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Convict charged in former NBA player’s killing to face judge

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2008, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Lorenzen Wright poses at the team's NBA basketball media day in Independence, Ohio. Billy Turner, a convicted felon charged with conspiring with Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife to kill the retired NBA player, is scheduled to face a judge Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, in Memphis, at which time a trial date could be set. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2008, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Lorenzen Wright poses at the team's NBA basketball media day in Independence, Ohio. Billy Turner, a convicted felon charged with conspiring with Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife to kill the retired NBA player, is scheduled to face a judge Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, in Memphis, at which time a trial date could be set. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

By ADRIAN SAINZ / Associated Press 2 min read

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – A convicted felon charged with conspiring with Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife to kill the retired NBA player is scheduled to face a judge Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee could set a trial date for Billy Ray Turner in the death of Lorenzen Wright.

The body of the retired 13-year NBA veteran was found riddled with gunshot wounds in a swampy field in southeast Memphis in July 2010. Turner, as well as Wright’s ex-wife, were indicted in December 2017 on murder charges.

Sherra Wright pleaded guilty in June to facilitation of murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Turner has pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy charges in the slaying of Wright, a Memphis native who played for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams.