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Trial date set for man accused of conspiring to murder former NBA player Lorenzen Wright

Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright
Billy Ray Turner will stand trial in January for the murder of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright. (AP/Mark Duncan, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A trial date for the man who has been charged with conspiring to kill former NBA player Lorenzen Wright more than a decade ago in Memphis has finally been set, according to The Associated Press.

A judge in Tennessee set the start date for the trial of Billy Ray Turner for Jan. 31, 2022.

The trial had previously been set for October, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lorenzen Wright found dead in 2010

Wright was found dead with multiple bullet wounds in a Memphis area field in 2010, 10 days days after he had been missing. He was 34.

His ex-wife, Sherra Wright, pled guilty to facilitation of murder in 2019, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, per the report. Turner had already been sentenced to 16 years in prison on a separate gun charge after he was arrested for Wright’s murder, as he pled guilty to possessing a weapon as a convicted felon.

Turner has been in jail since his arrest, but said Wednesday that he was eager to “prove my innocence and get back to my family,” per the report.

Wright spent 13 years in the league from 1996-2009. He was selected No. 7 overall in 1996 by the Los Angeles Clippers, and spent time with the Hawks, Grizzlies, Kings and Cavaliers. The Memphis native averaged eight points and 6.4 rebounds per game throughout his career.

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