Phil Dotson: That Sunday evening we had gone to pick up his son -- Lorenzen Jr. -- from the gym. Please enter valid email address to continue. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Gayle Rose | Lorenzen's friend: Well I know at the time Toney Armstrong was their chief of police, and this was very personal to him. Later that night, Chicago police arrested him there and shortly thereafter apprehended Omar Dixon. Phil Dotson: His daughter Sierra passed away of sudden infant death syndrome. In 2019, Sherra Wright pleaded guilty to facilitation to commit first-degree murder and facilitation to commit attempted first-degree murder. Decisions unfortunately, still made along racial lines.
Lorenzen went on to dazzle fans at the University of Memphis, but not for long. Sherra Wright faces a charge of first-degree murder for his death. Money, Marion said. James Brown: Who is Billy Ray Turner and how does he fit into the case? Its estimated that Wright had earned around $55 million over the course of his NBA career. Perhaps no one knew Lorenzen better than Phil Dotson, Wright's best friend and fraternity brother at the University of Memphis. Wright is believed to have been killed on July 19, 2010, when gunshots were heard during his 911 call. Excerpt: E60 examines the murder of former NBA star Lorenzen Wright 2y Among those speaking against her early release was Lorenzen Wright's mother, Deborah My watch is a car, or my ring is a house, I mean, he was good to me. 911 CALL: [BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG]. And -- death would be too easy." She implied that Lorenzen was involved in some sort of drug transaction and was planning to "flip something for $110,000.". GOP lawmakers in Tennessee vote to expel first of three Democrats over shooting protest, Report finds Justice Clarence Thomas accepted lavish trips from GOP donor, Black Hawk helicopter carrying 10 crashes into ocean, Japan's army says, Supreme Court declines West Virginia bid to enforce transgender athlete ban, CDC issues alert amid Marburg virus outbreak abroad, Police call disappearance of Minnesota mom "involuntary" and "suspicious", Macklemore on fighting addiction, breakout year and his 2014 Grammy win, Tornado deaths in 2023 approach average toll normally seen in a full year. There was a lot of speculation going around that she knew something, that she had something to do with it. 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. There were also accusations of infidelity in the relationship on both sides. Later on, however, Jabari Parker suggested that Wilson's name and number be stitched into the sneakers the players were issued. And he's fine now. The slaying is one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Memphis history. I've been told that the connection was real tenuous. Marc Parrusquia: A lotta people, when they talk about Billy Ray Turner, his friends and congregants out there, they say, "Hey, no. In these statements, Moore and Dixon said that the shooting was part of a robbery, where Dixon picked Wilson's pockets and once he was done, he ordered Moore to shoot Wilson twice. On the 911 recording are his dying words and the sound of 11 gunshots: 911 OPERATOR: Germantown 911, where's your emergency? ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It was just unbelievable that he was dead. Meanwhile the relationship between Lorenzen's ex-wife Sherra and Kelvin Cowans had soured. Armed with handguns, Turner and Martin went to Wrights condo in Atlanta, entered through a window and found someone sleeping on the couch in the living room but it was not Lorenzen Wright, Martin testified. I've been waitin' for seven years for this. As the Simeon student body began preparing for lunch period on November 20, Wilson elected to try and talk to Rush again instead of eating with his teammates as he usually did. On July 25, 2019, Wright Robinson agreed to a plea deal, pleading guilty to the facilitation of first-degree murder. Kelvin Cowans: I didn't even believe she had anything to do with it. Maybe I've been looking at guilt. Dr. Bill Adkins: What troubled me the most was Lorenzen was killed twice. Sherra, I want to thank you for giving me my grandchildren, thats what I want to thank you for, she said in court.
He has received immunity from prosecution in the Wright case.
Both were arrested and charged in December 2017. The 34-year-old father of six had been missing for days before his body was discovered. A star at Fern Creek high school, he played Williams said Karlan was inadvertently knocked down, hit her head on a cleat and died, according to the reports. I think Lorenzen was killed for money. Although Wright Robinson is now behind bars, Marion still does not have full closure. It wasnt revisited until nine days later while the Memphis Police Department investigated Wrights disappearance. I just believed it. I can't reach him." Martin alleges that he was not present for the actual murder, but he did help Turner and Wright clean up the crime scene. In closing arguments, Perry said Martins crazy, contrived' story was not believable. Most troubling for Lorenzen's family was that he seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Jetun Rush would graduate from Simeon and Central State University as a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. And it was personal. APRIL THOMPSON: So how are you getting by now? By summer 2010, Wright was living in Atlanta with Gipson, while his ex-wife remained in Memphis with the kids. 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. How could you?".
Phil Dotson | Lorenzen's friend: She was arrested and our worlds were just blown up. And it just seemed like there wasn't one. Marc Perrusquia: supposedly, a few weeks before they actually killed him, they tried to kill him down in Atlanta. Wright and Turner pleaded not guilty to all charges, but the indictments revealed two startling claims. She's a great mom. Billy Moore appears in the film to give his side of the story for the first time; he reiterated the claim made by his attorney at his trial, that he only shot Wilson out of fear for his own life. August is the hottest month for Fawn Creek with an average high temperature of 91.2, Pastor Bill Adkins has been a long-time advocate for unity in the City of Memphis. ST PAUL, Minn. Murder charges have been filed in connection to a Thursday night shooting that killed a former star athlete for St. Paul Central High School. They were getting older. March 3, 2011 / 4:22 PM / AP. Now they think of him as a drug dealer. It was July 19, 2010. Moore's cousin had been robbed of $10, allegedly by a student of Simeon, and he brought the gun with him to avenge his cousin. There was no incidence to it. MAIL. Gayle Rose: he was one young man who was working to make a difference in his children's lives, in other children's lives. One weekend, Wright flew home to Memphis to attend his daughter's dance recital and his sister's baby shower.
At the time of Wrights slaying, Martin was facing charges of killing his girlfriend, and he said his cousin helped pay part of his legal fees. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. When I saw him, I knew instantly [that Wright Robinson] used him because that's not what she want[ed]. Days after leading his college team to its first mens N.C.A.A. 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. She was probably around 11 months old at the time of her passing, which was very hard on him. One, a previous murder attempt by Wright and Turner. Turner and Sherra Wright were indicted in December 2017, more than seven years after the killing. The call came in to a 911 dispatcher in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. After not hearing from her son for more than 48 hours, Deborah Marion filed a missing persons report with the police. It was very emotional.
APRIL THOMPSON: Did you have anything to do with Lorenzo's murder? He was back home with his family and with money in his pocket. Turner, a previously convicted felon on unrelated charges that stemmed from a case in the early 1990s, was found in illegal possession of a gun when he was arrested for murder in the Wright case. Dr. Bill Adkins: Basketball in Memphis became -- a instrument of change which brought races together. The pair eventually moved to Houston together with Wright Robinson's kids. Sherra was the first. A college basketball star home for summer break was senselessly killed and eight people wounded when a shooting erupted at a Harlem rappers Fathers Day cookout early Monday, police said. He's also Sherra Wright's cousin. Sherra now has two court appointed attorneys: Juni Ganguli and Laurie Hall. Wrights death shook his hometown of Memphis. [13] Billy Moore appealed his conviction but did not do so until 1992 as he was unaware his sentence was not automatically appealed. He would sign every autograph that he came across. Last month, 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris was killed by Michael Lynn Davis, 20, of Maryland. Lorenzen was traded to Atlanta, which he would call home after leaving the NBA in 2009, while Sherra and the kids stayed in Memphis. WebBen Wilson, an American high school basketball star from Neal F. Simeon High School in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was shot in the neighborhood surrounding the school during its lunch [applause] That's our pledge.
Phil Dotson: Being married, and having kids at such an early age He was, I think, forced to be an adult really quick. The Los Angeles Clippers drafted Lorenzen Wright in 1996, according to the NBAs website. The dispatcher had trouble identifying the exact location of the call, and for reasons that are still unclear, the Germantown Police did not investigate or notify any surrounding police departments. Early the next morning, November 21, Wilson died.[9][10]. It was Rose's son, Max, that brought them together at a summer basketball camp. Sherra Wright's bond was set at $20 million. He declined to comment to ABC News for this report. The first, directed by Coodie and Chike and produced in association with ESPN Films, was titled Benji and made its debut at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. he's a cold-hearted murderer. 17-year old Chicago high school basketball player killed in November 1984, Billy Moore and Omar Dixon arrive at Simeon, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inside Basketball: 101 Great Hoop Stories from , By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Pat Williams, The Great Book of Chicago Sports Lists, By Dan McNeil, Ed Sherman, "Ben Wilson's killer: 'I don't consider myself a criminal' ", "Basketball Star's Slaying Described By Girlfriend", "Ben Wilson: A Life Cut Short but the Memories Remain", "PRO BASKETBALL; A Dead Friend, a Living Memory", "2 Teens Convicted in Murder of Ben Wilson", "Legacy is Challenge for Wilson | Newsday", "Port Washington police officer killed in Northern State crash", "Brandon Wilson Car Accident: Former ESHawks Hoops player, Brandon Wilson killed in deadly car accident", "Port Washington Policeman Dies in Northern State Parkway Crash", "New Details Emerge Surrounding Ben Wilson Death as Family Forgives Killer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Ben_Wilson&oldid=1144840334, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Articles needing additional references from August 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 March 2023, at 21:33. April Thompson | WREG reporter: I was surprised that she agreed to the interview. Memphis Grizzlies' Lorenzen Wright, center, slides by Denver Nuggets' Kenyon Martin, left, and DerMarr Johnson, right, as he drives to the basket during the first quarter Friday, Feb. 25, 2005, in Memphis, Tenn. Sherra Wright in a Memphis courtroom on Jan. 25, 2018. And I'll give you a call later.". Darius Lee killed: Houston Baptist University basketball star died in his hometown Harlem, NY. James Brown: Do you think that someone knows, has known, who the killer or killers were but has just held onto the information?
This is just some satisfaction for me and my family.'. According to Martin, she said that she and Turner ambushed and chased Lorenzen Wright, who jumped a fence and tried to run away before they shot him in the field. Being 6' 11" tall at 17 years old, he turned a lot of heads. Thats what it was about. Over the next few years, Lorenzen and Sherra separated and later divorced. After close to a decade of pain, Marion turned to face the woman who admitted she had been involved in her sons murder. Perry said Martin not Turner was in Memphis the night Lorenzen Wright was shot. At that moment, instead of expressing outrage, Marion said she made the decision to focus on her six grandchildren. No Finally, nine years after the tragic death of Lorenzen Wright, this plea offers some solace to his mother and maybe a measure of closure for the city of Memphis -- still in mourning for its favorite son. For one, she was accused of misspending some of the $1 million life insurance policy that was intended for their kids' benefit, which Wright had purchased as a condition of their divorce settlement. He was killed physically. She said the last time she saw Lorenzen was on that Sunday night, July 18, at her home. Toney Armstrong: What was different about this particular case is that you're nine days behind. appreciated. Phil Dotson: He was always a pillar in the community. After they learned about the plea, Wright Robinsons lawyers worried that Turner would strike a plea deal with prosecutors in the Wright murder case and testify against Wright Robinson. Phil Dotson: He never met a fan that he didn't like. Prosecutors allege that Sherra and Turner had a sexual relationship and that they killed Lorenzen Wright for his million-dollar insurance policy. But Lorenzen never called his friend that night. Adreian Payne was a star big man on the Michigan State Spartans basketball team under Tom Izzo, went No. Not for money, not robbery. Judge Lee Coffee sentenced Turner, 51, to life in prison for the murder conviction. 2. Cowans, a journalist, started dating Wright Robinson that same year even though he admits their relationship crossed a professional line. Acting on a tip, Memphis Police went to a lake in Walnut, Mississippi. Toney Armstrong: Because his body wasn't found for a long time after he had initially been reported missing. Dr. Bill Adkins: somebody just murdered him. A college basketball player was killed and eight other people were wounded Monday in an early-morning shooting at a gathering in Harlem, New York City police said. In his closing on October 11, 1985, he urged the jury to focus less on the celebrity of the victim and simply follow the law. (Courtesy of 3 Star Foundation). Dr. Bill Adkins: They questioned, was he doin' it for laundering money? Police responded to reports of shots fired at approximately 12:36 a.m. at East 139th St. and Fifth Ave in Manhattan, according to the New York Police Department. Lorenzen Wright was visiting Memphis from Atlanta. Karlan got between the two in an effort to break it up. They found the gun that killed Lorenzen. Two years before the murder, Lorenzen was in need of cash and sold two of his luxury cars to a man named Bobby Cole. Deborah Marion [yells in court]: How could you murder my son? All rights reserved (About Us). SHERRA WRIGHT: I was married to an NBA basketball player for 13 years, April. San Diego State Aztecs. Moore and Dixon had cut school that day, and Moore had a .22 caliber pistol in his possession. Dr. Bill Adkins: And I turned on the television And -- I saw Deborah, his mom -- running down the road, tryin' to get to his body It was a total shock. Should I go after it, should I go to court?" Fourteen months after Lorenzen's death, Sherra received a million-dollar life insurance payout. They got the wrong guy.". Adreian Payne was a star big man on the Michigan State Spartans basketball team under Tom Izzo, went No. They found the needle in the haystack. You have to understand she had just written a book about her life with Lorenzen, OK and where I come from, you don't write books about people you helped to kill. That ended in July 2010 during a call to 911. Cowans said he was never suspicious of her during their relationship. Lorenzen Wright, #42 of the Memphis Grizzlies, stands on the court during a game with the Portland Trail Blazers in Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 22, 2005. Murphy went in alone, while Moore and Dixon chose to wait outside.