Prosecutor Sarita Wright, 33, dies suddenly

WILMINGTON — Sarita Wright, 33, a rising star in the Delaware Attorney General's Office, died unexpectedly Sunday.

According to the Cecil County Sheriff's Office, authorities were called to Wright's Elkton, Maryland, home around 6:50 p.m. for a report of a person suffering cardiac arrest.

Police and paramedics arrived shortly thereafter but were not able to revive Wright, who was pronounced dead at the scene at 7 p.m., according to Lt. Michael Holmes.

Wright, who was married in 2012 to Tony Lucas, an assistant football coach at the University of Delaware, was about six months pregnant with her first child. The baby did not survive.

Holmes said the death does not appear suspicious but, as is standard procedure for someone young and healthy, an autopsy was performed Monday.

"There is no cause at this time," Holmes said, adding it could be weeks before tests are completed and the cause can be determined.

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden issued a brief statement, praising Wright as "an incredibly committed and accomplished deputy attorney general and a beloved colleague and friend to many."

"Her passing is a shock to us all. As we deeply mourn her passing our hearts and prayers go out to her husband Tony and to her entire family," Biden said.

Many from the defense side were stunned by the news and mourned her passing.

"Sarita was a well-respected, well-liked prosecutor and her death and the death of her child are just a tragedy," said Delaware Public Defender Brendan O'Neill. "It is unspeakably sad, just awful."

Assistant Public Defender Beth Savitz said there was a pall over the New Castle County Courthouse on Monday, where Wright was a familiar presence in the halls and courtrooms.

"She was a dedicated prosecutor who believed in the job she did and she was good people," Savitz said.

"In addition to being a smart and talented prosecutor, which she was, she also conducted herself with the utmost degree of class and integrity," added defense attorney Patrick Collins. "She had the respect of the criminal defense community because she worked so hard and really cared about getting it right."

Some in the Delaware Attorney General's office were so overcome on Monday they did not want to be quoted. Savitz said one prosecutor she saw "looked like he had been hit by a bus."

UD football coach Dave Brock made an emotional announcement about the death at his regular Monday press conference. He did not elaborate and took no questions.

Wright, a native of Massachusetts, first started work with the Delaware Attorney General's Office in June 2007 as a summer law clerk. She was hired by the office in August 2008 and shortly after passing the Delaware bar in December 2009 she became a deputy attorney general.

She quickly proved herself in the courtroom and was involved in a number of high-profile homicide cases, including the prosecution of the violent "Trapstars" gang and in October 2013 became head of the Attorney General's Wilmington Unit.

In recent months, Wright was part of the prosecution team that was arguing before Superior Court Judge William Carpenter about the validity of drug evidence that passed through the troubled Office of the Chief Medical Examiner between 2010 and 2014.

Staff reporter Kevin Tresolini contributed to this story.

Contact Sean O'Sullivan at (302) 324-2777 or sosullivan@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @SeanGOSullivan