Memphis authorities will arraign Billy Turner on Thursday for the 2010 first-degree murder of NBA player Lorenzen Wright, USA Today reported.
“The Lorenzen Wright case has stayed in the public eye for many years. We said many times that we had never stopped investigating,” Memphis police Director Michael Rallings said.
READ MORE: The Murder Of NBA’s Lorenzen Wright Is Still A Mystery
Police arrested Turner, 46, on Tuesday in Memphis, bringing an end to a mystery that baffled them for 10 years. Wright’s body was found in the woods outside Memphis on July 28, 2010, 10 days after the then 34-year-old professional athlete was reported missing. Investigators had received 22 tips about the unsolved murder mystery, but they all turned out to be dead ends. Seven years later, a break in the case finally came with the discovery in November of a gun believed to have been used to murder Wright. It was found in a lake near Walnut, Mississippi.
SEE ALSO: Lorenzen Wright’s Body Suffered Multiple Gunshot Wounds
The 6-foot-11 former star player for the University of Memphis was living in Atlanta before his murder. He had traveled to Memphis for a visit with his six children, at a time in his life when he had financial troubles and was divorced. on the night he disappeared, Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Wright, said he left her home briefly before returning with drugs. She overheard him saying on the phone that he was going to “flip something for $110,000,” before he left her home a second time that night with some money and an unknown person. Hours later, a 911 dispatcher received a call from the NBA player’s cell phone and heard gunshots on the other end before the call was dropped. Lorenzen Wright’ mother, Deborah Marion, was joyful to learn that Turner was arrested. “I’m ecstatic. I’m full of flame. We got the main player,” she said.
SOURCE: USA Today
SEE ALSO:
Celebrity Crime Files: Who Is Lorenzen Wright? 12 Facts About The Late NBA Player
Prayers For Justice At Vigil For Slain NBA Player Lorenzen Wright
