Bow Wow, Timbaland, Kash Doll and DJ Khalid, and he became a multi-platinum songwriter working with those acts.
Bibbs, an aspiring singer from Durham, North Carolina, was shot to death on May 9, 2021, at a home in Davenport, Iowa. At the sentencing hearing, Bibbs' father, Thomas Bibbs, said Wright killed his daughter over $70. The two had been dating for a few months.
Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham said Wright and Bibbs were in Davenport visiting Wright's relatives.
Wright did not speak during the sentencing hearing. When his mother asked if she could say goodbye to her son as he was being escorted out, a deputy shook his head no and kept walking.