Inmate admits to killing ‘mastermind’ of child porn ring in Michigan prison, feds say

One of a few inmates accused of killing the “mastermind” behind a child porn ring while in federal prison has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, officials say.

Adam Taylor Wright, 41, formerly of Springfield, Illinois, admitted to his role in the “brutal” death of Christian Maire while serving time at the Milan Correctional Institution in Michigan, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Maire was killed Jan. 2, 2019, according to a release from the Federal Bureau of Prisons said. When he died, he had been serving a 40-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to his involvement in a child exploitation enterprise.

“Prosecutors said he was the ‘mastermind’ of an ‘egregious crime syndicate’ that coerced vulnerable girls to engage in sexual activity on a website,” according to the AP, and while Maire admitted to being involved, he denied being the leader.

Wright was being held in prison after a string of bank robberies at the time of Maire’s death, The Detroit News reported.

The defense attorney representing Wright did not immediately respond to a request for statement from McClatchy News.

By pleading guilty, the government recommends that Wright spend no more than 27 years in prison, according to the plea agreement filed in court. If agreed upon, that time may be served concurrently with the years he is serving for three other cases.

All other charges against Wright in connection to his fellow inmate’s death — including first-degree premeditated murder and impeding a federal officer — were dropped as part of the plea agreement where Wright said he and two other inmates unlawfully killed Maire.

“Specifically, Wright repeatedly kicked and stomped Maire in the head,” the filed document says. He also said he prevented Maire from escaping as the other inmates repeatedly stabbed him with a shank and kicked his head.

Wright said he and other two inmates “then worked together to throw Maire’s body down a flight of metal stairs, all deliberately and intentionally causing Maire’s death.”

Charges against the other two inmates are still pending, officials say, and they are still presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

“When a murder happens within a prison, it undermines the safety and security of our penal institutions as well as the inmates and Bureau of Prisons employees who work there,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison in a statement. “Our office will bring to justice those who engage in such senseless and brutal acts of violence.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Inmate admits to killing ‘mastermind’ of child porn ring in Michigan prison, feds say."