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Lorenzen Wright

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» Friday, August 27 2010

The mystery of who shot her son is tearing her to pieces. "I'm not forgetting about my baby, and I ain't gonna let anybody else forget about him either," she said. Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin said the community should rest assured homicide detectives are working long hours to solve the case. They're interviewing people both in Shelby County and outside the area. They've collected evidence and are waiting for it to be examined. "We haven't let up on it," he said. Memphis Commercial Appeal

 

» Wednesday, August 11 2010

The ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright told Collierville police he left her house on the night of his death with a box of drugs and an unspecified sum of money, according to court records. In a sworn statement, Memphis Police Department Sgt. W.D. Merritt said Sherra Robinson Wright called a Collierville detective July 27 and told him Lorenzen Wright left her home July 18 "around 10:30 p.m. carrying a box of drugs." He returned a short time later then left a second time with cash, she said. Her account to police came five days after his mother reported him missing. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Sherra Wright told detectives her ex had a conversation on "a 'tracfone' or similar cellular telephone" with an unidentified person before he left with the drugs and money. She also told police he owned an iPhone and made calls from both cells while at her house. "During the conversation with the unidentified individual, Sherra Wright told Det. Young she heard Lorenzen Wright say he was going to flip something for $110,000," according to an affidavit obtained by The Commercial Appeal on Tuesday. Memphis Commercial Appeal

 

» Sunday, August 8 2010

 

» Saturday, August 7 2010

It was a common site in this posh enclave: Sherra Wright, walking down Whisperwood Drive, shouting into her cell phone and making demands for money. "It was really bizarre," Patricia Coleman told the Daily News Thursday night. Coleman's home abuts Wright's house in this quiet suburb of Shelby County, 20 miles east of Memphis. "She wouldn't talk in the house," Coleman said. "She would walk up and down the street and scream and holler. Neighbors would call and ask what's going on? She was always saying she needed money. That's one of the reasons we're concerned today." New York Daily News

Wright is the ex-wife of former NBA basketball player Lorenzen Wright, whose slain body was found in a deserted area of southeast Memphis on July 28. While Memphis police are in the midst of a homicide investigation, Sherra Wright, who moved to the neighborhood in November and is described by neighbors as distant and aloof, has emerged as a person of interest in the police investigation as well as a lightning rod for speculation among Memphis residents. The Wrights divorced in February. New York Daily News

Homicide detectives searched Sherra Wright's home on Sunday, focusing on a fire pit in her backyard that was raging on July 19, the night Lorenzen Wright disappeared. Coleman remembers seeing Sherra Wright in the backyard by the fire. "She was back there with another man," Coleman said. "I thought it was strange because it was like one of the hottest days of the year." After the detectives left Sherra Wright's house, Coleman said Sherra "or someone who looked like Sherra" returned to the home, venturing to the back patio for a couple of minutes. Sherra Wright has not publicly spoken about Lorenzen Wright's death, and no one answered the door to her home on Thursday night. New York Daily News

According to Mathes, Lorenzen Wright was "broke" at the time of his death, as evidenced by the foreclosure of two homes he owned, she said. Mathes said Lorenzen Wright had a life insurance policy in his name but that she was unaware of who the beneficiary is. Mathes has said her client was threatened by three gunmen who showed up at her home in search of Lorenzen Wright, six weeks before he was killed. Sherra Wright never told authorities, fearing for her life if she spoke out, Mathes said. New York Daily News

 

» Thursday, August 5 2010

Current and former NBA players in attendance included former Grizzly teammates Bonzi Wells and Stromile Swift, current Grizzlies Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, former Grizzly and Memphis product Lester Hudson, former Hawks coach Mike Woodson and NBA agent Aaron Goodwin. "This was a celebration of life," former Tiger and NBA player Elliot Perry said. "People really loved Lorenzen. When you talk about Lorenzen around the community, you're talking about a giant, a person who had a positive attitude about life." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Another memory that stood out was the death of Wright's 11-month-old daughter, Sierra, of natural causes in 2003. It was then that Heisley, who was with Wright at the time of Sierra's death, fully understood what people meant when they talked about how much Wright loved his children. "If you've ever gone through that experience, you wouldn't have any question how much love he had," Heisley said. "It was one of the most emotional things that I've ever been through, to see a grown man that big, just sitting there absolutely sobbing and crying." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Earl Barron: Just left Lorenzen's memorial. Got emotional at the end hearing the choir sing "Going Up Yonder" watching them push the casket. So many people came out to celebrate his life. One quote stood out today. "The enemy has a plot but God has a plan." Twitter

The investigation has turned toward Sherra Wright, who divorced Lorenzen Wright in February, hasn't held a job in 17 years and is nearly $3 million in debt, according to her divorce attorney, Gail Mathes. Homicide detectives searched Sherra Wright's home on Sunday, focusing on a fire pit in her backyard. Nearly sixweeks before Wright was shot to death, Sherra said she was confronted at her home by three gunmen who were looking for him. Fearing for her life if she spoke, she waited until Monday to tell the authorities of the incident. Coleman Garrett, a criminal attorney for Sherra, told the Daily News Wednesday that she would not be giving a statement to the Memphis police despite their attempts to interview her. "We don't have anything to add," Garrett said. "We don't want to fuel the rumors." New York Daily News

Garrett also spoke to reports that Wright provided misinformation to investigators concerning when she last saw her ex-husband, telling authorities she saw him leaving her Collierville home at 2 a.m. on July 19 when police say they later received a call from Wright's cell phone around midnight. The 911 call from Wright wasn't forwarded to the police until eight days later, when his body was found. Rodney Bright, the Germantown Deputy Police Chief, told The News that his office was to complete an internal review of the circumstances surrounding the 911 call to a Germantown dispatcher late Wednesday and noted that the dispatcher who handled the call has not been disciplined. "I don't know whose timeline that is," Garrett said. "She was in bed; she didn't know what time it was." New York Daily News

Mathes told The News that Sherra couldn't possibly be a suspect in his murder because "she didn't have any motive to kill because he had no money." According to Mathes, Lorenzen was "broke" at the time of his death, the result of two homes he owned that were foreclosed in the amount of nearly $3 million, she said. "The fact is that he had huge debts and no money and actually he wasn't paying any child support and he was talking of getting a job (playing overseas) so he could pay child support," Mathes said. New York Daily News

Lorenzen Wright was remembered Wednesday not only as a local basketball star but as a devoted family man with a deep affection for his community as thousands gathered inside FedExForum to mourn a life taken too soon. The memorial service for Wright, who was found dead last week in Southeast Memphis from gunshot wounds, lasted nearly three hours and included speeches from his siblings, local dignitaries and members of the basketball community tracing his journey from Booker T. Washington High to the University of Memphis and the Memphis Grizzlies. "He was a young man who never forgot who he was, where he came from, the values that shaped him and the people who encouraged him along the way," Mayor AC Wharton said. "Lorenzen's story was one of those special Memphis stories where a man is able to transcend his roots even while he represents those roots proudly." Memphis Commercial Appeal

 

» Wednesday, August 4 2010

Family, friends and fans said good-bye to Lorenzen Wright today in the arena where he played as local hero for the Memphis Grizzlies. Thousands stood at their seats primarily in the lower bowl of the FedExForum at the start of the afternoon memorial service for the power forward, whose body was found in a secluded area of Southeast Memphis a week ago. Memphis Commercial Appeal

They then heard three hours of spiritual hymns and speeches of inspiration from clergy and dignitaries who spoke of Wright’s courage, tenacity and spirit. There were former teammates, team owners and the casual fan who watched Wright play in the city from Booker T. Washington High, to the University of Memphis to the Memphis Grizzlies. Michael Heisley, the Grizzlies’ majority owner, recalled that Wright was the spiritual and physical leader for the team during the most successful five years in franchise history. "He was an inspiration to the young team we had," Heisley said. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Police investigating the shooting death of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright have searched the home of his ex-wife, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Meanwhile, a public memorial service for Wright will be held Wednesday afternoon at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. The body of Wright, 34, was found in a wooded area in Memphis on July 28, police said. The death has been ruled a homicide by gunshot wound. Wright had been missing since visiting his ex-wife's home in Collierville, Tennessee, on July 18, police said. Collierville is about 20 miles east of Memphis. CNN.com

Thousands of mourning friends, family and fans are expected Wednesday at a funeral service for former NBA player Lorenzen Wright. The service will be held at 1 p.m. CDT at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. For those who can't attend, a live stream of the ceremonies can be seen at WREG.com. Wright, 34, was found shot to death on July 28, six days after he was reported missing by his family and 10 days after he was last seen. A 911 call was made from his cell phone the day he went missing, but a police dispatcher was unable to trace the location of the call, and investigators did not learn the call came from his phone until July 27. FanHouse.com

Police dispatchers didn't alert patrol officers or commanders to a 911 call from the phone of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright because they couldn't confirm that it came from inside their suburban Memphis jurisdiction, documents show. Wright's body was found in the woods on July 28 after he had been missing for 10 days. He was shot to death, and police are looking for the killer or killers of the beloved Memphis sports hero. ESPN.com

 

» Tuesday, August 3 2010

 

» Monday, August 2 2010

Memphis police have served a search warrant at the Collierville home of Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Robinson Wright, law enforcement sources said today. Those sources would not say what prompted the search or what officers were looking for. Officially, MPD had no comment today about the murder investigation of former NBA star Lorenzen Wright, whose body was found July 28 near a wooded area of southeast Memphis. His death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wound. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Sherra Wright has not been available for comment since her ex-husband's body was found. But she has been cooperating with police, who interviewed her Friday, and could have held her longer if they’d viewed her as a suspect, her divorce attorney, Gail Mathes said today. “I know, as well as I know myself, that Sherra Wright was not involved in any way in the murder of Lorenzen Wright,” said Mathes, who plans to attend a private service Tuesday honoring the late NBA player. “She had no motive.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

Police detectives in Memphis searched the home and backyard of ex-NBA player Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife on Sunday, WPTY-TV in Memphis reported. Lorenzen Wright's body was found Wednesday in the woods in southeast Memphis. He had been missing since July 18, when he left his ex-wife's house around midnight with an unidentified person. Police have ruled his death a homicide. ESPN.com

Detectives spent several hours at the home of Sherra Wright, including a lengthy search of a backyard grill and fire pit, according to the report. Her neighbors told police they had seen smoke coming from the backyard the night Lorenzen Wright went missing and thought it strange because it was one of the hottest nights of the summer. Last week, Sherra Wright's lawyer, Gail Mathes, said three armed men looking for Lorenzen Wright showed up the ex-wife's house about six weeks before he was found shot to death. The men, dressed in sport coats with weapons in view, threatened Sherra Wright and her family if she told anyone about the visit, Mathes said. ESPN.com

Five days after the body of Lorenzen Wright was found shot to death, Memphis Police have not made any arrests. Sunday afternoon fans of Lorenzen Wright gathered in the wooded area where the body of the basketball star was found. Investigators have released little information on the case thus far. Lorenzen's body was found last Wednesday, 9 days after a 911 call was made from Wright's cell phone. Some believe his body was found where the call was made. My FOX Memphis.com

Sources tell FOX13 that Lorenzen was shot more than a dozen times, and officers at the crime scene recovered at least 10 empty shells. According to Memphis Police, there are no new updates and no one has been arrested or charged in this crime. Police have spoken with family and friends of Lorenzen Wright about the case, including his ex-wife Sherra Robinson Wright. Wright's divorce attorney told FOX13 Sunday afternoon that she has hired a criminal lawyer since Friday, but our calls to him went unanswered. My FOX Memphis.com

Never short on opinions, Wright made it a point to needle me about any and every thing, every time he saw me. (It was his way of returning the favor for a description of him that was penned when the news broke that he would be signing with the Hawks, for a second time, in the summer of 2006). He never did say if it was “journeyman” or “old man” that bothered him most, other less-flattering adjectives might have been used to describe him in a blog post or two, but we’ll never know. It doesn’t really matter now anyway. Whatever it was, it led to plenty of back and forth and good-natured jabbering between us in locker rooms from Los Angeles to New York. NBA.com

He came over and joined us and we spent the next three hours talking about all manner of things — the Alabama-Texas game on the flat screens all over the place, his 13 years in the NBA, our respective journeys, where we might be headed, but most of all our families and specifically our children (‘Ren has six that will mourn their father’s passing for years to come). We exchanged numbers as we headed out of the building and into the remnants of that snowstorm. Ren called me two days later to ask if there was a Home Depot or Lowe’s in the neighborhood. We ended up talking another 50 minutes, putting the finishing touches on a conversation that started two days earlier. In hindsight, it’s probably one of the most honest conversations I can ever remember having with a pro athlete, on or off the record, at any stage of his career. It’s funny how the conversation flows when you recognize that you are both fathers, husbands, sons and brothers, just men trying to make sense of it all on any given day. Basketball never came up. NBA.com

 

» Saturday, July 31 2010

The mother of murdered former NBA player Lorenzen Wright lashed out Friday at Germantown police for the handling of a 911 call that came in from his cell phone the night he died. "They did drop the ball," said Deborah Marion. "How do you call 911 and hear shots and nobody reacts? "You know, when my grandkids one time was playing on the phone and they called 911, three police showed up at my house. I'm like, 'What are y'all looking for?' They said, 'Well, we've got a 911 hang-up over here.' "How do three police show up for a 911 hang-up, but nobody does anything when you have a 911 and shots? Somebody's got to answer for this. I want somebody prosecuted because this is not right." Memphis Commercial Appeal

A cadaver dog found Wright's remains nine days after he went missing atop a small hill just short of a wooded area near Hack Cross and Winchester roads. His body was initially hidden from view by thick brush. Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin said Friday investigators prefer to secure a crime scene as soon as possible to preserve evidence. "The longer you wait, the more chances just through natural causes that the evidence could be affected," he said, though he has no indication that evidence was lost in this case. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Earl Barron: R.I.P. Ren. Still hard to believe. Seems like ystrday when I was a freshman. Him, Chris G, Ced, Mike used to come hoop with us. Twitter

 

» Friday, July 30 2010

Three armed men looking for Lorenzen Wright showed up at the home of the former NBA player's ex-wife about six weeks before he was found shot to death, an attorney said Friday. Lawyer Gail Mathes said her client, Sherra Wright, was afraid for herself and her children, so she kept quiet about the encounter until Monday. She then alerted police in the Memphis suburb of Collierville. ESPN.com

The men, dressed in sport coats with weapons in view, threatened Sherra Wright and her family if she told anyone about the visit, Mathes said. The attorney's account was first reported by The Commercial Appeal. Lorenzen Wright's body was found Wednesday in the woods in southeast Memphis. He had been missing since July 18, when he left his ex-wife's house around midnight with an unidentified person. Meanwhile, police in the Memphis suburb of Germantown are reviewing how a 911 call from Wright's cell phone was handled. Rodney Bright, Germantown's deputy police chief, said department officials did not know about the call until Tuesday, eight days after it was received by a dispatcher in the early morning hours of July 19. Bright says he can't discuss details of the call, which has been turned over to Memphis police. ESPN.com

That 911 call was taken by Germantown dispatchers on Monday. It's unclear if Germantown police started investigating at that point, they have declined to talk to the media. It was Collierville police who had been on the case. But once MPD homicide heard the 911 call, investigators traced the call to the nearest cell phone tower and searched the area. Sources say Wright's body was found within hours. "There's been some kind of break down, whatever that is. Maybe there needs to be a review of protocol," said County Commissioner Mike Carpenter. Carpenter said the Lorenzen Wright investigation is a perfect example why the 911 operations of Memphis, Shelby County, and the suburban cities should all be housed in one call center. "It gives you the opportunity for number one, communication. To be able to communicate with one another under the same roof in a timely manner. Number two, I think it allows you to move toward having the same 911 system," said Carpenter. My FOX Memphis.com

The County Commission has approved funds to build a center to house county, Memphis, and suburban dispatchers, but so far only Memphis and the county have agreed to move in. The suburban police departments have said no. "They have not agreed and have in the past refused. So that has been one of the hold ups," said Carpenter. Although the first 48 has passed, homicide detectives are making up for lost time. They tell FOX13 they are working around the clock and have the use of all MPD's resources, from man power to technology. Germantown Police Department said it is conducting an administrative review of how the call has handled. My FOX Memphis.com

Sherra Robinson Wright opened her front door one day in recent weeks to find three men she had never seen before, each with guns tucked in their waistbands. They looked serious and wanted to know if her ex-husband, former NBA star Lorenzen Wright, 34, happened to be inside the Whisperwood Drive home visiting his six children. No, she assured them, and they drove away. Memphis Commercial Appeal

The frightened Collierville mom rushed to tell her divorce attorney, Gail Mathes, about the scary ordeal and her fears for herself, her children and the ex-husband she still loved, Mathes said. A few weeks later, the athlete made an impromptu visit from his Atlanta-area home to Memphis. A day after his flight arrived, he was gunned down. Memphis Commercial Appeal

 

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