0:04

Double Elvis. Badlands

0:08

is a production of Double Elvis. The

0:27

stories about NBA player Lawrence Enright

0:30

are insane. He

0:32

went from signing million dollar contracts to

0:34

being almost entirely broke in just a

0:36

few years. He

0:38

was questioned by the FBI about his

0:41

connection to a Mexican drug cartel. He

0:44

was the victim in a murder case

0:46

that went unsolved for almost a decade.

0:50

And during that time, cops in the

0:52

feds chased down dead ends and bad

0:55

leads, all while nudging

0:57

new details slowly leaked out. Details

1:00

that, when they finally fell into place,

1:03

revealed a shocking picture of incredible

1:05

betrayal of a man who was

1:08

once part of great sports moments.

1:12

Unlike that clip I played for you at the top of

1:14

the show, that wasn't from

1:16

a great sports moment. That

1:18

was a fair use sample from the Library

1:20

of Congress of Lom Wilson Bill Jackson

1:22

performing I Bent My Gun in a

1:24

Circle and Shoot Him Around the Hill in

1:27

1941. I

1:30

played you that clip because I can't afford

1:32

the rights to a clip from 105.3 the fans call of

1:36

the Texas Rangers as 14 in

1:39

a battle against the Detroit Tigers. And

1:43

why would I play you that specific

1:45

slice of heroic Arlington cheese could I

1:47

afford it? Because

1:50

that was one of the biggest sporting events on

1:52

July 19th, 2010 and that was the day

1:56

that Lawrence and Wright disappeared, leading

1:59

to a 9-1-1-0. 9 day search in a

2:01

7 year unsolved murder case. On

2:05

this episode, drug cartels,

2:07

million dollar contracts, murder,

2:09

betrayal, and Lawrence and

2:11

Wright. I'm

2:13

Jake Brennan and this is Batman.

2:35

July 19, 2010, Collierville, Tennessee. Lawrence

2:49

and Wright was pissed. And

2:51

this is not the rendezvous he was expecting. This

2:54

is not how this is supposed to go down. He

2:57

turned around and began to walk away. Even

3:00

though he was pissed off, he was also more

3:02

than a little sketched out. He

3:04

didn't know what the pair behind him were packing.

3:07

A pair that Lawrence and now had his back

3:09

turned to. He quickened

3:11

his pace. Footsteps followed

3:14

closely behind. The

3:16

Lawrence and tried to remain calm. He

3:19

slid his cell phone out of his pocket

3:21

and nearly fumbled it in his hands. He

3:24

punched in 911. The

3:26

outgoing call started to buzz. More

3:32

buzzing than

3:34

that. The

3:38

sound of guns erupting behind him. Then

3:40

there was no time to figure out if the shots were

3:42

warning or if they were aimed directly at him. His

3:45

body was still intact for the moment. He

3:48

broke out into a ramen, his feet sliding

3:50

to the muddy field below, moving

3:53

like the athletes he was or used

3:55

to be. Lawrence and Wright might

3:57

have watched out of the NBA a few years

3:59

prior. But he was sure you

4:01

get out run the Sarah Palin at least

4:04

make sense that he was closing in on

4:06

before they caught up in. If you get

4:08

there and get over to be home. Every

4:13

second. Every step is crucial.

4:16

He was back on our kick

4:18

scrutiny on the park blinds getting

4:20

closer to one Be over the

4:22

keenly different as in any be.

4:28

And is. Florence

4:30

and didn't hear a word come from

4:32

the other in his line is split.

4:35

The more shots rang out may echoes

4:37

whose phones receiver and crackled on. The

4:39

dispatcher said hello hello. All

4:42

the nine one one dispatcher could hear

4:44

would gunshots ringing out and success for

4:46

seat. In

4:49

there are my. Four.

4:56

Days later Lawrence's mother father

4:58

missing persons report. Nobody

5:01

had seen him and his

5:03

friends and family search the

5:05

usual spot but found nothing

5:07

new. Cruise the no leads,

5:09

Laurens and right to disappear

5:11

completely. The

5:14

night before he managed morons

5:16

in with that as x

5:19

y sus sheffield Shield that

5:21

minister.sheriff said illness hawks. Cash

5:24

Which stock? Curious for a

5:26

dude who is of the ropes

5:28

financed share of further speculate the

5:30

cash Sir John. She suspected this

5:32

because she heard Lorenzen talking on

5:34

the phone to someone about flipping

5:36

something for a hundred thousand dollar

5:38

paid. but

5:40

with that much risk comes dangerous

5:42

call your bill tennessee is just

5:45

over a twenty minute ride from

5:47

downtown memphis the memphis is no

5:49

stranger to violent crime so will

5:51

come as no surprise as someone

5:54

is recognizable as lawrence and right

5:56

was targeted specialists who is knowing

5:58

the entering that worse Lawrence

6:01

and Ray, one of Memphis's most

6:04

famous sons, a hometown kid

6:06

who did good, a model for the

6:08

community, a shining example of

6:10

what you could achieve through dedication. Lawrence

6:13

was a legendary high school player in the

6:16

area and also started the

6:18

local college basketball powerhouse, the University

6:20

of Memphis. He

6:22

was a first round pick in the

6:24

1996 NBA draft, a solid

6:27

career thomps survived 13 campaigns

6:29

in the league, including five

6:31

seasons with his hometown, Memphis Grizzlies.

6:35

He also built a life outside of

6:37

basketball. He and Shara had

6:39

six children and he gave back

6:41

to his community. He was

6:43

generous, caring, and

6:46

never forgot where he came from. When

6:50

Lawrence stepped away from the game, however,

6:52

a year prior to his disappearance, things

6:55

started to spiral. He

6:58

had been generous, but

7:00

maybe too generous. He

7:02

helped friends and family with business and housing

7:04

expenses, paid for vehicles and loans, and made

7:06

sure the people in the circle were well

7:08

taken care of. But

7:11

by 2010, his financial

7:13

situation was rapidly becoming desperate

7:16

and the checks from the NBA had long

7:18

since dried up. He

7:21

lost houses, cars, and he struggled

7:23

to pay child support to his

7:25

now ex-wife. It

7:27

wouldn't be so shocking to think that Lawrence was

7:29

simply doing what he had done on the court

7:31

for his entire life, just trying to

7:33

make a play. Hoping to

7:35

net a quick payday to alleviate some of that

7:38

financial burden, even if it was

7:40

only momentary. But

7:42

it seemed that intention was the reason he

7:44

was now missing. And

7:46

the cops, well, they had nothing

7:49

to go off but a short muffled

7:51

voice recording from the 911 dispatch. The

7:54

city of Memphis, the Grizzlies, and

7:57

the state of Tennessee All offered

7:59

cash rewards. Words for any information

8:01

about Margins: whereabouts. Loan

8:04

to reclaim that funny Mckay seem to

8:06

be a dead end. Is

8:08

turned to do a week

8:11

until last discovery was made.

8:14

Curse Homes. One

8:18

that would open up a case. That.

8:21

Would go on solves for near. The.

8:50

Night was hot. Atlanta

8:53

in the middle of the summer

8:56

is unbearable during the day, in

8:58

the evenings are much better. A

9:00

nice to meet you ask Mastermind.

9:03

But he was the last thing on the

9:05

minds of the two men now standing outside

9:07

and Lawrence and rates it. All

9:11

they could think a bow was cold steel. About

9:14

what they were to do Well

9:16

shit if they really wanted to

9:19

do is they were really prepared

9:21

to commands life or lot of

9:23

cash. The

9:26

answers to these questions are made open

9:28

ended throughout their nearly six hour drive.

9:30

Mess. And now

9:32

that they were here, they are even less. A

9:36

car rolled through the condo complex is

9:38

parking lot to the two men turned

9:40

away from view. They

9:45

were going to this attitude.

9:47

now. who's gonna be East

9:49

right? To contest.

9:52

to gas fully loaded weapons against one

9:54

dude who had no idea what was

9:56

coming even he was one time for

9:58

us hand they'd

10:01

get the jump on her. No problem. And

10:04

what about the body? What would they do with the

10:06

stiff once they'd done the job? That

10:08

was a question for future men. Two

10:11

gunmen in the present steadied

10:14

themselves. They traced the

10:16

wall of the condo's exterior, looking for

10:18

an entry point. There, an

10:21

unlocked window. They quietly

10:23

pulled the window up, removed the

10:25

screen, and then slid their

10:28

bodies through the opening. They

10:30

were careful to step quietly once inside,

10:33

listening closely for any sound. Their

10:36

palms itched as the cold grips of the

10:39

pistols rubbed against their skin. Then

10:42

they saw a man sleeping

10:44

on the couch, just like

10:46

their contact said. This was

10:48

it. They

10:51

stepped through the darkened room towards

10:53

the sleeping man, guns raised. And

10:57

then they froze in their tracks.

11:00

This was not the guy they were looking

11:03

for. Not the guy they were there

11:05

to kill. This was not Lawrence and Wright. Where

11:09

Lawrence and Wright was, they had no

11:11

clue. The two gunmen bailed, high-tailed it

11:13

back to Memphis, back to the place

11:15

they would find Lawrence in just a

11:17

few weeks later. The same

11:19

place he would disappear from, just

11:22

gone, seemingly into thin air, for

11:24

nine days. Nine

11:27

days. How the

11:29

hell was that possible? Lawrence

11:31

and Wright had been a pillar of the community

11:33

for two decades. He wasn't the type

11:36

of dude to just up and disappear. Well,

11:39

okay, maybe once or twice, but he was always

11:41

easy to get hold of. And he

11:43

was reliable because he was determined to be present

11:46

in the lives of his six children. The

11:48

first sign that something was wrong was when he missed the

11:50

flight he was supposed to be on. He

11:53

never made the plane, and his mom called

11:55

everyone she knew. And Most people

11:57

called other people and weren't getting. When

12:03

he talked Sharon were engines ex wife

12:05

she told them that in the last

12:07

few weeks couple of men with guns

12:09

game were door looking for Lorenzen and

12:11

that men also approached her son at

12:13

school to ask about his father. The

12:15

man that was the thing about the

12:18

cash share A couldn't help but think

12:20

about the money Lawrence and add on

12:22

Nine reading your house After they got

12:24

into an argument saying something on this

12:26

phone but a quick come up. By

12:29

two thousand and ten, Lawrence and Right

12:31

Needs a quick. Life

12:33

has become one big hostile to

12:36

serve one and go replenish the

12:38

dwindling back. All

12:40

the daily made play ball was long

12:42

gone. The money, the phone call those

12:44

guys pack and guns at all painted

12:46

a picture that lords and was caught

12:48

up with the wrong crowd. Just

12:52

a few years prior Florence and

12:54

was questioned by the F B

12:56

I in connection with Bobby Cold

12:59

and the Tories cocaine dealer in

13:01

Memphis who move millions. Dollars and

13:03

Powder during the mid does. Back

13:07

then of the says wanted to know

13:10

about two cars that Lords and it's

13:12

so cool for cash cars that the

13:14

Feds has vowed only to discover that

13:17

they were registered in the Lord's name.

13:19

The now is just the beginning. The

13:21

real problem with the man Lorenzen supposedly

13:23

sold the cars too far because he

13:26

was just a card in a bigger

13:28

person a machine run by a guy

13:30

named Craig. Craig

13:33

Paddy's was deeply entrenched with the

13:36

Mexican drug. He

13:38

had a known his history

13:40

of brutality to to those

13:43

himself did wrong informants, the

13:45

opposition, whoever she stopped over

13:47

correct pets deserve edge was

13:50

swift and merciless. Between

13:53

two thousand Two, and two Thousand and

13:55

seven, Craig Patties remotely orchestrated the killings

13:57

of Miss Format in the face. Pretty

14:00

sure he had a hand more. Connecting

14:04

the dots between Lawrence and right and

14:06

drug cartel muscle was easy. What?

14:08

Was becoming increasingly difficult was figuring

14:10

out where the hell Lawrence and

14:13

Right was face after his disappearance.

14:16

And that frantic nine one one call you

14:18

place to the German Town Police Department had

14:20

been to put it lightly, mishandled. His.

14:23

Family eventually saw the federal complaint claiming

14:25

that the police had their internet access

14:27

revoke for misuse. It's. Making.

14:30

A nearly impossible to pinpoint the source of

14:32

the call. While. That may

14:34

or may not have been true. What? Was

14:36

sure. Was. At know cruisers were

14:39

sent to investigate to see. Shera.

14:42

Eventually sued the on duty dispatchers

14:44

and officers A later. Claiming.

14:46

That their failure to disclose Lawrence's call

14:48

to the proper authorities in a timely

14:51

manner. Directly. Led to his

14:53

disappearance. And while that may

14:55

not have been chew. While. Was shoe

14:57

was at. The Memphis Police Department

14:59

didn't conduct it's own investigation until

15:01

a few days after the Nine

15:03

One one call came in. Sarah.

15:07

And Laurens parents both sued the

15:09

city a collier, though. Claiming.

15:11

That Lawrence and Case was not being

15:13

taken seriously enough. A

15:17

wild that also may or may

15:19

not have been true. What was

15:22

sure was that more than Wright

15:24

Patt. Nine

15:27

days after the Nine one One call a

15:29

canine unit found the One Time World has

15:31

asked pod and riddled with. Practically

15:34

beyond recognition, decomposing

15:37

Nc swap. Meet.

15:42

The man who had one swayed well

15:44

over two hundred and five pounds was

15:46

now a corpse only just. Read

15:49

this scene sent shockwaves to

15:52

lords and family communities. In

15:54

the story was international news,

15:56

but. every lead still lead to

15:58

a dead end for Nearly a decade

16:00

the case went unsolved. Did

16:03

Lorenzn and Owe money to someone? Someone

16:05

dangerous? Or was it the cartel? Or

16:08

was it random violence? The

16:10

longer the case was cold, the more

16:13

people speculated. Until

16:15

the truth finally reared its

16:17

ugly head. And when it did,

16:19

it was more disgraceful

16:21

than anyone could possibly

16:24

imagine. We'll

16:31

be right back after this world. Cheryl

16:39

Wright checked her phone. He

16:42

would be here any minute. Not Lorenzn.

16:45

Lorenzn was coming over too, but it was Billy

16:47

she was really looking forward to seeing. When

16:50

Billy was with her, everything was okay. It

16:53

means that's what she told herself. Billy

16:56

Ray Turner had been there for Cheryl Wright for

16:58

quite some time now. Ever

17:00

since they met at church, Cheryl

17:02

was vulnerable. Her marriage to

17:04

Lorenzn had been slowly dissolving for years.

17:07

And she was gutted by the prospect that he

17:09

had been unfaithful. And here

17:11

she was, raising six kids while

17:14

he was traveling around the country doing whatever the

17:16

hell he wanted. She

17:18

was so suspicious of adultery that in the early

17:21

2000s, according to Lorenzn's assistant, she

17:24

left him quote unquote concerning voicemails,

17:27

threatening voicemails. It

17:30

seemed Cheryl was the jealous type.

17:33

Others claim that Cheryl herself was unfaithful,

17:35

but that didn't fit into her particular

17:37

narrative. Cheryl's jealousy

17:39

was made worse by the fact that her

17:42

ex now had a younger girlfriend. And

17:44

then there was the issue of finances. When

17:47

Lorenzn finished playing, he and Cheryl split.

17:49

And money suddenly became an issue for

17:51

the first time since he was drafted.

17:55

No money meant that he couldn't pay alimony

17:57

or child support. No money

17:59

meant that he He was doing whatever he

18:01

needed to do to get cash, and maybe

18:03

that was someone dope or running dope or

18:05

someone else, someone powerful. At

18:08

least, that's what Shera was suspected. Whatever

18:11

it was, Shera convinced herself it

18:14

was bad news, which meant

18:16

that sooner or later, bad news was

18:18

going to spill into her life. However,

18:20

no matter how bad things got, there

18:23

was always this deep physical connection between the

18:25

two of them that kept bringing them back

18:27

together. At least for a Rob,

18:29

you were there. Maybe it

18:31

was their shared history or their shared children,

18:34

but rendezvous that were romantic in

18:37

nature were not uncommon. That's

18:40

how Shera got Lawrence into her place that night.

18:43

July 19, 2010. She

18:46

knew he was in town in Collierville, and

18:48

she knew it wouldn't be uncommon to suggest

18:50

a meetup. Lawrence took

18:52

the bait. She had

18:54

no idea that this wasn't their regular kind

18:56

of meetup. That

18:59

this other guy, Billy Ray Turner, would

19:01

be there. The man

19:03

who made things right for Shera, who

19:05

would do whatever it took to make Shera happy.

19:09

And tonight, what it took was

19:11

to carry out the plan Shera had been

19:13

cooking for months. Murder.

19:17

Her ex-husband. And

19:19

make it look like a drug deal had gone horribly off

19:21

the rails. And then

19:23

collect the million dollar life insurance policy.

19:27

They'd even take the cash he had on him. It

19:29

was hers by right. Lawrence and Oder

19:32

had for months. Did

19:34

he really expect her to raise six kids without

19:36

his assistance? That's what she told herself. That's how she

19:38

justified what she was about to do. This wasn't

19:40

a booty call. This was not about pleasure. This was a

19:42

good time. This was a good time. This was

19:44

a good time. This was a good time. This was a good

19:47

time. This was a good time. This was a good time. This

19:49

was a good time. This was a good

19:51

time. This was a good time. This was about pain.

19:53

Lawrence and Wright panicked. were

20:00

in hot pursuit, but they couldn't catch up to

20:02

him. He was too fast. Plus, they'd

20:04

seem to take his phone out of his pocket. He was

20:06

most certainly dialing 911, and they had to end

20:09

this now. Then the barrel of a

20:11

gun rose out of the darkness. She shut

20:13

him up his night. Shells littered the ground.

20:15

Silence fell over the field where they had

20:17

been running, and a hand reached down to

20:20

pick up Lawrence's phone, and a finger ended

20:22

the 911 call. Lawrence

20:24

and lay in the mud, dead. His

20:27

body was moved from the crime scene, a

20:30

few miles away to a swamp in another Memphis

20:32

suburb. The murder weapon was

20:34

ditched in the northern Mississippi lake. The

20:36

crime scene was clean. Then,

20:39

they waited. Days turned into

20:41

a week. The questions kept

20:44

coming for Shell, right? She

20:46

kept deflecting. She recited her

20:48

story over and over. Lawrence

20:50

was caught up in drugs and dangerous people.

20:52

Lawrence had left her house that night with

20:54

a plan to make some money. His

20:58

family wasn't buying it. He

21:00

missed his sister's baby shower. He hadn't

21:02

seen his kids in days. It was

21:04

very unlike him. Shera

21:07

told him not to worry. Disappearing

21:09

like this, it was just something

21:11

that Lawrence and did from time to time. She

21:14

worked hard to sell her story. But

21:17

when Lawrence and his body was finally found, it

21:20

quickly became clear that Shera Wright's story

21:23

was actually Shera Wright carefully

21:25

crafted the sign. The

21:55

prosecutor pushed play on the cassette deck. The

21:59

tape played. and the sound of

22:01

gunshots, a man grunting and struggling,

22:03

and then a concerned voice on the other

22:05

end of the line. Hello?

22:08

Hello? The prosecutor

22:10

stopped the playback. Pat

22:13

Tate, the 911 recording of the murder of Lawrence

22:15

and Wright, was part of

22:17

the prosecution's opening statement. Five

22:21

years after both Sherra Wright and Billy Ray

22:23

Turner had been arrested and charged with murder,

22:26

the case was once again in a courtroom. And

22:29

once again, the involved parties were trying

22:31

to pin the murder on each other. At

22:35

first, Sherra and Billy's plan seemed like it

22:37

was going to work, and

22:39

the cops were really interested in Lawrence and

22:41

his involvement with cocaine dealer Bobby Cole, the

22:43

guy who was connected to the ruthless Craig

22:45

Petty, a man with strong ties

22:47

to the Mexican drug cartel. They

22:50

chased that lead forever, but

22:52

eventually it came to a dead end, and

22:54

the case dragged on. All

22:57

pieces of evidence kept rolling in. Meanwhile,

23:00

Sherra collected that life insurance policy.

23:03

She spent a million in short order,

23:05

and then flaunted her wealth in interviews.

23:09

In 2015, five years after

23:11

Lawrence and his murder, she even published

23:13

a novel about an unfaithful NBA star

23:15

and his victim of a wife. No

23:18

shit. The question, however,

23:21

persisted. Was Sherra

23:23

Wright really innocent? Did she

23:25

have any part in Lawrence and his death? A

23:28

Fox News reporter asked her that last question

23:30

point blank. She had a lot

23:32

to say in her response, but one word

23:34

she did not utter was no. And

23:38

then, in November of 2017,

23:40

FBI drivers found the

23:43

gun that had been ditched in a northern Mississippi

23:45

lake. Seven years after Lawrence

23:47

and his death, when it seemed like the case would

23:49

never be solved, things started to move

23:51

quickly. Billy Ray Turner

23:53

and Sherra Wright were both arrested and charged

23:56

with murder. A third person,

23:58

Sherra's cousin, Jimmy Martin, was arrested.

24:00

also implicated. Jimmy Martin

24:02

was the one who revealed where the gun was. He

24:05

did this because he was seeking immunity, seeing

24:07

as he was already serving time on another

24:10

murder case and wanted to avoid further implications.

24:13

Jimmy also said he helped clean the murder

24:15

scene, but he didn't set up

24:18

to pulling the trigger. He said he wasn't

24:20

there when the killing was done. That

24:22

was all Shera and Billy. In

24:24

his testimony, Jimmy said

24:27

Shera told him

24:29

about herself. In 2019, Shera,

24:31

under pressure from a legal full-court press,

24:33

entered a plea deal that was described

24:36

as coming out of left field. The

24:40

deal saw Shera admitting to facilitating the

24:42

murder, but not firing any shots herself.

24:45

It meant she ducked a life sentence. It

24:47

meant parole would be possible within the decade.

24:50

It also meant that Billy would now bear the way

24:52

to the case. Three

24:55

years later, in 2022, Billy

24:58

Ray Turner was sentenced to life in prison for

25:00

the murder of Lawrence and Wright. Billy

25:02

denied it, said he didn't pull the trigger.

25:05

Just like Jimmy, Billy said he wasn't present at

25:07

the murder scene and that there

25:09

was no romantic relationship between himself and Shera.

25:12

Billy's testimony directly conflicted with what Shera

25:15

told her attorneys and with Jimmy Martin's

25:17

story as well. In

25:20

2023, Billy reached

25:22

out to a Memphis TV station to say

25:24

that Jimmy Martin and his friends were the

25:26

triggermen, because, come on, how

25:29

else would Jimmy know where the murder weapon was?

25:33

The truth is in there somewhere, but

25:35

the accepted narrative in this still evolving case,

25:37

at least for the moment, is

25:39

that Billy Ray Turner killed Lawrence and Wright.

25:43

Lawrence and his memorial was held

25:45

at the Memphis Grizzlies home arena,

25:47

the FedEx Forum. The

25:49

services were a reflection of who Lawrence and

25:51

was and what he meant to his

25:53

community. The parking lots

25:56

were filled. Traffic Could easily

25:58

be mistaken for game Day. Gray

26:00

Market. In the

26:02

thousands allies touched by Lawrence and

26:04

rate kinda pay their respects to

26:06

one of the city's most famous

26:09

science taken in an instant by

26:11

a combination of greece anger and

26:13

choose. Lawrence and

26:15

was betrayed by the person he shared most of

26:17

his adult life with. Poo. Then,

26:20

in turn, seem to betray the people

26:22

she'd organize. That deception was. The

26:25

what actually happened on the night of July

26:28

nine seats may never be known. Lawrence

26:31

and right reached astonishing eyes on

26:33

the car. To live the

26:35

life of a big time and be a baller. The.

26:38

Had the houses the cars to jewelry.

26:41

When athletes reese that kind of peak,

26:43

some people start looking for something from.

26:47

And even when the cash is all gone. People

26:49

still was. In

26:52

the case of Lawrence and right, they took

26:54

the only thing he had last. I'm

26:59

Jason and this. Show

27:25

Notes: page as badly as pod.com

27:27

Subscribe follow like rate and review

27:29

The Batman podcast were averaged a

27:31

podcast because Badlands is available everywhere.

27:34

If you love this show, tell

27:36

someone, Tell Everyone! shares out on

27:38

social spread the word. Followers on

27:40

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook has double.