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Lorenzen Wright was shot over a decade ago. Tonight on ABC’s 20/20, ESPN and ABC News correspondent Ryan Smith reports on updates in the case including legal developments and questions about what happened to the NBA player.
Over 10 years after Wright’s death, his wife Sherra Wright-Robinson was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of facilitation to commit first-degree murder as well as facilitation to commit attempted first-degree murder, according to CNN.
Wright was found dead on July 28, 2010 in a wooded area near Memphis, CNN reported. Investigators believe he was killed on July 19, 2010.
The episode of 20/20 includes interviews with Wright’s mother, Deborah Marion and Kelvin Cowans, a journalist who wrote a tell-all book about the case. Read on to learn more about where Sherra Wright-Robinson is today.
Wright-Robinson Is Serving 30 Years in Prison
Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright was murdered more than a decade ago in a plan involving his ex-wife, but Wright’s family and friends are still dealing with many unanswered questions, including “why?” | @ryansmithtv reports for our new #ABC2020 Friday.
Currently, Sherra Wright-Robinson is located at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections. She will be eligible for release on December 18, 2022, according to the site, though reports show that it will be years later than that before she is eligible.
Wright-Robinson took a plea deal before her appearance in court. The deal outlined that she would receive a 30-year prison sentence and be eligible for parole after 30 percent of her time was served.
That meant she would be eligible for parole in around nine years, since she had already spent 20 months in jail before the sentencing. She was given credit for that time served, according to CNN.
WMC5 News reported that Wright-Robinson has been reprimanded multiple times while behind bars since being arrested for the charges. More than four dozen incidents were reported including being reported for passing notes, food and wearing a hair weave. Punishment for incidents included taking away an hour from recreation time.
Wright-Robinson Pleaded Guilty To Charges Connected With the Murder
Sherra Wright Robinson wrote “Mr. Tell Me Anything” after her husband Lorenzen Wright was killed. Was the book based on what really happened between the two or was it purely fiction – #ABC2020 NEW Friday at 9/8c on ABC. t.co/nnh3cSfSIp
Wright-Robinson pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the murder, but she previously adamantly denied her involvement. She even filmed video interviews for a program called Who Killed Lorenzen Wright, which are still available to watch on YouTube.
In the program, when asked if she had anything to do with her husband’s murder, she did not say “no,” choosing to instead respond with a longer answer.
“At first,” she said after being asked if she had any part in the murder. “I’m a wife, then I’m a mother, and then thirdly I’m an author. The law enforcement should do what’s best to find out who’s the killer.”
Wright-Robinson and Lorenzen divorced in February 2010 after 13 years of marriage, according to Sports Illustrated. Though he had spent over a decade in the NBA, Lorenzen Wright found himself in financial trouble after his time in the NBA ended, which, the outlet says, likely contributed to the marriage issues that led to divorce.
Billy Ray Turner has been charged with conspiring with Wright-Robinson to kill Lorenzen Wright. His trial, however, will not take place until October 2020. Reports by CNN say that Sherra Wright-Robinson will not testify against him.
Turner faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy, meaning he could face life in prison if found guilty of those charges.
Wright was shot at least nine times, Sports Illustrated wrote, in the head and chest, while “additional gunshot wounds cannot be excluded.”
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