Lorenzen Wright death: Ex-wife Sherra Wright's guilty plea Lorenzen Wright pictured with Sherra Robinson before prom. 
Deborah Marion [yells in court]: How could you murder my son? Even though he had reportedly earned more than $55 million during his NBA career, Lorenzen had burned through most of the money and was almost broke at the time of his death. Then his character was assassinated People now don't think of him as that charming, happy young man who played for Memphis. Discovery Company. His problem was affluence and how to handle that affluence. They found the needle in the haystack. RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -Virginia Commonwealth University has chosen former mens basketball star Mo Alie-Cox as the universitys commencement speaker. When Wright Robinsons plea bargain was announced in court, the judge allowed Marion the chance to speak to her sons ex-wife. Despite the enormous pressure to solve the murder of Lorenzen Wright, the investigation was hampered from the very beginning. Listen to the Sky News Daily Podcast as you scroll. The pair eventually moved to Houston together with Wright Robinson's kids. UConn's lanky star forward, Adama Sanogo, won Most Outstanding Player honors, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the final. His name is Jimmie Martin, a convicted murderer currently serving time in prison. Hours later, just after midnight, a Germantown, Tennessee, 911 operator responded to an incoming call. Marc Perrusquia: Now, the $64,000 question about that is was Lorenzen a willing part of this? And then they arrest this guy Billy Turner, who nobody ever even heard of. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The Los Angeles Clippers drafted Lorenzen Wright in 1996, according to the NBAs website. Hes a celebrity from Memphis, so I thought this would be an open and shut case, he said. I said, "The public wants to hear from you Sherra," you know and she just wasn't -- she wasn't with it. He especially loved his own. No Marc Perresquia: Sherra was very interested in getting money. It was updated on July 27, 2019.]. Billy Ray Turner found guilty of first-degree murder Wrights ex-wife already jailed for her part in killing Associated Press Tue 22 Mar 2022 07.40 EDT A jury on Monday A college basketball player was killed and eight other people were wounded Monday in an early-morning shooting at a gathering in Harlem, New York City police said. Martin alleged that a metal detector was used to try to find a gun that had been dropped during the crime, and that he and Turner then drove to the lake in Mississippi where Turner disposed of a gun, according to prosecutors. Should I go after it, should I go to court?" Wilson did not fully understand why Rush had pushed him away and as time went on, it started to have an effect on him. Kelvin Cowans: she's telling me about it and she's asking me, "What should I do about this money? ", "And he was like, 'OK, all right, fine. Kelvin Cowans: It was great. Ultimately, it wasn't up to Sherra Wright. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Now they think of him as a drug dealer. He would give people jobs, said Dotson. Adreian Payne was a star big man on the Michigan State Spartans basketball team under Tom Izzo, went No. In 2001, Wright signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. James Brown: Never had gotten romantically involved with an interview subject? Turner is a landscaper who knew Sherra Wright from church and, according to prosecutors, had a secret romantic relationship with her. 2023 Cable News Network. But it ended before the caller could give his name and location: 911 OPERATOR: I don't have nothing but gunshots. 8:32 PM EDT, Mon March 21, 2022, Ex-wife of NBA player charged in his murder. Marc Perrusquia: It's huge. The tipping point came when Lorenzen's father Herb Wright received a $200,000 check from the NBA for his son's estate. and I said, "No." The Wolverines would not win another state title in the 20th century. Billy Ray Turner's bond was set at $15 million. Please enter valid email address to continue. "Where are you on it?". who knows what and how it all fits together. One weekend, Wright flew home to Memphis to attend his daughter's dance recital and his sister's baby shower. APRIL THOMPSON: Did you have anything to do with Lorenzo's murder? By 2016, six years after the murder of hometown hero Lorenzen Wright, Memphis had all but given up hope that the crime would be solved. I can't reach him." Sherra had told police that Lorenzen owned a shotgun and a handgun and kept them on the property. Martin was convicted and is currently serving prison time in that case. The first, directed by Coodie and Chike and produced in association with ESPN Films, was titled Benji and made its debut at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. "You got the wrong person." And Sherra also claimed to be writing a sequel where the philandering husband in her first book is murdered. you can basically say that they never gave up. Wilson's temper eventually would get the best of him as he shoved a teacher to the floor when the teacher tried to break up another argument between the two. Although he skyrocketed into the fast life of the NBA, Wrights childhood friends said that he never lost touch with his roots. Because I miss them.. Moore's cousin had been robbed of $10, allegedly by a student of Simeon, and he brought the gun with him to avenge his cousin. She received a 30-year prison sentence. She implied that Lorenzen was involved in some sort of drug transaction and was planning to "flip something for $110,000.". There were also accusations of infidelity in the relationship on both sides. Even though Cowans had heard the rumors about Sherra's involvement with Lorenzen's murder, he remained devoted to her. Lorenzen went on to dazzle fans at the University of Memphis, but not for long. While playing summer basketball in his junior year of high school, Wright met his ex-wife Sherra Robinson, who became Sherra Wright Robinson. The 1984-85 team, which would have seen Wilson team with future NBA star Nick Anderson (whom he convinced to transfer to Simeon), went 28-2 without their captain. Dr. Bill Adkins: somebody just murdered him. "That's just not in this person's character to do this." Never in my life did I think it would take so long [to solve].. But he left nice looking kids here for his grandma. Sherra Wright was extradited from California to Tennessee, where she appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit, arraigned for the murder of her ex-husband. DEBORAH MARION [WREG NEWS REPORT]: nowhere he could be that I don't know where he is We checked all his friends from here to Atlanta, Mississippi, everywhere. Dr. Bill Adkins: I do. Dr. Bill Adkins: When he stepped up to that podium -- everybody just cheered. His grandmother, his father Herb, his mother Deborah, his ex-wife Sherra and their six children were dealing in their own ways with Lorenzen's death. Dr. Bill Adkins: Oh, yeah, I saw this huge kid that could run the floor like a gazelle. It was just unbelievable that he was dead. She's a great mom. Wrights body was found with multiple bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on 28 July 2010. As the Simeon student body began preparing for lunch period on November 20, Wilson elected to try and talk to Rush again instead of eating with his teammates as he usually did. Former Milwaukee Bucks player Galen Young was killed when a woman crashed a car into his Memphis home, according to police. Billy Ray Turner was then a 47-year-old landscaper. Prosecutor Austin Scofield said Sherra Wright told Turner during a meeting at her house that Lorenzen Wright had a hit out on her. Isaiah Gant, Moore's attorney, argued that his client was only trying to protect himself from the much larger Wilson. As the days passed Lorenzen's disappearance became one of the biggest mysteries Memphis had ever seen. Lorenzen Wright #42 of the Memphis Grizzlies shoots over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Memphis, Tenn.,April 11, 2006. Hell be joined on the sideline by Marcus Smart (neck spasms) and Al Horford (back spasms). Although Wright Robinson is now behind bars, Marion still does not have full closure. This is what I told her Sherra, where is he? After having Lorenzen Jr., the couple got married and had a daughter named Loren, twin boys named Lamar and Shamar, another daughter named Sofia, a son named Lawson and a girl named Sierra, who died of sudden infant death syndrome when she was a baby. Police find Lorenzen's body near a back woods road some 20 miles outside of Memphis. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman [to reporters on Feb. 26]: Two defendants, years and years, cold case for years and years. Maybe I've been looking at guilt. GRAMBLING, La., March 13 (UPI)Charles Anderson, the captainelect of next year's Grambling College basketball team, was killed in a hitandrun accident last night. "I absolutely think that he did not do it.". [1][2][3][4][5], At the time of the shooting, Wilson was seventeen years old and had just started his senior year at Simeon. A third person was involved -- someone who claims to have been in on it an unindicted co-conspirator. All Rights Reserved. I want my 5 March 3, 2011 / 4:22 PM / AP. Servidio, 22, was at the Salvation Army on 29th Street in Harrisburg on March 20, playing basketball in So it's easy for somebody to say, "Well, the-- the obvious suspect was right there in front of you the whole time." Wright was the father of seven children. Common causes and when you should seek care. April Thompson: I have heard people say that she liked the wealth I asked her what she was doing for money. Adreian Payne was a star big man on the Michigan State Spartans basketball team under Tom Izzo, went No. The call came in to a 911 dispatcher in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. Sherra claimed it was based on her life with Lorenzen. So that's an intriguing element to this. And he symbolized hope in our community. Sherra Wright and Billy Ray Turner were charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy. We really, really wanted to solve this case.". [13] Billy Moore appealed his conviction but did not do so until 1992 as he was unaware his sentence was not automatically appealed. The prosecution's lead witness was Jetun Rush, who testified to that effect. An autopsy has determined that a 60-year-old spectator who died after being involved in a brawl at a Vermont middle school basketball game in late January died of an acute cardiac event, state police said. Prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty in the case, which is fine with Lorenzen's family. Wright was known for his hard work on the court, but it was his work off the court that truly endeared him to his fans at home. This person who, for the past 25 years, had not had any sort of troubles, said John Keith Perry, Turners defense attorney. At the time of Wrights slaying, Martin was facing charges of killing his girlfriend, and he said his cousin helped pay part of his legal fees. Wright Robinson was charged with first-degree murder, criminal attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He would eventually receive parole in 2005. Mark Eaton, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year who spent his entire NBA career with the Utah She's spiritual. Martin testified that he and Turner met with Sherra Wright to plan the killing and went to Lorenzen Wrights condominium in Atlanta to shoot him, with an understanding that he would get paid. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. They were getting older. At the screening, Billy Moore and Ben Wilson's brothers Anthony and Jeffrey appeared onstage together and the two Wilsons publicly forgave Moore for his action; this was the dying wish of Mary Wilson, who passed away at the age of 63 in December 2000.[19]. He pleaded guilty to possessing the firearm. Dr. Bill Adkins: Basketball in Memphis became -- a instrument of change which brought races together. Wrights death shook his hometown of Memphis. DURANT, Okla. (KXII) - A recent Kingston High School graduate and former basketball star died in a wreck outside Durant Tuesday morning. Although, Kelvin Cowans had broken up with Sherra Wright, he thought she would be happy when the gun was found. Phil Dotson: He never met a fan that he didn't like. Moore and Dixon had cut school that day, and Moore had a .22 caliber pistol in his possession. For some time after Wilson was killed, Simeon issued his number 25 jersey to the player on the team that they deemed the best. Kelvin Cowans: I didn't even believe she had anything to do with it. Phil Dotson: Lorenzen was in high school playing for Sherra's father and she would come to practices. But he didn't get the reaction he expected when he called her to celebrate. Marc Perrusquia: This $1 million insurance policy was set up for the benefit of their children. John Keith Perry Jr. [to reporters on March 19]: His family's a Christian family. SANTA FE, N.M. A popular Santa Fe High basketball player was shot and killed, according to officials with the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office. 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