MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jury selection was set to begin Monday in the trial of a man charged with killing former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, whose body was found in a swampy field nearly 12 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.
Billy Ray Turner has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy issued in a December 2017 indictment. He could face life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.
Wright’s slaying in Memphis was one of the most highly publicized murder cases in the city’s history. His decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. Wright, 34, had been missing for 10 days before his body was discovered.
A Memphis native, the 6-foot, 11-inch Wright played 13 seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams. He was retired from the league when he was killed. Wright also played college basketball at the University of Memphis.
Turner stands charged with conspiring with Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Wright, in the killing. She entered a surprise guilty plea to facilitation of murder in July 2019 and Judge Lee Coffee sentenced her to 30 years in prison.
Turner has already pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon as a convicted felon. Prosecutors say Turner had two guns when he was arrested in Wright’s killing. Turner was sentenced to 16 years in prison on the separate gun charge.