A Riverside County woman is fighting an attempt by authorities to extradite her back to Memphis, where she is charged in the 2010 murder of her ex-husband Lorenzen Wright.
Colin Atagi/The Desert Sun
Sherra Wright, right, talks with her lawyer Eric Keen during an extradtion hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, January 8, 2018.(Photo: Jay Calderon/USA Today Network)
A Murrieta woman will return to Tennessee where she will face accusations that she killed her ex-husband, who was a former NBA player with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sherra Wright waived extradition during a brief hearing Monday in Riverside County Superior Court. Authorities now have 30 days to bring her to Memphis, where her ex-husband, Lorenzen Wright was found dead in 2010.
Monday’s hearing was scheduled after Sherra Wright opted last month to argue whether she was indeed the person named in her arrest warrant. Her attorney, Eric Keen, wouldn’t say Monday why she decided to waive extradition and he added his involvement in the case is now done.
“I expect her to be gone between now and the 22nd (of January),” Keen said.
Superior Court Judge David Gunn asked Sherra Wright several questions to make sure she understood she would be extradited to Tennessee. Each time, she said “Yes.”
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Mugshot of Sherra Wright, the ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright. She was arrested in connection with his death. (Photo: Riverside Sheriff’s Department)
A man, who Keen identified as Sherra Wright’s current husband, was in attendance Monday. It was the first time a friend or family member was present during her court appearances since being arrested last month.
He entered the courtroom carrying an umbrella with headphones around his neck. The moment the hearing ended, he placed the headphones on and quickly walked to a restroom.
The man exited a moment later and remained silent during an elevator ride to the lobby. He ignored members of the media who followed him to his vehicle.
Keen also left the courthouse immediately after the hearing as bailiffs took Sherra Wright into custody.
Lorenzen Wright went missing July 18, 2010. His decomposing body was found 10 days later in a wooded area outside Memphis.
Investigators said the 34-year-old basketball player called 911 early on July 19, 2010, but officers were not notified because the dispatchers could not pinpoint where the call came from. Once notified, investigators used cell towers to locate the body.
Lorenzen Wright had been shot multiple times and investigators found shell casings from multiple caliber guns at the scene. An autopsy documented at least five gunshot wounds and showed bullet fragments were lodged in his skull, chest and right forearm.
Authorities received a tip in 2016 that led them to a firearm at the bottom of a lake in Walnut, Mississippi last month.
Sherra Wright was ultimately identified as a suspect and federal marshals arrested the 38-year-old last month in Norco.
A co-defendant, Billy Turner, was indicted and arrested Dec. 5 in the Memphis area. He’s scheduled to appear in court Jan. 29.
Officials declined to elaborate on the relationship between Wright and Turner, but Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said investigators were, “confident that they knew each other.” The Memphis Commercial Appeal has previously reported that the two attended the same church.
According to an arrest report, witnesses identified Turner “as the person responsible for the murder.” He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment and was being held without bond. He is due back in court in Memphis next month.
He and Sherra Wright are charged in a three count indictment.
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Count one charges them with killing Lorenzen Wright with premeditation. They are also charged “in furtherance of the conspiracy” with traveling “to the area of Callis (Cutoff) and Hacks Cross to kill Lorenzen Wright,” according to the indictment. The last count charges them with trying to kill him between April 1, 2010 and July 17, 2010 in an attempt that included meeting and agreeing to kill him, acquiring guns, recruiting an un-indicted co-conspirator and on the part of Turner, “traveling to and entering Lorenzen Wright’s home outside of Atlanta, Georgia to commit said criminal offense,” the indictment says.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal contributed to this story
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