Lorenzen Wright’s murder was shocking, suspicious and sad, but on Monday, justice was finally served.
Billy Ray Turner, the man accused of murdering the former NBA player, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Wright was a star basketball player born and raised in Memphis. He was a McDonald’s All-American, an All-American for the Memphis Tigers and played in the league for thirteen years with teams such as the Clippers, Hawks, Grizzlies, Kings and Cavaliers.
He was a local hero loved by his hometown, which is where he was killed by Turner in a murder orchestrated by Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Wright.
In July of 2010, Wright went missing for 10 days. His body was eventually found in the woods near Memphis. It was a case that baffled and frustrated investigators for seven years.
Rumors swirled that it might have been a drug deal gone bad, especially as he was shot multiple times, but nothing was concrete.
Then, in 2017, Memphis police finally caught a break when they received a tip and ultimately found the gun used to kill Wright in a river in Mississippi roughly 75 miles east of Memphis. Afterward, they arrested Turner, 51, in early December 2017, and that’s when the pieces started to fall into place.
Turner and Sherra Wright attended the same church, and so a connection was established.
A few weeks later, they arrested Wright in California and charged her with first-degree murder.
Continue reading over at First and Pen.
This content has been brought to you by First and Pen in partnership with TheHub.News. First and Pen “amplifies local sports stories from voices of color to the national conscience…”
