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UPDATED: ‘Last call with Sherra Wright’

UPDATE: On July 25, 2019, Sherra Wright surprised Memphis and the sports world by entering a guilty plea in the murder of her ex-husband, former Memphis Tiger and Memphis Grizzlies star Lorenzen Wright. She will be sentenced to serve 30 years, and be eligible for parole in about eight years.
Shortly after her arrest in 2017, 
TSD freelancer Kelvin Cowans first told his story about his romantic relationship with Wright in The New Tri-State Defender. With the latest news in the case, Kelvin’s unique perspective has garnered a lot of attention. We are sharing his story once again here.

December 15, 2017

I was preparing to go and celebrate with a friend of mine, who was receiving a Humanitarian Award near the University of Memphis. I was running late. The program was set to begin at 6 p.m. and it was about 5:45. As I began to get dressed, my phone rung.

It was Sherra, calling from California, again.

Sherra Wright recording the “Who Killed Lorenzen Wright” series for Fox Sports. Having been coached, she veered from the script and omitted saying, “No,” when asked if she had anything to do with Lorenzen Wright’s death.
(Photo: Courtesy of Kelvin Cowans)

Earlier that day, she had called to tell me a local news reporter, April Thompson of WREG 3, was hounding her for an exclusive. She told me that she relayed to Ms. Thompson that if she ever had anything to say that she had a connection at The New Tri-State Defender that she would speak through. That was me.

Here we were, on the phone again, with Sherra telling me that she’s not going to make a statement about the gun found in her former husband’s death nor say anything about the arrest of his accused killer, Billy Ray Turner.

After a long pause, I broke the silence by asking her just what world she was living in these days: Your former husband was murdered and the police have found the gun that killed him and arrested a suspect. I assured her that it was unnatural for her or any woman who had seven children with a man, married or divorced, to not comment on such developments.

Fully dressed and driving to my engagement, I listened as she gave me at least three reasons why she was not going to make a statement. None of them came anywhere close to a good reason. Again I let her know that her not speaking out was a horrible idea.

I can remember past times when I’d  told her the best thing to do and she listened. Like when she asked me should she do an exclusive interview for Fox Sports and I said, “Of course, promote your book.” I stood off camera, took pictures and encouraged her to be strong, focus, fix your lipstick. (“Who killed Lorenzen Wright” Parts 1,2,3 on Youtube).

But I can also remember times when I warned her not to do something and she did it anyway. Like when she bought a BMW X5 that we didn’t need; or our past $15,000 Christmas. Or the GLASS Kool-Aid jar from Target that the “wrecking crew” aka Law (Lawson) and Baby Wright (Sofia) broke  in less than 24 hrs.

So just as many times before, here we go, back and forward on what was best. We dated for just over two years and have only been broken up for nine months at this point, so this process was normal. I was totally zoned out while she gave reason number four of why she wasn’t going to make a statement.

My mind drifted to the many times she asked me, through tears, if I thought they would ever find the person that killed Lorenzen. I said, “Yes, someone will eventually talk and we will find out who killed him.”

I always believed she was crying because she was sad that he was gone and that her question was genuine in nature. Only God knows how many times she side-eyed me after receiving my answer.

“Kelvin,” she spoke, as I snapped back into the conversation, pulling up to my destination and telling her that I had to go.

I told her that I would be praying for her and the kids as usual. I knew that she had remarried. Her brother, the Rev. Marcus Robinson, had presided over a small ceremony. So I told her to focus on her new husband, Tim, and the kids; to not worry about the media or the police, to let them do their jobs.

“OK,” she said. “Thank you”

Less than three hours later, she had been arrested for the first-degree murder of her former husband, Lorenzen Wright.

My oldest sister, Di Ann, alerted me to the breaking news. I never thought that she killed him and she never told me she had anything to do with it.

I had my suspicions and I am indeed quite the journalist but they were suspicions of cheating, not conspiracy.  Missing pieces to what I believed was a hidden lover, not the City of Memphis’ most famed homicide since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., right?

I am now watching, just like so many others in myriad parts of the country. I am happy for Lorenzen’s mother, Deborah Marion, heartbroken many times over for the kids and completely shocked at Sherra’s arrest and the iniquitous details.

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