Deborah Marion [yells in court]: How could you murder my son? Dr. Bill Adkins: I decided to go take a look for myself. Gayle Rose: there's some part of me, to be honest with you, that doesn't want to believe that, and just can't, can't take that in. James Brown | CBS News special correspondent: Put in perspective how big the Lorenzen Wright story is here in Memphis. Just this week, a surprise development in one of Memphis, Tennessee's, biggest murder cases. Beth Thomas Child of Rage Bio: What Did She Do To Her Brother, Where Is She Now? Thats all I want is my grandkids., I just hate what happened to my child, Marion continued, speaking to Sherra. Produced by Josh Gelman, Alvin Patrick and Jaime Hellmann. Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright was born on the 4th of November 1975 in Oxford, Mississippi. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Please enter valid email address to continue. DEBORAH MARION [WREG NEWS REPORT] Phone goes straight to voicemail. Infant death syndrome was determined to be the cause of death. Born in Oxford, Mississippi, Lorenzen Wright moved to Memphis to play basketball at Booker T. Washington High School. And I said, "Well, I figured he might just be outta town, he's not answerin' the phone call." She's a great mom. Lorenzen wright had seven children with sherra wright, one who died as an infant, according to abc news.sierra wright was born in 2002 and died just 11 months later from sudden infant death. Her perfume was unfair, you know, and so, that's how it all started I had never interviewed a woman and then dated her, never crossed the line. Family and friends of slain NBA basketball player Lorenzen Wright grieve during a memorial service at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. on Aug. 4, 2010. Sherra Wright was arrested 10 days later. A dispatcher then heard repeated gunshots 11 in all unaware where it was happening or who was on the other end of the line. And I can't -- I'm not gonna believe anything other then he's fine now. Always volunteered. "So we drove to the house. I remember havin' a conversation with an investigator by the name of Darren Goods. Sherra Wright Robinson pleaded guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder. Wright, a former NBA lottery pick who played in the league for more than a decade, vanished on July 19. Two years before the murder, Lorenzen was in need of cash and sold two of his luxury cars to a man named Bobby Cole. A Child Survived a Serial Killer and Now Tells Her Story on Season Premiere of 'People Magazine Investigates' But I want you to call them, [and say], 'No its OK to talk to grandma, grandma still loves you.' Sherra Wright's bond was set at $20 million. Although Wright Robinson is now behind bars, Marion still does not have full closure. So I don't have a clue. Sherra and Lorenze had 7 children in their marriage. Marc Perresquia: Sherra was very interested in getting money. Important forensic evidence was lost due to decomposition. I mean, he could run the floor better than any big man I ever saw in my life. Dr. Bill Adkins | Lorenzen's mentor: As far as Mr. Billy Ray, I have never met him, don't know him. She received a 30-year prison sentence. . The ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright pleaded guilty Thursday to facilitation of first-degree murder in his shooting death nine years ago, a surprise development in a high-profile case. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Wright founded the Sierra Simone Wright Scholarship Fund after the death of his infant daughter in March 2003. The coroners report said he'd been hit by five bullets from two different guns: two shots to the head, two to the chest and one to his right arm. A hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday but it was rescheduled by her attorney and Coffee for July 6. This is what I told her Sherra, where is he? And Lorenzen was a big part of that. James Brown: How unusual is it to find a key piece of evidence some seven years later? What you need to know, High winds, lots of dirt cause havoc across Plainview, Sam Elliott award winner for male actor in "1883". It turns out though, that more money meant more problems. And you know, for Max at age 11, this is a hero, a real-life hero that he gets to be in the gym with. Watch fullscreen. Now it would be a shame if, if throughout all this, that -- that we forgot that. An insight into Wright and Robinson's martial life shows that it was less than perfect. I was like, Shes baring all, said Kelvin Cowans, referring to the book. "It's hard to play when something tragic like this happens. In an interview with The Commercial Appeal after her guilty plea, Sherra Wright said she did so for the sake of her children. They are steeped in faith. The couple lived lavishly and burnt through the $ 55 million that Wright made in his career. . In the call, the basketballer could be heard shouting damn followed by multiple gunshots. You know, he had no money! Hello? Phil Dotson | Lorenzen's friend: She was arrested and our worlds were just blown up. What's goin' on? That frantic call was placed at 12:05 a.m. on the morning of July 19 -- just hours after Lorenzen was dropped off at Sherra's. He has already pleaded guilty to a gun charge related to Lorenzen Wright's shooting. Dr. Bill Adkins: When he stepped up to that podium -- everybody just cheered. Marc Perrusquia: By her account, he left with a box of drugs. And, of course, she being the mother, wound up being the fiduciary. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman: Martin stated he accompanied Billy Turner to a lake, where Billy Turner disposed of a handgun that was used to murder Lorenzen Wright. As the days passed Lorenzen's disappearance became one of the biggest mysteries Memphis had ever seen. I can't reach him." May 12, 2018. Meanwhile the relationship between Lorenzen's ex-wife Sherra and Kelvin Cowans had soured. Lorenzen Wright, #42 of the Memphis Grizzlies, goes up for the dunk against the Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson of the Phoenix Suns in Game three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2005 NBA Playoffs in Memphis, Tenn., April 29, 2005. And I want everybody to know in this city that he was a good guy, not what he was portrayed to be. She and Turner then conspired to kill him in Memphis, authorities have said. In the fiscal year that ended last September, migrants were stopped 2.38 million times, up 37% from 1.73 million times the year before. Then came their eldest daughter Loren Wright. Did she have a financial motive in all of this, because here's a quick $1 million. Phil Dotson: "Have you talked to Lorenzen? And he symbolized hope in our community. Lorenzen and Sherra married in 1998, and welcomed another child in 1999. On December 5, police arrested Billy Ray Turner in a convenience store in Collierville, Tenn. Marc Perrusquia: It was almost like a surreal moment, really. Doctors could not revive her and she was pronounced dead. Sounds like the script of a Hollywood movie right? As Sherra left the courtroom, she and Turner exchanged a passing glance. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman: that they were going to Lorenzen Wright's house in Atlanta, Georgia, to murder. He had a . Lorenzen Wright was a second-team all-American power forward from the University of Memphis who went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA for various teams. I just sat there. Dr. Bill Adkins: What troubled me the most was Lorenzen was killed twice. Hundreds of companies that employed nearly 4,000 children last year were found in violation of federal labor laws, a dramatic increase in the last five years. Everybody was watching. He was beloved. Plainview teen preparing to take Houston Rodeo entertainment stage with Plainview 8-year-old places 5th at state free throw contest, Texas bluebonnet season is almost here. Dr. Bill Adkins: When you're used to spending $40,000, $50,000 a month in just change, just spendable income and you get accustomed to that, you know, $10,000 a month seems like poverty row. According to the Shelby. In the E60 special they claim to have. We really, really wanted to solve this case.". Jul 7, 2020 26 Dislike Share Save Thomas D3 1.63K subscribers Tribute to Sierra Wright, the 11-month-old daughter of Memphis Grizzlies' center Lorenzen Wright who passed away in February. Gossip started spreading and suspicion quickly fell on Sherra. Phil Dotson: He never met a fan that he didn't like. She wants to come make chicken and dumplings. Lorenzen Wright has been found dead, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Lorenzen Wright disappeared in July 2010. That he was introduced by a third party and it was kind of a passing relationship. Feb. 28, 2003 Sierra Wright, the 11-month-old daughter of Memphis Grizzlies' center Lorenzen Wright, died Saturday morning at the family's home in Memphis, Tenn. Turner was a landscaper, a yardman who happened to be a deacon in a small country church that Sherra attended, said Memphis journalist Marc Perrusquia. Who are Pedro Riveras Children and Grandchildren. Maybe I've been looking at guilt. Nine days after the distressing 911 call, after Memphis police found out about the 911 call, they were able to pinpoint where it was made. Kelvin Cowans: I didn't even believe she had anything to do with it. One weekend, Wright flew home to Memphis to attend his daughter's dance recital and his sister's baby shower. He is a young basketball player with a lot of energy. Also apprehended was a man named Billy Ray Turner. And the killers had a nine-day head start. and I said, "No." The pair eventually moved to Houston together with Wright Robinson's kids. draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Search. Memphis police did not say why they arrested Sherra Wright, but seven long years after the murder of Lorenzen Wright, they finally got their suspects. He was a power forward who played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks , Memphis Grizzlies , Sacramento Kings, and Cleveland Cavaliers. And she was like, "No, I don't want Herb to have it." Wright, the Grizzlies' starting center, had flown with the team from Memphis following Friday night's 126-116 victory over Miami for Saturday night's game at Dallas. On July 22, his family filed a missing person report. He had been meeting regularly with Wright's grieving mother, Deborah Marion. Lorenzen Wright played for several pro teams before ending up with his beloved hometown franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies. Acting on a tip, Memphis Police went to a lake in Walnut, Mississippi. James Brown: Do you think Sherra Wright killed Lorenzen Wright? MEMPHIS (AP) A former Navy sailor and convicted killer testified Thursday that Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife asked him and another man to kill the former NBA player nearly 12 years ago in Atlanta. Lawrence Maleka Biography: Who is the South African TV Personality? When he saw the announcement of her arrest on the news, Cowans was blown away. While he was awaiting sentencing, Martin allegedly started talking to investigators. Wright Robinson denied any involvement during questioning with police as well as in a local TV news interview. But before long, Sherra was nearly broke again -- having blown through the million dollars in just 10 months, spending most of it on expensive homes, luxury cars and extravagant trips. Toney Armstrong served with the Memphis Police Department for 27 years and was their deputy director back then. Tell Me Anything, a novel that centered around the life of a woman who marries an abusive and unfaithful basketball star. In the days after Wright went missing, she said his ex-wife told her Wright was with some women., I kept calling him all day and he didn't answer the phone, said Marion. I just hate what happened to my child," his mother said. Its estimated that Wright had earned around $55 million over the course of his NBA career. Martin alleged that a metal detector was used to try to find a gun that had been dropped during the crime, and that he and Turner then drove to the lake in Mississippi where Turner disposed of a gun, according to prosecutors. He especially loved his own. Kelvin Cowans: Absolutely. Now they think of him as a drug dealer. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Nearly a week after a jury convicted Billy Ray Turner in the Lorenzen Wright murder, his family returned to his gravesite to pay respects Sunday evening. But, as Nevels put it, just as fast as he was making money, money was being spent.. When he first appeared in a Shelby County, Tennessee, courtroom on Dec. 5, 2017, Wrights mother was finally able to see the person allegedly responsible for killing her son. Kelvin Cowans: Sherra is the type of person where she can make you go jump off a bridge, get back up, go back up there and jump again, OK. After Turner's arrest, Sherra and Cowans spoke by phone again. Wright would go on to spend a total of 13 years in the league during which he played for teams such as the L.A. Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers. Who Is Sithelo Shozi, Andile Mpisanes Girlfriend and Baby Mama? The oldest child, Lorenzen Wright Jr., is 26 years old and played basketball at Robert Morris University. Cowans came back home to Memphis and Sherra moved her kids to Riverside, California, where her brother is the pastor of a church. The case grew cold, Toney Armstrong: I don't remember ever goin' more than a month without somebody askin' me about Lorenzen Wright's murder "Have you all made any headway on it?" Kelvin Cowans: No one wants to come to a realization that a mother with no criminal background, mother of seven of his children, would be involved in his murder. The couple eventually started dating and had their first child together -- a son named Lorenzen Jr. So-- I reached out to him as well, and didn't hear anything back. Kelvin Cowans tried to put all the pieces together by writing a book about his complicated relationship with Sherra Wright. No. Turner and Robinson were both charged with first degree murder and attempted first degree murder. His problem was affluence and how to handle that affluence. And I'll give you a call later.". Sherra, I want to thank you for giving me my grandchildren, thats what I want to thank you for, she said in court. I think what happened to the marriage was that they grew apart, Dotson said. Deborah Marion: [to reporters on Feb. 26] This is hard, but I'm glad. who knows what and how it all fits together. This is not the way you do an assembly line.. But what they didn't realize at the time was that Lorenzen had actually left behind a clue. They got the wrong guy.". Lorenzen Wright and Sherra Wright had seven children, one of whom died as a toddler. In court, prosecutors said the break had come from Wright Robinson's cousin, Jimmie Martin. I don't want to argue with you,'" Dotson said. At a bond hearing in May 2018 came a stunning revelation: the prosecution identified the alleged co-conspirator. Wright, according to his ex-wife, left his home in Collierville, Tennessee on the night of July 18, 2010. Wright and Turner pleaded not guilty to all charges, but the indictments revealed two startling claims. Charges Dropped Against Teen Wrongfully Arrested . 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