A jury in Memphis found a Tennessee man guilty of killing Lorenzen Wright, a former NBA player who was found shot to death in a field in his hometown.
Billy Ray Turner was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and 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. Turner was sentenced to life in prison by Lee Coffee. He will be sentenced for the other charges later.
Coffee called Wright, a sacred son of Memphis, and told his mother that the trial might not bring her closure, but that she should celebrate the good about her son.
Turner pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon as a convicted felon after he was found with two guns when he was arrested. Turner was sentenced to 16 years in prison on the gun charge.
One of the most high-profile murder cases in Memphis history is the slaying. The decomposing body of Wright was found in a swampy field in east Memphis. The man with six children was missing for days before his body was found.
Prosecutors claim Sherra Wright masterminded a plan to kill her ex-husband and recruited Turner and her cousin to help her.
More than seven years after the killing, Turner and Sherra Wright were indicted. Sherra Wright was sentenced to 30 years in prison after entering a surprise guilty plea to facilitation of murder.
According to prosecutors, Turner had a secret romantic relationship with Sherra Wright.
Martin was facing charges of killing his girlfriend at the time of Wright's death, and he said his cousin helped pay his legal fees. Martin is currently in prison for a conviction. He was given immunity from prosecution in the Wright case.
Sherra Wright and Turner were involved in the murder of Lorenzen Wright. The information Martin gave to investigators was a farce and full of lies, as was challenged by defense attorney JohnKeithPerry.
Martin testified that he and Turner went to Atlanta to kill Lorenzen Wright with the understanding that they would get paid.
Martin told the prosecutor that he was in Mississippi at the time of the shooting. Sherra Wright confessed to Martin after he went to the Memphis field with her.
Lorenzen Wright was in Memphis. Sherra Wright told her ex- husband that she was going to meet someone in the field to get some money, Martin testified. According to Martin, she said that she and Turner shot Lorenzen Wright in the field after he jumped a fence and tried to run away.
The jury heard a call from Lorenzen Wright on the night of the killing.
Martin said that Turner and Wright dumped the weapon in a north Mississippi lake after getting rid of evidence from the shooting scene. Martin told detectives where the gun was located. FBI divers found it.
The story of Martin was not believable according to the defense attorney. The night Lorenzen Wright was shot, Martin was in Memphis.
"You can't really give him much credit", said Perry.
The immunity agreement that Martin had with the government required him to tell the truth, according to the prosecutor.
It has been the same for 10 years, according to Hagerman.
Turner and Sherra Wright did not testify during the trial.
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