Former NBA Player Lorenzen Wright’s Ex-Wife Arrested for his Murder

Sherra Wright and Billy R. Turner have both been arrested for first-degree murder in connection with Lorenzen Wright's 2010 slaying.

Police in Riverside County, California, arrested Sherra Wright-Robinson Friday night on a warrant in connection to the 2010 killing of her ex-husband, former NBA player Lorenzen Wright. An ESPN report confirms Sherra Wright-Robinson has been charged with first-degree murder.

Wright’s decomposing, bullet riddled body was found in a Memphis suburb in July of 2010. The then-34-year-old had been reported missing 10 days before authorities found his corpse, and until recently, the seven-year investigation remained an unsolved, high profile case.

“We looked through this case and we did one thing, we followed the evidence and the evidence led us to Billy Turner and Sherra Wright-Robinson,” Memphis Police Major Darren Goods told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We wanted to investigate it as if it had just happened. We went to the crime scene and walked in Lorenzen’s final steps.”

That process led to several recent revelations in a case many expected would turn cold. On November 9, an FBI dive team recovered a gun used in Wright’s murder from a lake in Walnut, Mississippi. 

Things developed quickly from there, as December 12 brought the indictment of Billy R. Turner on first-degree murder charges related to Wright’s killing. Turner, a landscaper and resident of the Memphis suburb of Collierville, has pleaded not guilty.

Saturday brought the bombshell that Wright’s ex-wife was a suspect in his murder after also being charged with first-degree murder. 

“The attempted murder charge is about a prior attempt to kill Lorenzen Wright, officials confirmed,” noted Katie Fretland, Yolanda Jones and Marc Perrusquia in the Commercial Appeal report. “They said Sherra and Billy Turner previously tried to kill Wright.”

Sports Illustrated has since published portions of a previously unreleased video interview with Sherra Wright. In the clip, Wright-Robinson is directly asked if she had any involvement with her late husband’s killing and seems to avoid the question entirely. You can view the video below.

Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife has been charged with his murder. In 2015, SI investigated and asked Wright's ex-wife if she had any part in the murder.

Her response is chilling. https://t.co/CnhS2e7bQ2 pic.twitter.com/2Z1DwzHB6B

“I’m first a wife,” Wright-Robinson answered. “Then I’m a mother. And then thirdly, I’m an author. The law enforcement should do what’s best to find who’s the killer.”

Authorities have confirmed they believe Sherra Wright-Robinson and Turner knew each other, while the Commercial Appeal reports the pair attended the same church.

After starring at the University of Memphis, Wright was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the 1996-1997 season. He played for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams, primarily as a forward and center, over 13 seasons before retiring in 2009. 

According to an affidavit obtained by the Commercial Appeal, Sherra Wright-Robinson told police she saw Lorenzen leave her home carrying money and a box of drugs on July 18, 2010. His body was found 10 days later.

The Commercial Appeal further reports Wright-Robinson received $1 million from a life insurance policy upon Lorenzen Wright’s death. She agreed to a settlement in 2014 after a court dispute over how she spent the settlement money, which the Wrigh family argued was not spent with the intention of benefiting Sherra and Lorenzen's six children.

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