N.J. man convicted in 2015 murder of pro basketball player Michael Wright
A New Jersey man has been convicted in the 2015 murder of professional basketball player Michael Wright.
Mark Holdbrooks, 69, was found guilty Friday on multiple charges, including murder, theft and disturbing human remains.
Victim drugged, killed with cinder block
According to the Bergen County prosecutor's office, Holdbrooks and Wright were family friends and lived together in a house in Closter.
Prosecutors say on Nov. 5, 2015, Holdbrooks drugged Wright with Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, then hit him in the head with a cinder block, killing him.
Another man, identified as King Victor, left Wright's body in Wright's SUV parked on a street in Brooklyn, prosecutors say.
Holdbrooks later reported Wright missing. New York City police officers found Wright's body on Nov. 10, 2015.
Holdbrooks was arrested almost a year later, on Nov. 1, 2016.
His trial began on March 3, 2026. He is set to be sentenced on July 10, and faces up to life in prison.
Victor previously pleaded guilty to charges related to this case.
About Michael Wright
Wright was a star high school basketball player in Chicago in the '90s and played for the University of Arizona from 1998 to 2001.
He was drafted by the New York Knicks in 2001, but ultimately did not play for the team.
Wright went on to play professional basketball across Europe.
He was 35 years old at the time of his death.
