Ex-wife of slain NBA player charged with his murder
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — The exwife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright has been charged in his slaying, more than seven years after his body was found in a field in his hometown of Memphis.
Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said Saturday that Sherra Wright had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Wright, who played for five teams over 13 seasons as a forward and centre in the NBA.
Police and federal marshals in Riverside County, California, arrested 46-year-old Sherra Wright on Friday on a fugitive from justice warrant.
Wright’s decomposing body was found on July 28, 2010 — 10 days after the 34-year-old was reported missing. He was shot several times. The seven-year investigation into his death has been one of the Memphis Police Department’s most high-profile unsolved cases.
The case had a break this month, when Billy R. Turner was indicted on a first-degree murder charge on Dec. 5 in Wright’s death. Turner has pleaded not guilty. Reports have said Turner, a landscaper, and Sherra Wright attended the same church. Rallings would not discuss the connection between Turner and Wright, but he said police were confident they knew each other.
Shelby County district attorney’s office said Turner and Sherra Wright conspired to kill Lorenzen Wright. Sherra Wright has a court hearing Monday in California. Officials were not certain Saturday when she would be returned to Memphis. Police said last month they had found a gun used in the killing in a lake near Walnut, Mississippi, 120 kilometres east of Memphis.
“The weapon was key,” Rallings said.
The district attorney’s office said the first attempt at killing Wright occurred between April and July 2010 and involved Turner travelling to Wright’s home near Atlanta. The indictment says Sherra Wright and Turner acquired firearms and recruited a co-conspirator, who was not named. Rallings said police are looking at other people in the investigation.
Sherra Wright got $1 million US from her ex-husband’s life insurance policy. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the insurance money meant to benefit their six children, the Memphis-based Commercial Appeal has reported.
Born and raised in Memphis, Lorenzen Wright was a fan favourite thanks to his charity work with youth and his father’s involvement as a coach in summer leagues. Wright played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers.