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UPDATE: The trial will continue Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. UPDATE: Deborah Marion, Lorenzen Wright’s mother, ran out of the courtroom after the prosecutor asked for the 911 call to be played. UPDATE: Claudia Robinson said “J” showed up to the house to pick up the money. Turner was present at the time and he […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn.– It took years for police to solve the murder of Lorenzen Wright. Now, Billy Ray Turner, the last person charged with Wright’s killing, has been convicted. But the case may never have been cracked without the help of a special crime fighting unit. We sat down with the man who headed up that […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The last person facing charges in the Lorenzen Wright murder case is set to go to trial next week. Billy Ray Turner has been in jail since 2017, but he maintains his innocence in the killing of the basketball stand-out. After years of delays because of COVID, the discovery of missed evidence […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — From old pictures to memorabilia like a mug commemorating Lorenzen Wright’s 1996 draft night, Lorenzen’s cousin Trevino Vassar shared it with WREG during research for our podcast on Lorenzen’s life. Vassar was six years younger than Lorenzen, but he said the two first cousins grew up like brothers telling WREG about their […]

UPDATE: Memphis Police Sgt. Dennis Evans with the Digital Forensics Unit of Memphis Police Department is the next expert to testify. Sgt. Evans said phone records shows several phone calls from Billy Ray Turner’s cell phone to Jimmie Martin the night of Lorenzen Wright’s murder. The calls ranged from 8 seconds to 39 seconds. The […]

UPDATE: Billy Ray Turner was found guilty on all counts. See story here. GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Some people may find some of the images and materials discussed in this trial disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The trial of Billy Ray Turner, the man accused of killing Lorenzen Wright, continued Friday morning. The […]

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Some people may find some of the images and materials discussed in this trial disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised. Lorenzen Wright Trial Day 4: Who testified? 4:17 p.m. UPDATE: Martin said Sherra asked him to train Lorenzen’s dog in May 2010. She came to his home in Batesville to tell him that and […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The man who helped police solve the Lorenzen Wright murder case was back in court Thursday. Jimmie Martin is hoping to get a new trial in another murder case that has him serving a 22-year prison sentence.  Martin may have been the prosecution’s top witness in the Lorenzen Wrights murder, providing never before heard […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Phone calls between Sherra Wright, Billy Ray Turner and Jimmie Martin kicked off testimony Wednesday morning. Lorenzen Wright Trial Day 3: Who testified? Detective Jesse Browning with the Multi Agency Gang Unit that broke the case dubbed “Operation Rebound” testified that Sherra Wright, Billy Turner and Jimmie Martin were corresponding by text and […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Sherra Wright, ex-wife of slain NBA star Lorenzen Wright, has been denied parole. The case needed three concurrent votes for a final decision. Wright was denied parole based on the seriousness of the defense, according to the press release. WREG spoke with Lorenzen Wright’s mother, Deborah Marion who said she was not […]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Nearly a week after a jury convicted Billy Ray Turner in the Lorenzen Wright murder, his family returned to his gravesite to pay respects Sunday evening. Wright’s mother has been coming to his grave since he died in 2010, but for the first time in a long time she felt a sense […]