BILLY Ray Turner was convicted for the murder of NBA player Lorenzo Wright on Monday, March 21, 2022.
Lorenzo Wright had played 13 NBA seasons when he went missing during a visit to Memphis, Tennessee in 2010.
Who is Billy Ray Turner?
Billy Ray Turner was a landscaper in Atlanta, Georgia, and had met NBA player, Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife Sherra Wright through the church they both attended.
Prosecutors claimed Sherra Wright and Turner were involved in a romantic relationship when they conspired to kill Lorenzen Wright.
Sherra Wright admitted to conspiring to kill her ex-husband and said she had recruited Turner and her cousin, Jimmie Martin to carry out the murder.
She entered a guilty plea in 2019 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, meanwhile, Martin was already serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend.
Martin gained immunity from the murder case of Lorenzen Wright in exchange for his testimony against Turner.
He told the jury he and Turner first went to Lorenzen Wright's apartment in Atlanta and found someone sleeping on the couch, but it wasn't Lorenzen and they left without killing anyone.
They then traveled to Mississippi where Sherra Wright said she lured her ex-husband to Memphis Field under the pretense of meeting someone to get money.
When Lorenzen Wright showed up, Turner was waiting and the pair chased him firing gunshots.
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The jury was played a recording of Lorenzen Wright calling 911 and the resounding sound of shots fired.
Turner pleaded not guilty to the jury during the trial for the murder of Lorenzo Wright.
What happened to Lorenzen Wright?
Lorenzen Wright was a 34-year-old father of six when he was killed in 2010.
His body was found in a field days after he disappeared on July 11, 2010. He was found dead with 11 gunshots to the head, torso, and right forearm.
During Martin's testimony at the trial, he told the jury that Turner had disposed of the gun in a north Mississippi lake and he had told detectives where to locate the gun in 2012.
The gun was later found by FBI divers only 50 miles from where Lorenzen Wright's body was discovered and Turner was arrested in 2017, shortly after the murder weapon was found.
Was Billy Ray Turner convicted?
Billy Ray Turner was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy for murder on March 21.
He previously pleaded not guilty to the murder of Lorenzen Wright, but the jury of 12 announced their verdict after only two hours of deliberation.
Judge Lee Coffee sentenced Turner to life in prison for first-degree murder and received an additional 13 years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm.
He will receive his sentencing for the charges of attempted murder and conspiracy for murder on April 22.
Lorenzen Wright's mother, Deborah Marion, said she is pleased Turner was found guilty, but added, "It'll never be closure because I'll never see my son again. This is just some satisfaction for me and my family.''
"I'm just glad we got him," Marion said in an interview with Fox 13 Memphis.
"It took 12 years … If it took 24 years I wouldn't mind. But we got him now."
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