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(L-R) Lorenzen Wright, Wright with school kids, Toney Armstrong and James Brown

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48 HOURS: “Lorenzen Wright: No Defense” was Saturday’s #1 program with viewers, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for May 12. The broadcast delivered 3.62 million viewers and a 0.7/03 with adults 25-54, the demographic that matters most to those who advertise in news. Also, the 9:00 PM broadcast of 48 HOURS: “Dark Side of The Mesa” was Saturday’s #2 program with viewers, delivering 3.18 million viewers and a 0.6/02 with adults 25-54.

48 HOURS: “Lorenzen Wright: No Defense” at 10:00 PM featured CBS News special correspondent James Brown and 48 HOURS’ investigation into the life and death of superstar NBA player Lorenzen Wright and the hunt for whomever killed him.

Wright was last heard on a 911 call in July 2010. He provided no details of who he was or where he was. A dispatcher heard repeated gunshots. Wright, who spent 13-years in the NBA, including several playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, was found nine days later in a highly wooded area.

It’s a case driven by police determined to find the killer or killers, and a family that pushed investigators to keep going when the trail went cold. It also took stunning turns and got a big boost seven years after the murder when a key piece of evidence was located in a Walnut, Miss., lake. The story is also far from over.

As is always the case, police looked to Wright’s immediate family for information and potential suspects. His ex-wife, Sherra Wright, told police the last time she saw him he was getting into a car with two unidentified people.

Sherra Wright later suggested Lorenzen was involved in some sort of drug transaction and was planning to flip something for $110,000. She also told police there were mysterious gunmen stalking Wright in the final days of his life. The coroner’s report on Wright indicated he was hit by five bullets from two different guns.

The case dragged on with little movement.

Fourteen months after Wright died, Sherra Wright got a $1 million life insurance payout. Nearly four years after the murder, she remarried. And then, five years after his death, she wrote a book called Mr. Tell Me Anything, about a philandering NBA player, which she claimed was based on her time with Lorenzen. Sherra Wright also claimed she was writing a sequel where the philandering husband in the first book was murdered.

Seven years after the murder, police got a tip that led them to a lake where they found a gun believed to be used in the murder. That was just the first in a series of twists leading police to arrest two people: Sherra Wright and Billy Ray Turner. They’ve both entered pleas of not guilty and are awaiting trial.

48 HOURS: “Lorenzen Wright: No Defense” is produced by Josh Gelman, Alvin Patrick and Jaime Hellman. Mike Baluzy, Michael Sheehan, David Spungen and Karen Brenner are the editors. Jordan Kinsey is the associate producer. Judy Tygard is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.

48 HOURS: “Dark Side of Mesa” is produced by Susan Mallie. Lindsey Schwartz is the field producer Gregory F. McLaughlin, Jud Johnston and Michelle Harris are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.

Follow 48 HOURS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Listen to podcasts at Radio.com.

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