Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife will not be granted early release from a 30-year prison sentence she received after pleading guilty to plotting the retired NBA player's 2010 slaying.
The Tennessee Board of Parole said voted Monday to deny parole for Sherra Wright, who entered a guilty plea in July 2019 to facilitation of first-degree murder in her ex-husband's killing. The decision was reached after three of seven board members agreed to deny her release based on the seriousness of her offense, board spokesman Dustin Krugel said in an email to The Associated Press.
Sherra Wright appeared at a parole hearing May 11 at the prison in Nashville where she is being held. Wright said she has done well in classes she is taking from prison and has a support system to help her when she is released. Two of her children gave statements on her behalf.
'It is a privilege, and it is not something I have to receive or something that I should receive,' a tearful Sherra Wright said during her hearing, as seen in video obtained by Memphis' Fox affiliate. 'And I’m asking today for your mercy.'
Among those speaking against her early release was Lorenzen Wright's mother, Deborah Marion. She said Sherra Wright should serve the full 30 years of her sentence.
Sherra Wright appeared at a parole hearing May 11 at the prison in Nashville where she is being held. Wright said she has done well in classes she is taking from prison and has a support system to help her when she is released. Two of her children gave statements on her behalf. 'It is a privilege, and it is not something I have to receive or something that I should receive,' a tearful Sherra Wright said during her hearing, as seen in video obtained by Memphis' Fox affiliate . And I’m asking today for your mercy'
Sherra Wright (left) and Lorenzen Wright read holiday books to kids during a Grizzlies Read to Achieve event at Borders Bookstore on December 17, 2003 in Memphis. Lorenzen Wright's slaying is one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Memphis history. His decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. The 34-year-old father of six had been missing for days before his body was discovered
In this July 25, 2019, file photo, Sherra Wright listens during a hearing in Judge Lee Coffee's court in Memphis, Tenn. Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife will not be granted early release from a 30-year prison sentence she received after pleading guilty to plotting the retired NBA player's 2010 slaying, the Tennessee Board of Parole said Monday. The board voted to deny parole for Wright, who entered a guilty plea in July 2019 to facilitation of first-degree murder in her ex-husband's killing
Among those speaking against her early release was Lorenzen Wright's mother, Deborah Marion (pictured). She said Sherra Wright should serve the full 30 years of her sentence
Sherra Wright received the hearing based on her so-called 'safety valve' date, which is the earliest possible release date for some inmates under an executive order regarding prison overcrowding. Tennessee's Department of Correction said she has received more than three years of credit related to her time served.
Board member Barrett Rich presided over the hearing and recommended that the board deny parole. Her next parole hearing is scheduled for May 2027.
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ShareShelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich issued a statement after Monday's ruling.
'Today's denial of early parole for Sherra Wright was welcome news to the family and friends of Lorenzen Wright, and to all those who believe that criminal defendants should be held accountable for their crimes,' Weirich said.
'To have released this defendant after she has served less than five years of a 30-year sentence for murder conspiracy would have diminished respect for the law by declaring a policy of tolerance for violent criminal behavior. This case illustrates why I support Truth in Sentencing.'
Billy Ray Turner (right in 2018), an incarcerated Tennessee man, was convicted in the 2010 slaying of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright and subsequently sentenced to life in prison
Lorenzen Wright's slaying is one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Memphis history. His decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. The 34-year-old father of six had been missing for days before his body was discovered.
A Memphis native, Wright was a 6-foot, 11-inch center who played 13 seasons in the NBA before he retired after the 2008-2009 season.
Billy Ray Turner and Sherra Wright were indicted on first-degree murder charges in December 2017, more than seven years after the killing. She entered a surprise guilty plea on the lesser charge of facilitation of murder, but Turner claimed he was innocent and went to trial. He was convicted in March of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Turner is a landscaper who knew Sherra Wright from church and, according to prosecutors, had a secret romantic relationship with her. He 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.
A motive for the slaying was not made clear during the trial, though prosecutors said the killers were driven by jealousy and greed. Sherra Wright received $1 million from her ex-husband´s life insurance policy and settled a court dispute in 2014 over how she spent the insurance money meant to benefit their six children.
Prosecutors allege Sherra Wright masterminded a plan to kill her ex-husband and recruited Turner and her cousin, Jimmie Martin, to help her.
Sherra Wright, ex-wife of Lorenzen Wright, cries during a memorial service honoring the life of Lorenzen Wright on August 4, 2010 at FedExForum in Memphis
Deborah Marion, mother of former NBA basketball player Lorenzen Wright, speaks with reporters, Monday, March 21, 2022, in Memphis
At the time of Wright's slaying, Martin was facing charges of killing his girlfriend, and he said his cousin helped pay part of his legal fees. Martin was convicted and is currently serving prison time in that case. He has received immunity from prosecution in the Wright case.
According to Martin, he and Turner met with Sherra Wright to plan the killing and went to Lorenzen Wright's condominium in Atlanta to shoot him, with an understanding that he would get paid.
Armed with handguns, Turner and Martin went to Wright's 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. Turner and Martin returned home without killing anyone.
Lorenzen Wright played for 13 seasons as a forward and center in the NBA, including several for the Grizzlies in Memphis, where he was born and raised. In this 1997 shot, he's seen playing for the Los Angeles Clippers against Karl Malone (left) and the Utah Jazz
Martin told prosecutor Paul Hagerman that he was in Batesville, Mississippi, at the time of the shooting just after midnight on July 19, 2010. Martin said he went to the Memphis field with Sherra Wright some days after the shooting and she essentially confessed.
Lorenzen Wright was visiting Memphis from Atlanta, where he had once played for the NBA's Hawks.
Sherra Wright said she lured her ex-husband to the field by telling him that she was going to meet someone there to get some money, Martin testified. 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.
The jury heard a chilling 911 call made by Lorenzen Wright that captured the pop-pop-pop sound of multiple gunshots.
Martin also said Turner and Wright got rid of evidence from the shooting scene and he went with Turner to dispose of the weapon by dumping it in a north Mississippi lake. Martin said he told detectives in 2012 where the gun was located. It was later found by FBI divers.
Marion, the slain player's mother, said she's convinced the insurance policy was Sherra Wright's motivation.
'That's what it was about. Money,' Marion said.
Deborah Marion, left, mother of slain Grizzlies player Lorenzen Wright, is comforted during a hearing in Judge Lee Coffee's court in Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, July 25, 2019 where Sherra Wright plead guilty to the first degree murder of Lorenzen Wright
Marion had long suspected Sherra was behind her son's murder, according to a 2018 Sports Illustrated report.
Her suspicions grew stronger in 2014 when Sherra wrote a book titled 'Mr. Tell Me Anything,' in which the wife of a professional basketball player murders her husband.
According to a summary on Amazon, the female main character becomes frustrated with 'the constant chaos surrounding women, new acquaintances, family, and greed.'
Wright's mother, Deborah Marion, had long suspected Sherra was behind her son's murder. Her suspicions grew stronger in 2014 when Sherra wrote a book titled 'Mr. Tell Me Anything,' (pictured) in which the wife of a basketball player murders her husband
Eventually she 'makes a life-altering decision.'
'Does it work out for her good?' the summary concludes 'Did all his lies finally catch up to him? Would he or she pay the ultimate price?'
The $55 million Wright earned during his playing days was gone by the time of his death, according to SI.
As part of Permanent Parenting Plan filed in January 2010 as part of her divorce, Sherra demanded that Lorenzen take out a $1 million life insurance policy for the benefit of his sons and daughters in the event of his death.
Court documents revealed in Shelby County, Tennessee back in 2013 showed that Sherra Wright lavishly spent $973,000 of the settlement within 10 months of receiving it - even though the money was designated to support the couple's six children.
That included a $11,750 for a trip to New York, $69,000 on furniture and a $7,100 deposit on a swimming pool - causing a legal battle between Wright and her former husband's surviving family.
In a SI-Fox Sports investigation into Wright's death in 2015 Sherra Wright was asked if she played a role in her late husband's death, but she did not reveal anything.
'At first, I'm a wife, then I'm a mother, and then thirdly I'm an author,' she said. 'The law enforcement should do what's best to find out who's the killer.'
Lorenzen Wright played for 13 seasons as a forward and center in the NBA, including several for the Grizzlies in Memphis, where he was born and raised.
Sherra Wright, ex-wife of Lorenzen Wright and Herbert Wright Sr., father of Lorenzen Wright sit during a memorial service honoring the life of Lorenzen Wright on August 4, 2010 at FedExForum in Memphis
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