Deadly Deception: How Sherra Wright Masterminded the Murder of NBA Star Lorenzen Wright
On a sweltering July day in 2010, the skeletal remains of former NBA star Lorenzen Wright were discovered in a wooded area near a golf course in Memphis, Tennessee. His body, riddled with bullet wounds—two in the head, two near the heart, one in the forearm—had been decomposing for nine days. The once-beloved Memphis Grizzlies player, a hometown hero, had met a gruesome end.
At first, the case was a mystery. But as the investigation unfolded, a sinister narrative emerged—one of greed, betrayal, and a calculated plot led by the one person Wright had once trusted most: his ex-wife, Sherra Wright.
A Chilling 911 Call and a Web of Lies
The night of July 19, 2010, a frantic 911 call was placed from Wright’s phone. The dispatcher heard only gunshots before the line went dead. That call would later serve as the first piece of a puzzle that took nearly a decade to complete.
In the days following Wright’s disappearance, Sherra painted a misleading picture for investigators, claiming he had left her Collierville, Tennessee, home that night to conduct a supposed drug deal. She insisted he had been carrying an unspecified amount of money when he vanished.
But as time passed, Wright’s mother, Deborah Marion, refused to believe the story. “I told the police since day one that she was involved,” she later revealed. “She was the only one who benefited from him being dead.”
The Million-Dollar Motive
Lorenzen and Sherra had been together for 13 years before their tumultuous divorce—just five months before his murder. Wright, determined to move on, was closing a chapter of his life, but Sherra refused to let him go. Investigators later discovered that she quickly burned through the $1 million life insurance payout that had been meant for their children. Greed, fueled by jealousy and resentment, became the driving force behind the murder.
The Plot Unraveled: A Deadly Conspiracy
For years, the case remained unsolved. But behind the scenes, detectives were slowly piecing together Sherra’s elaborate scheme.
In December 2017, Sherra was arrested in Riverside, California, and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder. Authorities alleged she had orchestrated the hit with two accomplices: her cousin, Jimmie Martin, and her handyman-turned-lover, Billy Ray Turner.
Turner, convicted of Wright’s murder in 2022, received a life sentence plus 41 years. Martin, already serving 20 years for the murder of his girlfriend, avoided further charges by becoming the prosecution’s key witness.
A Sinister Trap: Luring Wright to His Death
One of the most chilling revelations came from Martin’s testimony. He claimed Sherra lured Wright to the wooded area where he was killed—a location that held significance for the former couple. “It was their lovers’ lane; it was their getaway,” said lead investigator Darren Goods. “For [Wright], it would not have raised any alarms.”
Phone records corroborated the theory. Sherra had sent sexually suggestive messages to Wright that night, convincing him to meet her at their old rendezvous spot. Instead of romance, he was met with gunfire.
Martin also disclosed a previous failed attempt to kill Wright in Atlanta, reinforcing the calculated nature of Sherra’s plot. He recounted that after the murder, she and Turner returned to the scene to retrieve the shell casings and dispose of the gun. The murder weapon was later found at the bottom of a lake in Walnut, Mississippi.
A Deal with the Devil?
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Sherra managed to evade a life sentence. In July 2019, she took a plea deal, admitting guilt to a lesser charge—facilitation to commit first-degree murder. She received a 30-year sentence, a fraction of what many, including Wright’s family, believed she deserved.
“We were not happy with her plea deal,” Marion stated. “How does she only get 30 years when she set up a murder and pulled the trigger?”
Will Sherra Walk Free?
Now incarcerated at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Sherra has already attempted to secure an early release. In May 2022, she appeared before the Tennessee Board of Parole, tearfully claiming she was sorry for what had happened to Wright. Her plea was denied. Her next parole hearing is set for 2027, but if she serves her full sentence, she will be 75 when she’s finally released.
Deborah Marion has vowed to fight any possibility of her early release. “Until she comes with her real truth and as long as the blood stays warm in my body, I will be there every time.”
Justice Served?
While Turner will die behind bars, and Martin remains locked away, Sherra—who masterminded the entire plot—could one day walk free. But as Wright’s loved ones continue their relentless pursuit of justice, one thing remains certain: the world will not forget the woman who orchestrated the brutal murder of a man who once called her his wife.
