News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Parole Denied for Father Convicted of Murdering 5 Month Old Baby

In 2011 Dale C. Wright was convicted by a Jury of murdering his five-month-old son, Dash Wright. Wright appeared in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas where he received a prison sentence of 15 years to life.

Earlier this year, Wright served his minimum prison sentence of 15 years. He recently appeared before the Ohio Parole Board for the first time to present his case and ask to be released from prison and placed on parole.

The parole board denied his release and set his next hearing in May of 2035.

https://appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch/Search/Details/A611989



Case Details:

In the late evening, early morning of August 2, 2010, Dale Wright would put Dash to bed for the last time.

After giving Dash his final bottle for the night Wright placed Dash in his bed, face down in a blanket. Wright then left to do his laundry. After returning to check on Dash, Wright found the five-month-old with vomit on his clothes, and unresponsive.

Wright then grabbed Dash and ran up the stairs of the basement to get Dash’s mother and call 911. Detectives asked Wright if he hit Dash’s head against the wall out of anger. Wright answered with “I don’t know if I could have hit him when I ran…I can’t say I did hit something, but I don’t want to say I didn’t”.

Wright reported running frantically around the house with Dash in his arms. He first ran up the basement stairs, then ran to the bathroom and eventually into the front yard where he would wait for paramedics to arrive. This incident occurred while Wright had been awake for a total of thirty-three hours without a single break from Dash.

Paramedics arrived and Dash was transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Dash’s doctors reported that he had extensive retinal hemorrhages, which is a direct result of shaking or severe blunt force trauma. Dash also had a diastatic fracture. Several doctors deliberated and gave the expert opinion that Dash’s injuries could not have occurred by accident but only through intentional trauma. The Franklin County medical examiner shared that his skull fracture and traumatic brain injury, was the cause of death, not allowing his brain to properly function any further.

While in the care of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Wright chose to not stay by Dash’s side but to go home and leave him and his mother alone at the hospital.

Later that day on August 2nd is when detectives found Wright hiding away in his home. When detectives began to question the events that took place earlier that morning, he deflected by talking about his different pets. At one point Wright wanted to show the detective how he fed his various reptiles, and the police tape he had as a souvenir from a crime scene. He showed little to no emotion for the duration of the interview.

Dash’s family still honors him to this day. Every year they hold a celebration on his birthday and celebration of life on his death date. Dash’s mother plants a memorial garden in his honor and his grandparents still buy him Christmas gifts.

“The defendant received the maximum sentence following his trial,” said Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch. “My office will continue to oppose his release. Justice requires that this defendant never leaves prison, and I plan on making sure justice is delivered.”

###
Follow the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office on Facebook for the most current and complete information.