Caleb Radford Murder: Last Chance U Defendants and Sentences

The Caleb Radford murder ended with two 40-year prison sentences, a plea deal, and a dismissal. Radford, an 18-year-old from Maryville, Tennessee, was robbed and fatally stabbed on the night of July 25, 2017, after driving to meet a group of men for what had been arranged as a marijuana sale. The case drew national attention because two of the four men charged, brothers Isaiah Wright and Camion Patrick, had been featured on the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U.

What Happened on July 25, 2017

Text messages recovered by investigators showed Radford and Keshawn Lonnell Hopewell had coordinated the meeting. Hopewell and Itiq Tivone Green got into Radford’s car while Isaiah Wright and his older brother Camion Patrick stayed behind at an apartment complex.¹

An altercation broke out inside the vehicle. Radford was stabbed six times, including three wounds to the torso and one to the neck; two of the wounds were lethal. His car swerved into a ditch on Topside Road, where police found it after a 911 call came in before 11:00 p.m. Prosecutors said Hopewell and Green took more than $1,000 from Radford before returning to the apartment complex, and all four men then left together in another vehicle.²

Green later identified the weapon as a flip-knife. It was never recovered.²

Who Caleb Radford Was

Born October 3, 1998, Radford grew up in Maryville and graduated early from William Blount High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He planned to study business administration at Pellissippi State Community College and had recently completed a summer internship at the Arconic materials plant in Alcoa. He left behind his parents, Lee and Robyn Radford, three siblings, and an infant son, Kylon.³

The Four Defendants and the Last Chance U Connection

Alcoa police arrested Hopewell and Green on August 3, 2017. Wright and Patrick were arrested that September, and the case immediately attracted national coverage because both brothers had appeared on Last Chance U, the Netflix series about football at East Mississippi Community College.⁴

Wright was a running back who had held a scholarship offer from Auburn; the show’s second season followed his struggles with injuries and with head coach Buddy Stephens.⁵ Patrick, a wide receiver and running back, had committed to Tennessee and played at Indiana, which suspended him after his arrest.⁶ The third season of Last Chance U went on to document the brothers’ involvement in the homicide case.¹

How Each Case Ended

Itiq Green: 40 Years

Green was charged with second-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery. He admitted stabbing Radford with a flip-knife but claimed self-defense. His sentencing hearing began on June 5, 2019, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.⁷²

Keshawn Hopewell: 40 Years

Hopewell was charged with second-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery over $1,000. Evidence at his hearings included text exchanges about buying marijuana and a Google search for “how much for half a pound.” He gave inconsistent accounts to police, at one point claiming he grabbed the steering wheel and steered the car into the ditch after hearing Radford yell. He pleaded guilty to both charges in early May 2019 and was sentenced by Judge Tammy Harrington to 40 years, served concurrently, with credit for time served since his August 1, 2017 arrest. Neither Green nor Hopewell ever offered a clear account of what started the fight in the car. As Judge Harrington put it, “I don’t know how legally important it is who did what. They were both in the car.”²

Isaiah Wright: Plea Deal

Wright was originally charged with criminal homicide. On August 8, 2018, he pleaded guilty to facilitation of aggravated robbery, a Class C felony, and the homicide charge was dropped. He received a six-year sentence with one year to serve, credited against his time since arrest, and the balance on supervised probation. Under the agreement he had to cooperate with prosecutors against Hopewell and Green and provide truthful information about his brother’s role. Judge Harrington warned that any violation would require him to serve 30 percent of the sentence before parole eligibility. Wright initially denied knowing about the plan but later admitted he knew Hopewell and Green intended to “just get the money.”⁸¹

Radford’s mother, Robyn Radford, publicly objected to the plea. She said Wright “knew their plans” and was later seen “dancing around shaking money that was stained with my son’s blood.”⁹ Prosecutors had introduced a seven-second Snapchat video showing four people chanting and holding money, though questions remained about when it was recorded and who appeared in it.¹

Camion Patrick: Dismissed

Patrick was initially charged with criminal homicide, but at a preliminary hearing in November 2017, Judge William R. Brewer Jr. dismissed the charge, ruling that prosecutors had failed to show probable cause for his involvement. Patrick maintained he had no knowledge of the robbery or killing, and was released from the Blount County jail on November 7, 2017.¹⁰

The Family at Sentencing

Radford’s parents and grandmother delivered victim impact statements. His father, Lee Radford, spoke about marking each anniversary of his son’s death and at one point moved toward Hopewell in court before officers intervened; Judge Harrington directed him to “respect the system.” In pronouncing sentence, the judge said, “Caleb will always be 18.”²

Isaiah Wright After Release

After walking out of jail on August 8, 2018, Wright posted on social media: “My story isn’t over… I’m ready to play ball again!” By April 2019, reporting indicated he had returned to football, though no specific team or playing statistics are established in the public record.¹¹

1
Knoxville News Sentinel. Isaiah Wright Murder Trial, Out of Jail, Last Chance U
2
The Daily Times. Last Defendant in 2017 Stabbing Death Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison
3
Knoxville News Sentinel. Blount County Homicide Victim Remembered as Precious Young Man, New Father
4
ESPN. Two Brothers Featured on Last Chance U Charged in Connection With Fatal Stabbing
5
FloFootball. Last Chance U Star Isaiah Wright Is Ineligible
6
Fox Sports. Criminal Homicide Charge Against Ex-Indiana RB Camion Patrick Dismissed
7
WATE. Convicted Murderer of Blount County Teen Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison
8
The Daily Times. Wright Pleads Guilty to Robbery Charge, Agrees to Cooperate With Prosecutors in Stabbing Death
9
WVLT. Victim’s Mother Reflects on Trial
10
Herald-Times Online. Homicide Charge Dropped Against Former IU Running Back Camion Patrick
11
247Sports. Last Chance U’s Isaiah Wright Out of Jail: My Story Isn’t Over