The family of murdered NBA star Lorenzen Wright is speaking out to ABC a year after the basketball player’s wife confessed to orchestrating his shooting death.
The body of Lorenzen, a former Power Forward for the Los Angles Clippers, was found riddled with bullet wounds in a marshy field in Memphis on July 28, 2010 and the case remained cold for nearly a decade.
His wife Sherra Wright, who cashed in a $1million life insurance policy on his name, made a surprise confession to his murder last year. The couple had just finalized their divorce weeks before his death.
Now in a new episode of ABC’s 20/20 airing Friday night, Lorenzen’s mother Deborah Marion says Sherra was after his money since day one.
The body of Lorenzen Wright, a former Power Forward for the Los Angles Clippers, was found riddled with bullet wounds in a marshy field in Memphis on July 28, 2010
His wife Sherra Wright pleaded guilty last year to facilitating the murder of her husband and NBA star in July 2010
His mother Deborah Marion tells ABC that she thinks Sherra planned to take Lorenzen’s money from the moment they met
ABC News and ESPN Correspondent Ryan Smith delves into the details and legal developments of the case on Friday night’s episode, including lingering questions about what happened to Lorenzen.
The two-hour special features interviews with Lorenzen’s mother, whose tireless fight for justice may finally pay off, and Kelvin Cowans, a journalist who dated Sherra after the murder and wrote a tell-all book.’
Back in 2010, Lorenzen had been reported missing for 10 days before his body was discovered in the woods in Memphis, Tennessee.
In July 2019, just as trial was finally set to begin, Sherra made a shocking admission to masterminding a plot to kill her ex-husband
The case went cold for nearly a decade with no significant leads until November 9, 2017, when the gun believed to have been used to carry out the killing was pulled from a Mississippi lake.
The following month, Sherra Wright and Billy Turner – a church deacon and small business owner – were arrested and charged with first degree murder.
At a hearing in May 2018, prosecutors laid out the case against the pair with the help of a third unindicted suspect, Lorenzen’s cousin Jimmy Martin, who had been convicted of murder in a separate case.
Turner, a landscaper in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, and Sherra Wright attended the same church. Martin recalled how Wright masterminded a plan to kill Lorenzen in Atlanta earlier in 2010 but she failed to execute the plan herself.
She then conspired with Turner to carry out the plot on her behalf in Memphis weeks later.
Then in July 2019, just as trial was finally set to begin, Sherra made a shocking admission to masterminding a plot to kill her ex-husband and conspiring with Billy Turner to carry it out.
Her plea deal stated that she will be eligible for parole after serving 30 percent of her sentence, which will be in approximately nine years
Turner (above), a landscaper in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, and Sherra Wright attended the same church. A witness recalled how Wright masterminded a plan to kill Lorenzen in Atlanta earlier in 2010 but she failed to execute the plan herself
he body of basketball player Lorenzen Wright found here in the woods in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2010
A new episode of ABC’s 20/20 airs Friday night that delves into details and legal developments, including lingering questions about what happened to Wright
Lorenzen and Wright had six children together. During his 13 year career, Lorenzen played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, collecting around $55.5 million in salary.
It took Wright just 10 months to spend $973,000 of the $1 million pay-out she received from his death, buying a new home, expensive trips to New York and two cars.
In 2014, unhappy with the way Wright was spending her inheritance, Lorenzen’s family successfully lobbied to have her name removed as a trustee of his estate in a bid to preserve the funds for the children.
ABC News and ESPN Correspondent Ryan Smith delves into the details and legal developments of the case on Friday night’s episode, including lingering questions about what happened to Wright
Marion has long suspected Sherra was behind her son’s murder, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
Her suspicions grew stronger in 2014 when Sherra wrote a book titled ‘Mr. Tell Me Anything,’ in which a the wife of a professional basketball player murders her husband.
According to a summary on Amazon, the female main character becomes frustrated with ‘the constant chaos surrounding women, new acquaintances, family, and greed.’
Eventually she ‘makes a life-altering decision.’
‘Does it work out for her good?’ the summary concludes ‘Did all his lies finally catch up to him? Would he or she pay the ultimate price?’
Source: Daily Mail
