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Tennessee man found guilty in killing of former NBA star Lorenzen Wright

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A jury on Monday convicted a Tennessee man within the killing of former NBA star Lorenzen Wright greater than a decade in the past. 

After deliberating for lower than three hours, the 12-person jury discovered Billy Ray Turner responsible of first-degree homicide, tried homicide and conspiracy within the loss of life of Wright, whose physique was discovered riddled with bullets in a discipline in Memphis again in 2010. 

Turner, 51, was sentenced to life in jail for the homicide conviction by Shelby County Prison Court docket Choose Lee Espresso. The tried first-degree homicide cost got here from a separate failed plot to kill Wright in his Atlanta house previous to the capturing. Turner might be sentenced for the opposite fees at a later date.

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Lorenzen Wright is interviewed after he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers on June 26, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(NBA Photographs/NBAE through Getty Photographs)

Wright, the seventh general decide within the 1996 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, performed 13 seasons within the NBA, together with 5 with the Memphis Grizzlies. The decide referred to as the 6-foot, 11-inch heart “a sacred son” of Memphis.

Espresso additionally advised Wright’s mom, Deborah Marion, that she ought to attempt to “have a good time the great” in her son, regardless of the opportunity of the trial not bringing her closure.

“It will by no means be closure, as a result of I am going to by no means see my son once more,” Marion mentioned. “That is just a few satisfaction for me and my household.”

Cleveland Cavaliers' Lorenzen Wright poses at the team's NBA basketball media day in Independence, Ohio on Sept. 29, 2008.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lorenzen Wright poses on the workforce’s NBA basketball media day in Independence, Ohio on Sept. 29, 2008.
(AP Photograph/Mark Duncan, File)

Wright, a father of six, had been lacking for days earlier than his physique was found riddled with bullet wounds in a swampy discipline in Memphis on July 28, 2010. 

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Prosecutors allege that Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Wright, recruited Turner and her cousin, Jimmie Martin, to assist kill her ex-husband. Martin was accused of serving to clear up proof after Wright was killed.

In keeping with the Memphis Industrial Enchantment, a time-lapse occurred between the killing and when Wright’s physique was discovered by authorities, which brought on investigators to lose key proof that may have made for a faster investigation.

The case went chilly for a number of years earlier than investigators discovered motive to reevaluate the position of Sherra Wright. In December 2017, Each Turner and Sherra Wright have been indicted — greater than seven years after the killing. 

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Turner was discovered with two weapons when he was arrested in Wright’s killing in 2017. He pleaded responsible to possessing a weapon as a convicted felon and is at present serving a 16-year jail sentence on the gun cost.

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Sherra Wright entered a responsible plea to the facilitation of homicide in July 2019 and was sentenced to 30 years in jail.

Martin, who’s at present serving time for the homicide of his girlfriend again in 2008, was granted immunity from prosecution within the Wright case. Martin testified that Sherra Wright recruited him and Turner to kill Lorenzen Wright.

Protection legal professional John Keith Perry identified inconsistencies from Martin’s statements and argued the knowledge Martin gave to investigators was stuffed with lies. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman mentioned Martin’s immunity settlement required him to inform the reality and that his statements had been constant.

Deborah Marion, mother of former NBA basketball player Lorenzen Wright, speaks with reporters, Monday, March 21, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn., after a jury convicted a Tennessee man in the slaying of her son, whose bullet-riddled body was found in a field nearly 12 years ago.

Deborah Marion, mom of former NBA basketball participant Lorenzen Wright, speaks with reporters, Monday, March 21, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn., after a jury convicted a Tennessee man within the slaying of her son, whose bullet-riddled physique was present in a discipline almost 12 years in the past.
(AP Photograph/Adrian Sainz)

Lorenzen Wright began 447 video games throughout his prolonged NBA profession. He averaged eight factors and 6.4 rebounds per sport and retired after the 2008-2009 season.

After the decision, Deborah Marion mentioned she would go to her son’s grave Monday night time.

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“Possibly now, I can sleep by way of the night time,” she mentioned, based on the Memphis Industrial Enchantment.

The Related Press contributed to this report

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Southeast

Kentucky nightclub shooting leaves 1 dead, 7 hospitalized

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An early morning shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, nightclub Saturday left one man dead and seven others hospitalized, police confirmed to Fox News Digital, adding that there are no suspects.

The man was suffering from gunshot wounds when first responders arrived, the Louisville Metro Police Department said in a release, and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The deceased was identified as Joseph D. Bowers of Indianapolis, The Associated Press reported. 

Another adult who was shot was taken to the hospital with critical and life-threatening wounds following the 12:47 a.m. shooting. 

SHOOTING OUTSIDE ARKANSAS GROCERY STORE LEAVES 3 DEAD, MULTIPLE WOUNDED, INCLUDING 2 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

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An early morning shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, nightclub Saturday left one man dead and seven others hospitalized, police confirmed to Fox News Digital. (WDRB)

Six other victims with non-life-threatening injuries had also taken themselves to the hospital.

SHOOTING AT OAKLAND JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION LEAVES MULTIPLE INJURED, POLICE SAY

crime scene tape at shooting scene

Louisville police said they have no suspects in the early Saturday shooting. (WDRB)

The H20 club, located at 25th and Broadway, decided to close after the shooting, the Louisville Courier Journal reported, citing a statement from the Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

police at the scene

The shooting happened at a nightclub called H20. (WDRB)

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“This decision, made in light of our shared concerns for public safety, allows them time to mourn the tragic loss of their employee while ensuring the community’s well-being,” the statement stated. “The relationship of the victims, if any, is not known at this time.”

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NASCAR's Daniel Suarez, from Mexico, becomes American citizen: 'I did it my way'

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez is now an American citizen.

Suarez, from Mexico, took the oath at the field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It wasn’t just the nearly 50 people becoming citizens there for the special day – even NASCAR president Steve Phelps was there, along with members of the rackhouse Racing team, as well as his fiancee.

All of that took Suarez by surprise.

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NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez waves an American flag during a naturalization ceremony, June 18, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)

“The most special part of everything was, you see so many people there,” Suarez said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I was not expecting it. I was not expecting to see so many people.”

“I didn’t think many people were going to really care about it,” Suarez said. “A lot of people really did.”

Suarez’s parents had actually thought about traveling to the United States for his birth, but it wound up being too expensive.

“It’s really funny how my parents, they had that thought before I was born, about being born in the United States, I guess to have more opportunities. They didn’t do it,” he said. “And now, I guess I did it my way.”

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Daniel Suarez taking oath

NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez stands for the “oath of allegiance” during a naturalization ceremony, June 18, 2024, in Charlotte. (Noah Watts/Daylon Barr Photography, Trackhouse Racing via AP)

TODD GILLILAND 1-ON-1: ON HIS RACING ROOTS, PROGRESS HE’S MADE IN 2024

Suarez admitted that becoming a citizen wasn’t originally a thought.

“It wasn’t a dream of mine,” Suarez said. “I came to this country to race and compete. I had been working really hard to try and go to the next step and be more competitive. In a blink of an eye, I’ve been already here 12 years.”

He learned, and dedicated himself to, the process of becoming a citizen about six years ago – his team even quizzed him in April in Dover ahead of his citizenship test.

“I felt like it was the right time to start this process. Slowly, I’m getting more and more responsibilities in my life. It was the right time to feel more secure; that I belong here.” 

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Daniel Suarez pre-race

Daniel Suarez walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 8, 2024, in California. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Suarez has two career Cup wins – including the closest finish ever at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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On this day in history, June 23, 1948, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is born in Georgia

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born in Pin Point, Georgia on this day in history, June 23, 1948. 

His entire family grappled with extreme poverty. His parents divorced when he was a toddler; Thomas’ father left the family when young Clarence was only two years old. 

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Eventually, Clarence Thomas was sent to live with his maternal grandfather following a house fire, multiple sources note. 

Thomas’ grandfather had a profound impact on his life: Thomas even titled his 2008 memoir “My Grandfather’s Son.” 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JUNE 22, 1944, FDR SIGNS GI BILL, WITH FAR-REACHING IMPACT ON AMERICAN VETERANS

“I even called him Daddy,” wrote Thomas in his book, “because that was what my mother called him … He was dark, strong, proud and determined to mold me in his image … He was the one hero in my life.”

Said Thomas in a September 2021 speech at the University of Notre Dame, “The single biggest event in my early life was going to live with my grandparents in 1955.”

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born on June 23, 1948, in Pin Point, Georgia. In his personal memoir, he wrote that his maternal grandfather was “the one hero in my life.” (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

As a young child, Thomas attended segregated Catholic schools for Black children.

He became the first Black student to be admitted to St. John Vianney, a Catholic minor seminary, said the website Oyez. 

“My nuns and my grandparents lived out their sacred vocation in a time of stark racial animus, and did so with pride with dignity and with honor,” said Thomas at Notre Dame. 

“To this day I revere, admire and love my nuns. They were devout, courageous and principled women,” he said. 

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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JUNE 21, 1982, PRINCE WILLIAM, HEIR TO THE BRITISH THRONE, IS BORN

Despite his academic success at St. John Vianney, Thomas was the recipient of racially charged bullying, said Oyez. 

Following graduation from St. John Vianney, Thomas intended on becoming a Catholic priest. He entered Immaculate Conception Seminary from 1967 to 1968.

He left seminary after again experiencing racism from classmates — and transferred to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Clarence Thomas official portrait

Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, took his seat on the Supreme Court on Oct. 23, 1991. (AP Images)

He graduated cum laude in 1971, said Oyez. 

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In 1974, he graduated from Yale Law School and was admitted to law practice in Missouri of that same year, the Supreme Court’s website notes. 

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Thomas worked in various roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including doing a stint as assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education and as chairman of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission from 1982 until 1990. 

In 1990 until 1991, Thomas was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 

Clarence and Ginni Thomas laugh

Clarence Thomas and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas. Thomas was born on this day in history, June 23, 1948. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President George H. W. Bush appointed Thomas as an associate Supreme Court justice following the retirement of Justice Thurgood Marshall. 

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Marshall was the first Black member of the Supreme Court; Thomas was the second. 

After a highly contentious confirmation hearing, the Senate voted 52-48 to approve Clarence Thomas to the high court, History.com noted.

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He was seated at the court on Oct. 23, 1991, at age 43. 

During his time on the Supreme Court, Thomas has typically associated with the court’s conservative wing. 

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Group picture of the members of the Supreme Court

Members of the Supreme Court pose for a photo in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021. Seated, second from left, is Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.  (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)

Thomas’ Martin-Quinn score — (or MQ score, referring to metrics used to gauge the ideology of Supreme Court justices based on their voting record) — of 3.05 during the 2021-2022 term was the most conservative of anyone on the court, the website Ballotpedia noted.

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Thomas is married to Virginia “Ginni” Thomas. 

He has one son, Jamal, from a previous marriage, said Oyez.

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Mark Paoletta, an attorney, close friend and co-author of the 2022 book, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” told Fox News Digital two years ago of Thomas, “I think he is going to be considered one of our greatest justices. And he’s an originalist who had the courage to apply the Constitution and be faithful to the Constitution into the text of statute, come what may.”

He added, “His legacy is a courageous justice who faithfully applied the Constitution.”

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