New 'Dateline' episode to focus on Lorenzen Wright's murder: Here's what we know

Dima Amro, Memphis Commercial Appeal

March 15, 2023 at 4:02 PM·3 min read

Lorenzen Wright's murder will be the focus of a new "Dateline" episode this week.

NBC's "Dateline" will show "The Murder of Lorenzen Wright" with updates on the former NBA player's killing in 2010 and new interviews from Wright's family and those close to the case.

NBC last aired a "Dateline" on Wright in 2021, titled "Death of a Hometown Hero," when his mother, Deborah Marion, insisted she knew who the killers were.

Since then, Marion got her answers and feels her son can finally rest.

Here's what to know about the newest "Dateline" episode.

When and where will new 'Dateline' episode on Lorenzen Wright air?

NBC will air "The Murder of Lorenzen Wright" on Friday at 8 p.m. CT.

The show, filmed in Memphis, will run for 2 hours on the NBC channel and detail the killing of Wright, a Memphis native who played basketball for the University of Memphis and the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.

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What will the new Lorenzen Wright 'Dateline' episode include?

This latest episode will feature NBC journalist Andrea Canning reporting on the most recent trials and developments in Wright's case.

Interviews for the show will include Marion and John Keith Perry, defense attorney for Billy Ray Turner, who was convicted of the murder in the spring of 2022.

The show will also include audio tapes from the murder investigation and various videos from the day Wright died.

"The murder of former NBA star and hometown hero Lorenzen Wright sends shockwaves through the city of Memphis," the story summary from NBC said. "Friday’s Dateline NBC will reveal the latest developments in the lengthy search for justice, as well as new interviews."

Who killed Lorenzen Wright?

On July 8, 2022, a judge sentenced Turner to life in prison, plus 25 additional years for killing Wright and other related convictions.

Turner, a 52-year-old landscaper from Collierville, was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder in March 2022, along with attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Additionally, Turner is serving a 16-year sentence from 2019 when he entered a guilty plea for possession of a weapon as a felon. In total, he will serve a life sentence plus 41 years.

Turner was not indicted until December 2017, a month after authorities announced they located the murder weapon in a lake near Walnut, Mississippi.

Wright's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, is serving a 30-year sentence for her role in orchestrating the killing of the 34-year-old basketball player. In May 2022, The Tennessee Board of Parole denied Sherra Wright's request for parole.

Sherra Wright pleaded guilty to facilitation to commit attempted first-degree murder. She is eligible for parole again in May 2027. If Sherra Wright serves out her full sentence, she will be released on June 8, 2046, at the age of 75.

June 26, 2015: Photos of Lorenzen Wright are displayed in the home of Deborah Marion, Lorenzen's mother.

How did Lorenzen Wright die?

Lorenzen Wright was gunned down in a field near the TPC Southwind golf course in July 2010.

The basketball player apparently called for help from his cellphone from a secluded field minutes after midnight on July 19, 2010.

About 11 gunshots are heard on the tape, though an autopsy later found evidence of five gunshot wounds — two to the head, two to the chest and one to the right forearm.

Authorities said Lorenzen Wright’s remains were so badly decomposed after laying in the July heat for nine days that it was impossible to say how many times he was shot or how many people shot him. Investigators found shell casings of differing calibers at the crime scene — possible evidence of multiple gunmen.

The case went cold for seven years before Memphis police announced they found a gun they believed was used in his killing in a lake in Walnut, Mississippi. In 2017, Turner and Sherra Wright were arrested and charged with his killing.

Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Dateline's 'The Murder of Lorenzen Wright': How to watch, what to know

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When and where will new 'Dateline' episode on Lorenzen Wright air?

What will the new Lorenzen Wright 'Dateline' episode include?

Who killed Lorenzen Wright?

How did Lorenzen Wright die?

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