Filed under: Basketball
Wright was found dead on July 18 after leaving his ex-wife's house after midnight.
The Lorenzen Wright murder has become the subject of increased speculation recently, as it has been revealed that Wright had business relationships with known drug dealers. Additionally, his ex-wife is also the subject of additional police scrutiny. Police searched the home of Sherra Wright after neighbors reported that she started a fire in her backyard on the same night that Wright was murdered. Additionally, she was allegedly part of a what some perceived to be a suspicious conversation. Yet another controversial dimension of the Lorenzen Wright murder is that some are wondering why police did not provide a timely response to the 911 call that came from his phone shortly before he was killed.
Clearly, no one knows what to believe in this case. The allegedly "suspicious" conversation being had by Wright's ex-wife shortly before his death was simply one where a neighbor claims that she overheard Sherra saying that she really needed money she was owed. An ex-wife yelling about needing money doesn't seem suspicious to me, since Wright's financial problems likely caused him to fall behind on child and spousal support. Two of his homes were repossessed earlier in the year, and he'd sold at least two of his luxury vehicles as well.
While Sherra Wright's phone call does not appear to be suspicious, having a big fire burning in your backyard on the hottest day of the year might be. What was she burning? Perhaps the police can find out after searching her home. The truth is that many murders across America are committed by people who once loved the victim, so police are right to conduct part of the search close to home.
More disturbing are reports that the 911 dispatcher heard several gunshots during Wright's call to police, yet there is not sufficient evidence to imply that officers responded in a timely fashion. Lorenzen Wright's mother, Deborah Marion, was right when she said this:
"They did drop the ball. How do you call 911 and hear shots and nobody reacts? You know, when my grandkids one time was playing on the phone and they called 911, three police showed up at my house. I'm like, 'What are y'all looking for?' They said, 'Well, we've got a 911 hang-up over here.' How do three police show up for a 911 hang-up, but nobody does anything when you have a 911 and shots? Somebody's got to answer for this. I want somebody prosecuted because this is not right."
There's really nothing else to say outside of what Ms. Marion laid out in plain English. This case is incredibly suspicious. While Wright's peculiar associations with drug dealers are the obvious starting point for the investigation, there are equally compelling questions about his ex-wife's behavior, as well as the behavior of police. Overall, the situation is unfortunate, in large part because his children no longer have their father. All of this could have been avoided.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the Athlete Liberation and Academic Reform Movement (ALARM). To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.