Ex-wife of NBA star Lorenzen Wright charged with his murder

Cleveland Cavaliers' Lorenzen Wright, seen here in 2008, was murdered in 2010 but no arrests have been made until now. Photo / AP

The ex-wife of NBA star Lorenzen Wright has been arrested and reportedly charged with his murder.

Sherra Wright-Robinson was arrested in California more than seven years after her husband's body was found decomposing in a Tennessee suburb.

Earlier in the week, Billy Turner, a deacon at the church the couple attended, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty, reports News.com.au.

Lorenzen Wright's mother Deborah Marion, told The Commercial Appeal newspaper that a police official told her Wright-Robinson will be charged with first-degree murder, the same charge Turner faces.

Ms Marion said she believes her former daughter-in-law was motivated by money, specifically a $US1 million life insurance policy held by Wright.

There was a break in the high-profile cold case when the gun used to murder Wright was found in a Mississippi lake.

The 34-year-old, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, went missing on July 18, 2010 after leaving his ex-wife's home.

Sherra Wright, the ex-wife of slain NBA basketball player Lorenzen Wright, grieves at the casket of Lorenzen Wright during a memorial service at the FedExForum in Memphis in 2010. Photo / AP

His body was found ten days later in a wooded area covered in bullets. The summer heat caused his body to decompose quickly further hampering investigators.

During the investigation police uncovered an emergency call placed from Wright's mobile phone in which 11 gunshots can be heard. The dispatcher did not report the call to a supervisor until eight days later, hindering the investigation.

Wright-Robinson had divorced the father of her six children months before his murder and was $3 million in debt, according to her own divorce lawyer at the time.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Lorenzen Wright (55) slams in two points over Houston Rockets' Charles Barkley (4) in 1997. Photo / AP