Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright (November 4, 1975 - July 19, 2010) was an American professional basketball player for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association.He was drafted seventh overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and played for the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Cleveland Cavaliers.. Wright went missing on July 18, 2010, and was found . Their first child, Lorenzen Wright Jr., was born on April 11, 1995. Both were arrested and charged in December 2017. April Thompson: His mother Deborah, really kind of pushed that something's not right, and made people realize that he wouldn't have been gone this long that no one heard from him. On the call, a voice could be heard yelling, God ****" before it was followed by gunshots. The hoops star established a scholarship in her name and got deeply involved in philanthropy. they actually say that Billy Ray Turner was in Lorenzen's house. ", Kelvin Cowans: We got on the phone and she wasn't happy about it at all, and --. Kelvin Cowans: she's telling me about it and she's asking me, "What should I do about this money? He was 34. It's unnatural not for you to do it," you know, and she's like, "Well, they're just going to twist my words." Dr. Bill Adkins: I do. Billy Ray Turner has hired John Keith Perry Jr., an experienced defense attorney with a good record. But then they could actually see their grandson do something, Marion said. Kelvin Cowans: I say, "Hey, the police have done this great thing. the grief over, you know, losing Lorenzen. Toney Armstrong: Because his body wasn't found for a long time after he had initially been reported missing. WREG NEWS REPORT: The former wife of NBA star Lorenzen Wright appeared at an extradition hearing today. They found the gun that killed Lorenzen. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. [I thought] I cannot believe that your apex of life is still, How much money can I get? Cowans said. Wright Robinson asked if she was allowed to reply, but her lawyers told her it was not a good idea. Martin claims that it was he who plotted with Billy Ray Turner and Sherra to kill Lorenzen Wright -- first in an aborted attempt in Atlanta --. On December 5, police arrested Billy Ray Turner in a convenience store in Collierville, Tenn. Marc Perrusquia: It was almost like a surreal moment, really. My watch is a car, or my ring is a house, I mean, he was good to me. Also apprehended was a man named Billy Ray Turner. Wright Robinson, however, also claimed to investigators that there was a drug connection. And all of that should come out in court. Turner, a landscaper in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, and Sherra Wright attended the same church. You know? Growing up in Oxford, Mississippi, Wright found a fierce passion for playing basketball. May 12, 2018. "Where are you on it?". He was a generous heart. MEMPHIS (AP) A former Navy sailor and convicted killer testified Thursday that Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife asked him and another man to kill the former NBA player nearly 12 years ago in Atlanta. Everybody was cheering. Lorenzen Wright born Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright, was an American professional basketball player. They are steeped in faith. All night . Sherra Wright filed a petition for relief of conviction or sentence after her surprise guilty plea to facilitation of murder in July 2019. Cowans said he was never suspicious of her during their relationship. But it was a family tragedy in 2003 that would break Lorenzen's heart and eventually his marriage for good. In this Sept. 29, 2008, file photo, the Cleveland Cavaliers Lorenzen Wright poses at the team's NBA basketball media day in Independence, Ohio. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A judge reset a hearing on Tuesday to address a request by the ex-wife of slain NBA player Lorenzen Wright to throw out her guilty plea in his 2010 killing in Memphis, Tennessee. The Times investigation identified more than 100 migrant children, some as young as 12 years old, who say theyre working overnight shifts and dangerous jobs for companies big and small throughout the U.S. President Joe Biden still has full confidence in Becerra, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday when asked about the secretarys job in light of the new report. Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright was murdered more than a decade ago in a plan involving his ex-wife, but Wrights family and friends are still dealing with many unanswered questions, including "why? She wants to come make chicken and dumplings. Sherra, I want to thank you for giving me my grandchildren, thats what I want to thank you for, she said in court. Gayle Rose: there's some part of me, to be honest with you, that doesn't want to believe that, and just can't, can't take that in. Then came their eldest daughter Loren Wright. April Thompson, an investigative reporter at WREG, the CBS affiliate in Memphis, was on this story from the start. But he left nice looking kids here for his grandma. Doctors could not revive her and she was pronounced dead. Dr. Bill Adkins: And I turned on the television And -- I saw Deborah, his mom -- running down the road, tryin' to get to his body It was a total shock. Sherra Wright Robinson Family How old is she? Lorenzen Wright and Sherra Wright had seven children, one of whom died as a toddler. Toney Armstrong: I wanted to be able to make that phone call to her and tell her, you know, that we found the person responsible for this. I don't want to argue with you,'" Dotson said. Wright's decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. But it ended before the caller could give his name and location: 911 OPERATOR: I don't have nothing but gunshots. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. So, who conspired to murder Wright? Dr. Bill Adkins: Oh, yeah, I saw this huge kid that could run the floor like a gazelle. It will also now require staff to follow up with children who call the Office of Refugee Resettlement National Call Center to report safety concerns. "I absolutely think that he did not do it.". You know, Memphis basketball was literally everything. On Jan. 25, 2018, the real court of Shelby County weighed in. Toney Armstrong: I can tell you that we threw everything but the kitchen sink at this investigation. And then they arrest this guy Billy Turner, who nobody ever even heard of. But, as Nevels put it, just as fast as he was making money, money was being spent.. It was scheduled to be on what would've been his 47th birthday, November 4, but the custom shirts the group wore . Sierra Wright, the 11-month-old daughter of Memphis Grizzlies' center Lorenzen Wright, died Saturday morning at the family's home in Memphis, Tenn. Im like, 'If shed done something, theyd have her by now. I mean I never wouldve moved away with her if I thought she was a killer, said Cowans. Kelvin Cowans: No one wants to come to a realization that a mother with no criminal background, mother of seven of his children, would be involved in his 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. He continued his exploits in college and was drafted, 7th overall, into the NBA in 1996. But I want you to call them, [and say], 'No its OK to talk to grandma, grandma still loves you.' That day, using more precise cell phone data and aided by cadaver dogs, the search was on. Dr. Bill Adkins: When he stepped up to that podium -- everybody just cheered. And the second claim? Should I go after it, should I go to court?" Wright, 34, had been missing for 10 days before his body was discovered. And at the same time in that world, not really being focused on his relationship and his marriage as probably he should've been. 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. Phil Dotson: He never met a fan that he didn't like. The DEA ultimately found no drug connection between Lorenzen and Cole. According to the Shelby. That ended in July 2010 during a call to 911. With Lorenzen, Id be talking to his picture and sometimes his picture could look at me a certain way like its really him He was a mommas boy. To be able to play high school ball here, to play college ball and then to play in the NBA in front of your hometown, I don't know if it gets any better than that, Dotson said. She also published a book titled Mr Tell Me Anything. According to the Commercial Appeal, "police sources confirmed earlier . Prosecutors allege Wright's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, masterminded a plan to kill her ex-husband and recruited Turner and . As the days passed Lorenzen's disappearance became one of the biggest mysteries Memphis had ever seen. First published on May 12, 2018 / 11:02 PM. Marion, who was in the courtroom that day, said that after 12 years, she felt like "she can sleep now. Lee Harvey Oswald Bio, Wife, Children, Brother, Mother, Who Killed Him? Martin alleges that he was not present for the actual murder, but he did help Turner and Wright clean up the crime scene. He weighed 260 pounds, or 118 kilograms. And he pledged that he would find the killer. She also claimed armed men wearing trench coats had recently come to the home looking for Wright. I said, "The public wants to hear from you Sherra," you know and she just wasn't -- she wasn't with it. You need to let us know. Shes constantly saying about [other] women he [was] with some women.. He declined to comment to ABC News for this report. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the insurance money meant to benefit their six children. Maybe I've been looking at guilt. Always volunteered. Phil Dotson: And, I ended up droppin' him off that night at about 10:00 p.m. And when I dropped him off, he said, "Let me go in here and deal with this. How could you?". In the E60 special they claim to have. LORENZEN WRIGHT [NEWS INTERVIEW] Thinking about what I'm going to be doing next year, whether I'm going to be at the University of Memphis or you know, in the NBA. Born in Oxford, Mississippi, Lorenzen Wright moved to Memphis to play basketball at Booker T. Washington High School. The stage was set for Wright Robinson and Turner to be tried together, but that all changed when Turner was faced with another legal matter. At the time, a review by the Germantown Police Department concluded that the dispatchers had properly followed procedures. Eileen Gus Parents: What is Known About Her Dad and Mom? Tribune Broadcasting. He and his ex-wife had six children, including Lawson, Sofia, the twins Shamar and Lamar Lorenzen Wright Jr, and Sierra, who died in infancy. A Memphis native, the 6-foot-11 Wright played 13 seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams. Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman is one of Shelby County's best prosecutors, but he's trying to manage expectations. Completely unexpected, out of the blue he calls me and says, Hey bud, Im in town, lets hang out, Dotson said. Now they think of him as a drug dealer. Gayle Rose: Lorenzen is an example to every young boy it doesn't matter white or black that if you work hard and you have the gifts, that you can get at this level. Their children include Lorenzen Wright Jr, Loren Wright, twins Lamar, and Shamar Wright, Sofia Wright, and Lawson Wright. Marc Perresquia: When you read this book, you go, like, "Wow.". Lorenzen Wright made headlines as the seventh overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft but he also won the hearts of so many because of his impact on thousands of kids who were inspired by him. Im like, I just spent almost three years of my life with a killer, he said. The call was eventually tracked to an overgrown field where Wrights decomposing body was discovered. Toney Armstrong: That's the needle in the haystack. But rumors don't equal proof, and police director Toney Armstrong's tenure had come to an end. Portrait of deborah marion, mother of former nba player lorenzen wright . Gayle Rose: He was one young man who was working to make a difference and he symbolized hope in our community. I just sat there. Hes a celebrity from Memphis, so I thought this would be an open and shut case, he said. James Brown: How did this impact the city as a whole? How Old Is Marty Raney and What Is His Net Worth? And I do mean spend. After finding the gun, the case took an unexpected turn. That -- that was when I first started to believe that, you know what, maybe I haven't been looking at grief, you know, all this time. Life in the NBA can be hard on a family -- working on the road, in cities far from home for months at a time, can stress even the best of marriages. Lorenzen Wright was a 34-year-old basketball player in the NBA, who played for a total of 13 seasons after being drafted seventh overall in the 1996 draft. I advised her not to, because at that point, what difference does it make, said Ganguli. Wright and Turner pleaded not guilty to all charges, but the indictments revealed two startling claims. Sherra Wright and Billy Ray Turner were charged with first-degree murder, by writing a book about his complicated relationship with Sherra Wright. Always would -- would be one of the first ones to raise their hand when the team would ask for a player to go into a children's hospital, or to go and speak at a school or an event. The tipping point came when Lorenzen's father Herb Wright received a $200,000 check from the NBA for his son's estate. KCAL NEWS REPORT: Memphis police just announced Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife is now charged with murder. All Rights Reserved. You got Martin Luther King, OK, you can't trump that one, but he comes very close. Her father was one of Wright's high school coaches. On July 28, his body was discovered shot to death in a wooded area on Callis Cutoff Road, just west of Hacks Cross Road. She received a 30-year prison sentence. 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