(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) According to the report, Wright-Robinson, who married Wright during his stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, had claimed the $1 million check from the. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Jimmie Martin . They need to spend time and focus and find out what happened to him. That call was not followed up on at all. That same year, Wright was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Emailus. When not in California or on the road, he would return to Memphis to be with Sherra and their child. Web The ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday for her role in his 2010 shooting death in Memphis. Their next court appearance is Oct 5, but no trial date has been set. Sherra Wright Robinson. pic.twitter.com/oQv2YnzXHy, In 2017, authorities received a big break in the case, the Post reported, when police in Mississippi found what they suspect to be the murder weapon in a lake about 75 miles southeast of Memphis in Walnut, Mississippi., Memphis police Director Michael Rallings said in the December 16 news conference, The Lorenzen Wright case has stayed in the public eye for many years, and weve never given up hope that we would be able to bring the responsible parties to justice another piece of the puzzle is in place.. She said she took the plea deal because it was in my best interests. Marion also said Sherra Wright should be denied parole. For 7 years she has fought for justice. ! Sherra wrote. In Sherras version of events, things came to a head after Lorenzen purportedly went into hiding. lorenzen wright jr posted ^that picture about his mother. For other inquiries, Contact Us. He claimed they told him Lorenzen was jumping the fence "like a deer.". She could easily manipulate Turner, prosecutors said. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. THE ex-wife of a former NBA star is in prison for her role in the basketball player's horror murder in a case that shocked the nation. GRIZZLIES NUGGETS, DENVER, USA They had cars that had been repossessed and I dont think he was in a good place financially, former Memphis Police Lt. Darren Goods told Snapped.. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. Lorenzen allegedly told Sherra that he was going to grab $110,000 for a meeting. Tony Parks said that Sherra Wright did not bring up the alleged drug dealing back in 2010. Martin was Sherras cousin and was currently out on bail for the second-degree murder of his girlfriend, Martha Jean Bownes. We all need to know., Complicating the investigation, according to CBC, Wright, who was 34 when he died after being shot at least five times, was probably carrying a large amount of cash when he disappeared on July 18. It wasnine days after a911 call that had landed in Germantown surfaced, leadinginvestigators to a grassy field in southeast Shelby County and Lorenzen Wright'sbadly decomposed body. Lorenzen and Sherra married in 1998, and welcomed another child in 1999. In July 2019, Sherra Wright, 48, pleaded guilty to facilitation to commit murder and facilitation to commit attempted first-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to Memphis CBS-affiliate, Billy Ray Turner was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy first-degree murder in March 2022 and sentenced to life in prison, according to, In March 2022, Sherra Wrights request for parole was denied, according to. Amid a flurry of laughter and overlapping words to Wright, the balloons floated away to dot the blue, nearly cloudless sky. In the board's action sheet, obtained by the Commercial Appeal through a records request, the board said, "The release from custody at this time would depreciate the seriousness of the crime of which the offender stands convicted or promote disrespect of the law.". Barrett Rich, a member of Tennessees state parole board, pressed her on her version of events, asking her, Did you plot and conspire to kill your former husband?, While she admitted to sending those people to Lorenzens home, she denied unlocking a window for them. Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife has been charged with his murder. Lorenzen would later return to the Hawks and play for the Sacramento Kings before finishing his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton. She says she wont stop yet. Sherra Wright, the ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, pleaded guilty Thursday in Memphis to charges of facilitation to commit first-degree murder and facilitation to commit. Sherra Wright had helped pay for a lawyer for Martin her cousin to represent him in his girlfriend's slaying, Martin said. The . He has to be gone.. The arguments just continued on. By the end, the group began to smile and hug as white balloons were passed out. Lorenzen was the seventh overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, landing a spot on the Los Angeles Clippers. Investigators spoke with Sherra, who said she had last seen Lorenzen on the night of July 18. Turner was arrested on Dec. 5 in Collierville, while Sherra Wright was picked up in Riverside, California days later. According to prosecutors in Turners trial, Turner and Sherra had a romantic relationship. And unfortunately Lorenzen Wright lost his life in this city in basketball, when you make a rebound, it gives you a second chance, said Memphis Police Major Darren Goods, of the Multi-Agency Gang Unit. Im sure hes just gone, hell come back. Wright Killed Basketball, Independence, USA Sherra and Lorenzens sonLorenzen Wright Jr.appeared at the hearing to support his mother. I understand what you have in front of you, Sherra Wright told Rich in an attempted retort to that evidence. Lorenzen Wright's mother spent her son's last 12 birthdays at his grave. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. "You've got the Clippers right here, it was his first team he got drafted to. If Wright serves out her full sentence, she will be released on June 8, 2046 at the age of 75. Martin claimed he did not personally help kill Lorenzen or see it happen just that he participated in cleaning it up. Sherra Wright pleaded guilty in 2019 to orchestrating the 2010 murder of Lorenzen Wright, her ex-husband and U of M and Grizzlies basketball star. Kelvin "Six-Four" Cowans, the last man to date Sherra before . Although Deborah and Tomonique Marion bore the occasional smile at Lorenzen Wright's grave Sunday, some including Deborah's sister Patricia Vassar let out tears as the family added flowers around the headstone. The ex-wife of former NBA center Lorenzen Wright, 34, recruited both her lover and her cousin to murder the basketball star, a prosecutor said Tuesday during opening statements. The policy was in place to care for the ex-couple's six living children, if something were to happen to him. Turner and Sherra Wright were indicted in 2017. Sherra Wright pleads guilty, sentenced 30 years for her role in murder of Lorenzen Wright 7/25/2019 Memphis high school coach remembers NBA star Lorenzen Wright 7/27/2019 The wait continues for . Stay tuned pic.twitter.com/bvRydi0UJH, Zach Crenshaw (@ZachCFOX13) December 16, 2017. In 1994, Wright began playing for the University of Memphis and Sherra became pregnant with their child. Sherra and a man named Bill Ray Turner have been accused of assassinating him. Several years later, when the cold case squad took over the investigation, the lake was searched again and the murder weapon was retrieved, according to Memphis ABC-affiliate WATN-TV. According to CBS Sports, Lorenzen Wright played for the Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Kings and Cavaliers. The case went cold for years. Turners defense attacked Robinsons credibility at trial, implying that she had been paid hush money and pointing out that she did not tell authorities about this alleged conversation until 2017. He was visiting Memphis when in the evening on July 18 he leftSherra Wright's house in Collierville. Relatives and friends of Wright gathered, and grieved for the former NBA player who has been missing for 10 days, as police investigated the discovery of a mans body outside of Memphis For more on this case and others like it, watch"Snapped,"airingSundaysat6/5conOxygenor stream episodeshere. 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Sherra pleaded guilty in 2019 to facilitation to commit murder and facilitation to commit attempted first-degree murder. Both parents were devastated by the loss. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Hello? Sherra Wright-Robinson was previously married to former NBA star Lorenzen Wright for a long time. "Im sorry because hes not here. View our online Press Pack. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. ', Death toll keeps rising in Greece's deadliest train crash, While California wearies of snowstorms, Northeast greets one, These 2 Summit County homes sold for $500,000 or more the week of Dec. 27, Jefferson Parish issues boil water advisory. "It feels good because in the past when I would come to talk to [Wright], his head was up, like, 'Mom, mom here'," Marion said. Sherra will appear before the parole board again inMay 2027. After he was missing for four days, Wrights family had filed a missing persons report, according to CBC, which added that a 911 call was placed from the area near his body. When four days passed by and no one had heard from him, his family contacted the authorities. Sherra Wright appeared in court Thursday, July 25, 2019, to plead guilty in the murder of her husband Lorenzen Wright in Memphis, Tenn. Search instead in. During the game, Lorenzen received a flurry of text messages from his ex-wife. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 in a court dispute over how she spent the insurance money meant to benefit their six children., Grio.com alleged, According to Gail Mathes, Sherra Wrights divorce lawyer, Sherra divorced Lorenzen months before he was murdered. Showing Editorial results for lorenzen wright. Investigators were able to determine the call came from southeast Memphis. Your cousin got me Fed up,' she quoted Lorenzen as saying in this version of events. And I felt like I was responsible for Lorenzens death in a lot of ways.. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Following Lorenzens death, Sheera received more than $1 million in life insurance money. According to the officials, one gun was dropped in the Mississippi Lake. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Lorenzen Wright was counted among the Bluff City's favorite sons, a much-loved standout at the University of Memphis, during his years in the NBA andwhen he played in front of a hometown crowd with the Memphis Grizzlies. They went to the crime scene and walked in Lorenzens final steps.. Sherra subsequently told him she and Turner had gone through with the murder and enlisted Martin to help dispose of the murder weapons at a lake in Mississippi, reportedWHBQ-TV. The ever-evolving drama surrounding the shooting death of NBA star Lorenzen Wright, allegedly at the hands of his ex-wife, Sherra Wright, is still explosive reading. Authorities released almost no details about what happened to Lorenzen Wright or what led them to accuse Sherra. The case will be highlighted on 20/20 on ABC. His decomposed body was found riddled with bullets in a field, Lorenzen's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, pleaded guilty to a charge of facilitation of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years behind bars, A photo shows the grassy area where Lorenzen's body was found on July 29, 2010, Memphis Police surrounded the wooded area where Lorenzen was found, Billy Ray Turner, seen at a court appearance, (right) was found guilty of first-degree murder, and other charges, Sherra Wright is seen during a hearing in Judge Lee Coffee's court in Memphis, Tennessee, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Sherra Wright was arrested Dec. 15, 2017, in Riverside, Calif., in the 2010 murder of her husband, Lorenzen Wright, a former NBA player. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. A Memphis native, the 6-foot, 11-inch Wright played 13 seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams, after. "We have my brother, of course, basketball was one of his many passions," Tomonique Marion said. A decomposing body laying out nine days in the Memphis weather in July he was nothing but bones, said Goods. He was a star player in high school and participated in the highly competitive Amateur Athletic Union, which drew players from across the country. LORENZEN WRIGHT'S DEATH: In ESPN E60 special 'A Murder in Memphis', Sherra Wright implicates cousin in Lorenzen Wright murder, FROM MARK GIANNOTTO: Don't let TV turn Lorenzen Wrights legacy into just another true-crime saga. Wright's request was first heard May 11, where at least one member recommended her request be rejected, but the official denial came 12 days later and cited the severity of the crime as its reasoning. When contacted by his family, Sherra seemed unconcerned. Lorenzen and his son were dropped off at Sherras house around 10 p.m. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. A 12-person jury found 51-year old Billy Ray Turner . Turner was convicted of first-degree murder in Lorenzens death and is serving a life sentence. Lorenzen was still wearing his jewelry and had a large sum of cash on him, eliminating the possibility of a robbery scenario. FROM THE TRIAL: Jury finds Billy Ray Turner guilty in killing of Lorenzen Wright, SHERRA WRIGHT'S SENTENCE: Sherra Wright abandons effort to have her sentence reduced in killing of husband Lorenzen Wright. Billy Ray Turner was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy first-degree murder in March 2022 and sentenced to life in prison, according to NBC News. In exchange for immunity, Martin offered to tell investigators about his involvement in the murder of Lorenzen Wright. Wright stood 6 foot 11 inches tall and weighed 225 pounds. In March 2022, Sherra Wrights request for parole was denied, according to WMC-TV. He's just resting. The case stalled, until a break came in in 2013, when Jimmie Martin was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2007 death of his girlfriend and sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper. In July 2019, she changed her tune and pleaded guilty to a charge of facilitation of first-degree murder. Last month her attorney filed a motion asking for a mental evaluation. The 34-year-old father of six had been missing for days before his body was discovered. As Marion stood in front of his grave Sunday afternoon, with hardly a cloud in the sky, she said she could feel him resting just as her shirt said. After all, they did have a total of seven children together. Brad Broders (@BradBrodersTV) May 11, 2022, Sherra wipes away tears with a tissue as her daughter Lauren speaks on her behalf. 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