A jury has been appointed for the trial of reality TV personality Matt Wright, who faces charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice in connection with a helicopter crash in the outback that resulted in the death of his colleague, Chris "Willow" Wilson. The incident occurred in February 2022 when Wilson, 34, was suspended from the helicopter on a crocodile egg-collecting mission when the aircraft lost power and crashed, severely injuring the pilot, Sebastian Robinson.
Wright is accused of altering evidence to conceal violations of aircraft maintenance regulations following the accident. The 45-year-old has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert justice. He attended the Supreme Court in Darwin on Tuesday, dressed in smart attire and accompanied by his wife, Kaia, and his legal team.
The court was crowded with over 100 potential jurors, many of whom sought to be excused from duty as Wright observed quietly from the dock. A random selection process determined the final jury panel, comprising 12 jurors—eight men and six women—along with two reserves.
Acting Justice Allan Blow informed the court that the trial is expected to last between three to five weeks due to a lengthy list of witnesses. He cautioned the jurors to disregard any media coverage they may have encountered about the case and to base their decisions solely on the evidence presented in court.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s report on the crash revealed that the helicopter’s engine failure was attributed to fuel depletion during flight. Facing a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the charges in the Northern Territory, Wright’s previous rise to fame includes starring in National Geographic’s Outback Wrangler and Netflix’s Wild Croc Territory.