Man sentenced to life for murder of former NBA star Lorenzen Wright

A jury on Monday convicted a Tennessee man in the murder of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, who was found shot dead in a field nearly 12 years ago in his hometown of Memphis.

The 12-person jury deliberated for about two hours before it found Billy Ray Turner guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the death of Wright, who played 13 seasons in the NBA before he retired after the 2008-09 campaign. 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.

Coffee called Wright “a sacred son” of Memphis and told his mother, Deborah Marion, that the trial might not bring her closure but would “celebrate the good” about her son. Outside the courtroom, Marion told reporters she was elated with the verdict. She said she would visit her son’s grave Monday night.

“It’ll never be closure, because I’ll never see my son again,” Marion said. “This is just some satisfaction for me and my family.'’

The slaying is one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Memphis history. Wright’s body was found with multiple bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on 28 July 2010. The 34-year-old father of six 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 two 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 and recruited Turner and her cousin, Jimmie Martin, to help her.

Turner and Sherra Wright were indicted in December 2017, more than seven