All Articles Tagged "lorenzen wright"
Investigation of Ex-NBA Player’s Murder Botched by City of Memphis
By Alexis Garrett Stodghill
It has been a year since the body of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright was found decomposing in a field in Memphis. His memorial service was held in an arena and attended by political and sports notables, but since that time the attention his murder spawned has cooled. Memphis police have recently stated that they are far from solving his mysterious murder case, which began with a number of disorganized missteps on the part of investigating officials. But Wright’s mother, Deborah Marion, is determined to renew pressure on the police to solve this crime. She is suing the local authorities for $2 million in compensation for their incompetence, and working tirelessly to maintain public awareness of her son’s unsolved murder. The Associated Press reports:
Marion said: “I will never lose hope until I’m dead and buried.” But mistakes have hurt the case, which remains unsolved since Wright, 34, was found dead July 28, 2010.
Wright’s relatives and friends have complained a missing person’s report wasn’t taken seriously. It was 10 days before his body was found, complicating the investigation because evidence was left to deteriorate in a swampy field at the height of summer. A 911 call made from Wright’s cell phone soon after he was last seen by his family was botched by dispatchers. A small reward of $6,000 – less than the $8,000 offered by a family and animal rights groups for a missing pit bull named Kapone – has yielded just 28 Crime Stoppers tips. [...]
Marion filed a $2 million lawsuit Wednesday, accusing suburban authorities in Germantown and Collierville of messing up the emergency call and the missing person’s report. Officials in both municipalities have declined comment. Marion said the police departments involved did not take enough responsibility.
“It’s like they were just passing the ball from court to court,” Marion said of the agencies.
Wright, who played for five different teams over 13 seasons in the NBA, was last seen by his ex-wife carrying money and a box of drugs on July 18. On July 19, a 911 call was placed from Lorenzen Wright’s cell phone. Although sounds that were likely gunfire were heard by dispatchers, they failed to send police follow up or report the call to police until days later. Police also failed to connect the call to the missing person report that was filed by Wright’s mother on July 22.
Wright’s body was found on July 28, and had decayed so badly that his corpse weighed only 57 pounds. The delay in recovering his body allowed important forensic evidence to perish. Although the investigation into Wright’s murder has revealed his distant connection to area drug boss Craig Petties, police have no significant leads.
Wright is survived by six children, who are involved in basketball just like their deceased father would have wanted, Deborah Marion told AP.
Neighbor Says, Ex-Wife of Lorenzen Wright ‘Needed Money’
By Mitch Abramson of New York Daily News
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.
Lorenzen Wright’s Assistant Pulls Damaging Voice Mails from Ex-wife
Lorenzen Wright’s personal assistant, Wendy Wilson, confiscated recorded evidence from his ex-wife threatening to have him harmed. Wilson accused the ex-wife of making rash threats against Wright and filed a report with Memphis police. She also claims that Wright asked her to keep the tape in case something happened to him in light of a messy divorce.
Former NBA Player, Lorenzen Wright Found Dead in Tenn.
Family and friends of former Memphis Grizzlies player Lorenzen Wright are in mourning today as the player’s body was found in the woods in Memphis. Wright had been missing for ten days when police called his father, former professional basketball player Herb Wright with the news that they had found his body.
