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Day 4 of testimony in trial of Billy Ray Turner for murder of Lorenzen Wright

Friday, the state's key witness - Jimmie Martin - testified about cleaning up crime scene with Memphis basketball star Wright's ex-wife and the defendant.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Friday marked day four of testimony in the trial of Billy Ray Turner for the murder of Memphis Grizzlies player Lorenzen Wright. 

It continued explosive details from the state's key witness - Jimmie Martin - who first took the stand Thursday afternoon.

Martin said Friday Wright's ex-wife Sherra picked him up in Batesville, Mississippi, a few days after the crime, where he met with Turner, and the three cleaned up the crime scene in Southeast Memphis.

Martin also said on the stand he used his mother's metal detector to find one of the murder weapons and went to a dumpster with Turner to throw away towels, barbed wire fence pieces, and bolt cutters.

Martin testified that Sherra Wright told him what happened the night of the crime: "She said a lot of things but just in memory is that Lorenzen had his back to him, they started chasing him, they started firing at him, chasing him, he jumped through the fence, he was jumping like a deer, they caught him, when he fell."

Martin added in the courtroom that Sherra Wright told him after the crime that both he and Turner had guns and both fired at Lorenzen Wright.

Martin said he wasn't at the crime scene and said he didn't tell authorities about his involvement cleaning up the crime scene because he was already in legal trouble and doing so would have put in even more legal trouble.

In Martin's cross examination, Turner's defense attorney John Keith Perry noted inconsistencies with his 2012 statements to investigators compared to Thursday's testimony.

That included Martin originally saying he wasn't armed and didn't go inside Lorenzen Wright's Atlanta condo in a botched attempted murder hit in June 2010, but testifying Thursday that he was armed and did go inside with Turner that night.

Thursday, Martin also testified never before heard details in public about options of how and where to kill Lorenzen Wright, in the weeks before his shooting death.

Martin is the cousin of Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife, Sherra.

He testified Thursday about separate in-person meetings discussing the killing of Lorenzen Wright with Sherra Wright and Billy Turner, the man now on trial accused in Lorenzen's shooting death. 

Martin said those May 2010 meetings detailed which weapons could be used in a hit and in a place where few people would be around.

He also told the jury he then went with Turner to Atlanta in what was a botched murder attempt of Lorenzen Wright, weeks before he was killed in Southeast Memphis in July 2010.

After going through a back window, Martin testified what he and Turner saw inside Wright's condo that June 2010 night, saying a smaller man - not Lorenzen - was sleeping on the couch.

Martin said he and Turner then drove back to the Memphis area.

He signed an immunity agreement in 2012 after telling investigators - under oath - he helped clean up the crime scene and traveled with Turner to toss the murder weapon in a Walnut, MS lake.

Martin hasn't testified yet about details or his whereabouts the night of the crime.

Credit: WATN
Jimmy Martin

The testimony earlier Thursday was highlighted by hours of cross-examination of witness Memphis Police Sgt. Dennis Evans.

Wednesday, Sgt. Evans provided a clearer picture of who was talking to whom near the crime that early July 2010 when Wright was shot and killed in Southeast Memphis.

Credit: WATN
Billy Ray Turner

Memphis Police Sgt. Dennis Evans outlined phone records and deleted messages between the accused killer Turner and the victim's ex-wife - Sherra Wright - in the weeks before and after Lorenzen Wright's shooting death. They also looked at calls involving Jimmie Martin, the so-called unindicted co-conspirator.

According to court documents, Martin told investigators he helped clean up the crime scene and traveled with Turner to toss the murder weapon in a Walnut, MS lake.

Credit: WATN
Lorenzen Wright

RELATED: Texts, internet searches focus of testimony in day 2 of Billy Ray Turner's trial for murder of Lorenzen Wright

Investigators also testified that once Lorenzen Wright's murder weapon was found, Sherra Wright's internet searches included 'Billy Turner', "Indictment definition' and 'Do fingerprints stay on objects underwater?'

Records also show more than 250 phone calls between Turner, Martin and Sherra Wright between late June and mid-August 2010.

It also showed Turner's cell phone coverage overlapped in the same cell phone coverage area as Lorenzen Wright, two minutes after Wright made the 911 call.

But Thursday, defense attorney John Keith Perry questioned the accuracy and credibility of using such cell phone tracking data.

Credit: Tennessee Department of Corrections
Sherra Wright

Earlier Wednesday, Memphis Police Detective Jesse Browning continued his witness testimony from Tuesday about phone calls made between Turner, Sherra Wright, and Martin - in the days and hours leading up to the shooting.

TBI Special Agent Cervinia Braswell - who tested the murder weapon found in a Walnut, MS lake - said nine 9 mm cartridge casings found at the crime scene matched that murder weapon.

And Shelby County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Marco Ross - who conducted the autopsy - reviewed pictures taken of Lorenzen Wright at the crime scene, which showed entry wound of a bullet below Wright's left ear, an exit wound on the right side of the skull, along with bullets or bullet fragments found in his chest and right arm.

RELATED: Emotions ran high as testimony began in trial of Billy Ray Turner for murder of Lorenzen Wright

Wednesday's witnesses followed an emotional first day of testimony on Tuesday, when jurors heard the gunshot-filled 911 call which came into a Tennessee police department just after midnight on July 19, 2010, from Wright's cell phone.

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