Outside the courtroom, Marion told reporters she was elated with the verdict. A motive for the slaying was not clear, though Hagerman said the killers were driven by jealousy and greed. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Authorities say the ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright has been charged with first-degree murder in his death more than seven years ago. Jury Seated in Former NBA Player's Murder Trial in Memphis, FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2008, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers' Lorenzen Wright poses at the team's NBA basketball media day in Independence, Ohio. The 12-person jury deliberated for about two hours before it found Billy Ray Turner guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the death of Wright, a 6-foot, 11-inch center who played 13 seasons in the NBA before he retired after the 2008-09 campaign. After Accident", "Former NBA player sentenced to additional year in prison", "Jayson Williams released from prison on Rikers Island", Former All-Star Jayson Williams, the Moses of Rikers, is writing a new book, "Daughters of Jayson Williams denounce his St. John's HOF nod", "Tanya Young Williams, Jayson Williams' Estranged Wife, On 'Basketball Wives,' Domestic Violence", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jayson_Williams&oldid=1138329471, 21st-century American non-fiction writers, American sportspeople convicted of crimes, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, People from Alexandria Township, New Jersey, People from Colleton County, South Carolina, St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 02:40. Both suspects appeared in a Tuscaloosa court Tuesday for a bond hearing, court records show. Hightower played for the Bulldogs in 2017-18 and 2018-19 before transferring to Tulane in 2019-20. One of the suspects was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital, and Kennedy declined to disclose who fired the gun or who was hurt. "It'll never be closure, because I'll never see my son again,'' Marion said. He could face life in prison if convicted. Marion, the slain player's mother, said she's convinced the insurance policy was Sherra Wright's motivation. ATLANTA -- Javaris Crittenton, the former NBA player once suspended by the league for bringing a gun into the Washington Wizards' locker room, has been charged with murder in the shooting of a . Martin has been convicted of murder in a separate case. Miles and co-defendant Michael Lynn Davis who was also ordered no bond Tuesday were arrested and charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Jamea Jonae Harris near the university campus last month. Jayson Williams (born February 22, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New Jersey Nets.He played his first three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, who acquired him in trade with the Phoenix Suns following the 1990 NBA draft.Williams spent the remainder of his career with the . He declared for the NBA Draft on April 18 but at that time, he was planning to keep his eligibility and the option for him to return to school open. I imagine it will be a long, hard trial, he said. He appeared in 53 games the past three seasons and made three total starts, averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds. Wright's decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in a swampy field in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. The allegations against Morant come that same day as the star guard became the face of a new marketing campaign by energy drink company Powerade. CNN Sports David Close contributed to this alert. Miles, 21, a junior reserve forward from Washington, D.C., and Michael Lynn Davis, 20, of Charles County, Maryland, were both charged with capital murder. He additionally received a $16,433 fine for the damage to the tree. Alabama forward Darius Miles looks to pass March 5 in the second half an NCAA college basketball game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Two years later, he was accused of firing a semiautomatic weapon into the parking lot at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Darius Miles, a former Alabama men's basketball player who was charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman early Sunday morning, "maintains his innocence" and is. section: | slug: alabama-basketball-player-darius-miles-charged-with-capital-murder-following-arrest-tied-to-fatal-shooting | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | Wrong spot at the wrong time., Later on Tuesday, Oats issued a written statement to clarify his comments at the news conference and acknowledged that his prior comments came across poorly.. DETROIT -- A former captain of the Michigan State University basketball team was charged with murder Monday in the fatal shooting of a man here, authorities said. All Rights Reserved. . For 3 big Alabama newspapers, the presses are grinding to a halt. Everybody thinks they're so tough and they can go to jail. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Like. He was retired from the league when he was killed. Oats then told reporters Miller isnt in trouble over the incident. An emotional Miles spoke to someone as he was being ushered into a law enforcement vehicle: "I swear I love you more than you can imagine.". 01:01 Now playing - Source: CNN. [14][15] The court repeatedly delayed the retrial for a series of reasons, such as the State's 2008 appeal of a ruling relating to prosecutorial misconduct at the first trial. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and another man have been charged with capital murder after a fatal shooting near campus. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The ex-wife of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright has been charged in his slaying, more than seven years after his body was found in a field in . "I just want to start today by offering our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jamea Harris, a young woman, daughter and a mother who was taken away too soon in a senseless act," he said. [book 1] The book, intended largely to be a humorous recollection of Williams's life in the NBA, was later cited as containing nine separate anecdotes involving his tendency to play with guns, including one where football player Wayne Chrebet is nearly shot and one where the uncle of Manute Bol is threatened with an unloaded handgun. Wright's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, entered a surprise guilty plea to facilitation of murder in July 2019. Oats said Miles is the only member of the Alabama team connected to the shooting. Two days after a dispute stemming from a card game on a team flight, Arenas brought four guns to the locker room and set them in front of Crittenton's locker with a sign telling him to "PICK 1." [book 2] The book includes revelations about being abused as a child. University of Alabama basketball player provided gun for shooting, court document says. He has received immunity from prosecution in the Wright case. 2023 Cable News Network. During his four year career, Crittenton played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, and the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League. Jack Kennedy said the shooting occurred early Sunday morning in the Strip off University Boulevard near campus. As The Baltimore Sun describes, Charles E. Smith won bronze in the 1988 Olympics, helped lead Georgetown University to the top eight in the 1989 NCAA tournament, and was both a consensus All American and Big East Player of the Year in 1989. His decomposing body was found riddled with bullet wounds in east Memphis on July 28, 2010. Two men were charged Tuesday in the death of a former New York Knicks draft choice whose body was found in his car on a Brooklyn . When interviewed by police after the incident, Morant admitted, I swung first.. According to Martin, she said that she and Turner ambushed and chased Lorenzen Wright, who jumped a fence and tried to run away before they shot him in the field. Wright, 34, had been missing for 10 days before his body was discovered. Miles, 21, is one of two suspects charged in the case along with 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis of Maryland. In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night, said the coach. 2021 NBA draft in a . A week prior to that incident, however, Memphis Police were called to a nearby mall in July 2022 after Morant and a group of nine people attempted to confront an employee at a Finish Line sporting goods store who had some sort of dispute with Morants mother. Man convicted in ex-NBA player Wright's slaying, KD stars with Booker in long-awaited Suns debut, LaMelo has surgery on right ankle, out for season, Embiid (sore left foot) misses win against Heat, Sources: Warriors eye Curry return next week, Lakers' Davis out vs. OKC with right foot injury, Wizards starting PG Morris (back) week-to-week, Benner, longtime Pacers PR director, dies at 67, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, Meet the man scouring Nigeria for the next generation of NBA and NFL talent, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas, Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife wants plea thrown out, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Perry said Martin -- not Turner -- was in Memphis the night Lorenzen Wright was shot. ", "While Darius has been accused of being involved with this tragedy, he maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court. Alabama had announced before Saturday's game against LSU that he was out for the season with an ankle injury. He said the shooting resonated with him because he has daughters, but he also had to talk to Miles' mother about what happened, too. I thought it was important for me to clarify the unfortunate remarks I made earlier, he said. Miles signed with Alabama in the 2020 class out of Washington, D.C., as a four-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings and a top-50 national prospect. Relating specifically to the shooting incident, Williams went on to say "I struggle with the loss of lives. As ESPN reports, Miles was one of two men along with Michael Lynn Davis who were charged with . Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Billy Ray Turner is charged with conspiring with Wright's ex-wife in the slaying. Crittenton most recently played in the NBA with Washington in the 2008-09 season, then -- while sidelined by an ankle injury that kept him out of action the entire next season -- was involved in the locker-room gun confrontation with teammate Gilbert Arenas. Daniel Kreps. He said the driver of another vehicle, in which Harris was a passenger, approached campus police near Bryant-Denny Stadium at about 1:45 a.m., saying someone had shot into the vehicle, and he fired back. ", On Saturday, Alabama had announced before its game against LSU that Miles would miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. In 2022, St. John's University announced intentions to induct Williams into their athletics Hall of Fame.[29]. The 12-person jury deliberated for about two hours before it found Billy Ray Turner guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the death of Wright, a 6-foot, 11-inch center . Miller is expected to play Wednesday night as the No. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Hightower played at Collins High School in Suwanee, Georgia, and began his college career playing for the University of Georgia. The Associated Press contributed to this report. We were informed by law enforcement of other student-athletes being in the vicinity, and law enforcement has repeatedly told us that no other student-athletes were suspects they were witnesses only, he said. ", Trial set in slaying of NBA's Lorenzen Wright, KD stars with Booker in long-awaited Suns debut, LaMelo has surgery on right ankle, out for season, Embiid (sore left foot) misses win against Heat, Sources: Warriors eye Curry return next week, Lakers' Davis out vs. OKC with right foot injury, Wizards starting PG Morris (back) week-to-week, Benner, longtime Pacers PR director, dies at 67, What NBA Finals runs from LeBron, Giannis can teach Jayson Tatum, NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant's return could rock the West, Meet the man scouring Nigeria for the next generation of NBA and NFL talent, Roundtable: Early takeaways from Kyrie Irving joining Luka Doncic in Dallas, Ex-wife pleads guilty in killing of Lorenzen Wright. All rights reserved. Rapper Kay Flock Indicted on Federal Racketeering, Murder Charges, Watch Janelle Mone Participate (But Not Score) in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, The NBA Shouldn't Have Creepy Karl Malone at All-Star Weekend. He had retired from the league when he was killed. According to the Washington Post, the police report states that as the group was leaving the premises Ja Morant said, Let me find out what time he gets off,' which the security guard perceived was a threat. Smith made his NBA debut with the Boston Celtics in 1989, per the Chicago Tribune, playing two seasons before his career came to an abrupt halt. [30] Young was a cast member of VH1's reality TV show Basketball Wives: LA. 01:01 Now playing - Source: CNN. A Memphis native, the 6-foot, 11-inch Wright played 13 seasons for the Memphis Grizzlies and four other NBA teams, after playing college basketball at the University of Memphis. With this being a pending investigation, there is nothing I can add that hasn't already been shared.". TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and another man have been charged with capital murder after a fatal shooting near campus. A jury has been seated in the trial of a man charged with killing former NBA player Lorenzen Wright, whose body was found in a swampy field nearly 12 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee. Nearly 12 years after his death rocked the basketball world, former NBA player Lorenzen Wright's murder case came to a close Monday when a Memphis jury found a man guilty of first-degree murder . Williams also received an All-Star game selection, playing in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. We're keeping [Harris' family and friends] in our thoughts and prayers as they continue to grieve. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee sentenced Turner, 51, to life in prison for the murder conviction. The former vice president has become the Democratic front-runner with primary victories across the country. In 2000, he married Tanya Young and together they had two daughters. Jayson Williams (born February 22, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New Jersey Nets. In closing arguments, Perry said Martin's "crazy, contrived'' story was not believable. Tulane junior guard Teshaun Hightower was arrested and charged with murder Saturday in connection with a homicide in Stockbridge, Georgia, that took place earlier in April. They didn't have a previous relationship, he said. [20][21] On the entire experience, Williams said in a 2012 interview with ESPN: "I truly don't want to see anybody cause any more pain to anybody. The Bobcats waived him Oct. 15, and he then played five games in China for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, averaging 25.8 points. The state's high court said in February that trials could resume after March 31. Police: Stabbing victims included 3-day-old baby . An hour doesn't go by that I don't think about [the accident], think about how can I replay this as to bring back Mr. Christofi. It was later found by FBI divers. Parts of his testimony were challenged by defense attorney John Keith Perry, who said the information Martin gave to investigators was a farce and full of lies. Turner's trial had been set for October 2020, but it was postponed after the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended trials last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to Hightower, Jeffrey Hightower, Kelvonie Burney, Tyreek Farmer, Tobias Gresham and Antonie Gresham are all believed to have been involved in the homicide, according to Georgia's Henry County Police Department. NEW . [12] Christofi had been hired to drive Williams's NBA charity team from a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, event to his mansion, about 30 miles (48km) northwest of Trenton, New Jersey. 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