Sherra Wright, the ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, pleaded guilty Thursday in Memphis to charges of facilitation to commit first-degree murder and facilitation to commit attempted first-degree murder.
Sherra Wright, 48, previously pleaded not guilty, and her appearance in court was unscheduled, as she was not due back until September. She was facing life in prison if she was convicted then.
Lorenzen Wright is believed to have been killed on July 19, 2010, when gunshots were heard during his call to 911. His body was found in a wooded area in southeast Memphis on July 28.
For years, his death was a mystery, but in December 2017, Sherra Wright and Billy Ray Turner were arrested on charges related to his death.
In exchange for her plea, she received a 30-year prison sentence, and she is eligible for parole after serving 30% of that sentence, in nine years. She has spent roughly 20 months in jail, which a judge has credited toward her sentence.
Her attorney, Juni Ganguli, said they came to terms with prosecutor Paul Hagerman on Wednesday night.
“We have been working towards this for about a month or so,” Ganguli said. “Since we suspected Billy Ray Turner was going to testify against her, our defense was going to be that Sherra recruited Billy to kill Lorenzen because he had beaten Sherra for years.”
Ganguli claims that evidence of domestic violence was clear on Sherra’s face, that her face shape is now different and that even her mouth moves differently.
Turner has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and is awaiting trial. Ganguli said Sherra Wright will not testify against him.
