MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A jury on Monday convicted a Tennessee man in the slaying of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, whose bullet-riddled body was found in a field nearly 12 years ago in his hometown of Memphis.
The 12-person jury deliberated for about 2 hours before it found Billy Ray Turner guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder & conspiracy in the death of Wright, a 6-foot, 11-inch center who played 13 seasons in the NBA before he retired after the 2008-2009 season. Judge Lee Coffee sentenced Turner, 51, to life in prison for the murder conviction. He will be sentenced for the other charges at a later date.
The slaying is one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Memphis history. Wright’s decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. The 34-year-old father of 6 had been missing for days before his body was discovered.
Turner had already pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon as a convicted felon after he was found with 6 guns when he was arrested in Wright’s killing in 2017. Turner is serving a 16-year prison sentence on the separate gun charge.
Prosecutors allege Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Wright, masterminded a plan to kill her ex-husband & recruited Turner & her cousin, Jimmie Martin, to help her.
Turner & Sherra Wright were indicted in December 2017, more than 7 years after the killing. Sherra Wright entered a surprise guilty plea to facilitation of murder in July 2019 & was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Turner is a landscaper who knew Sherra Wright from church &, according to prosecutors, had a secret romantic relationship with her.
At the time of Wright’s slaying, Martin was facing charges of killing his girlfriend & he said his cousin helped pay part of his legal fees. Martin was convicted & is currently serving prison time, in that case. He has received immunity from prosecution in the Wright case.
Martin testified that he & Turner met with Sherra Wright to plan the killing & went to Lorenzen Wright’s condominium in Atlanta to shoot him, with an understanding that he would get paid.
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