Man who cried on TV discovering useless son’s physique charged along with his homicide

A person who was seen on digital camera crying after discovering his 5-year-old son’s useless physique in 1989 has now been charged with homicide 34 years later. 

Victor Lee Turner, 69, and Megan R. Turner, 63, have been charged with homicide within the demise of 5-year-old Justin Turner, Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis mentioned at a information convention Wednesday. 

Investigators lengthy thought a 5-year-old South Carolina boy discovered strangled in 1989 was killed by his father, Victor, and stepmother, Megan. 

But it took 34 years of scientific development to hyperlink microscopic fibers discovered on the boy’s shirt to a ligature that investigators situated on the couple’s house, a sheriff mentioned.

The boy’s physique was discovered inside a cupboard in a camper behind the Turner house in March 1989.

‘My boy is in there,’ Victor mentioned after discovering the physique and leaving the RV.

Victor Lee Turner (pictured left), a person who was seen on digital camera crying after discovering his 5-year-old son’s useless physique in 1989, has now been charged with homicide 34 years later. His spouse Megan R. Turner (pictured proper) was additionally charged with homicide in reference to the boy’s demise

The Turners have been charged with homicide within the demise of 5-year-old Justin Turner

Investigators instantly thought the killing scene had been staged and caught the couple in lies, together with that he had gotten on the college bus the morning he disappeared, Lewis mentioned. 

Megan Turner was charged with homicide shortly after the boy’s demise, however prosecutors dropped the cost, with the situation that they may refile it if extra proof emerged.

Scientific developments, mixed with proof collected in 1989, was the push wanted, the sheriff mentioned.

Tiny fibers from a ligature that investigators discovered on the house shortly after the boy’s disappearance had been discovered to match these discovered on the boy’s shirt, sheriff’s deputies mentioned within the arrest warrants.

‘That enabled us to tie within the homicide weapon that we consider was used to strangle Justin to clothes and material on his clothes on the time of his demise,’ Lewis mentioned.

Investigators suspected the Turners from the start, based mostly not solely on the ligature, however the couple’s habits. 

Other doable proof was that meals from a dinner the household had eaten the night time earlier than Justin was reported lacking was discovered throughout an post-mortem to be solely partially digested. 

Investigators mentioned that confirmed the boy was killed not lengthy after he ate. The couple mentioned the final time they noticed Justin alive was the subsequent morning as they received him prepared for college – sparking a seek for the teenager.

Victor Turner, seen in archival footage from 1989, was in tears when he found his son’s useless physique

An picture of sufferer Justin Lee Turner is displayed throughout a information convention, Wednesday in Moncks Corner, South Carolina

The kid’s physique was discovered two days after he was reported lacking. 

Just as a large search was getting underway, Victor Turner entered the camper as a TV digital camera filmed him. Seconds later he mentioned he discovered the physique among the many many cupboards and drawers within the camper, deputies mentioned.

Turner did not examine to see if the boy was alive, as a substitute backing out and saying somebody had harm him, in keeping with the assertion.

‘He regarded useless. I might really feel one thing was improper with him. I didn’t contact him,’ Turner later advised investigators.

Before the physique was found, a witness mentioned Turner requested a regulation enforcement official what would possibly occur to a member of the family who had harmed the boy, deputies mentioned.

Deputies mentioned the couple shouldn’t have attorneys. They are being held with out bail on the Berkeley County jail after being arrested at their house in Laurens County, a couple of three-hour drive away.

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis broadcasts the arrests of the daddy and stepmother of a 5-year-old boy killed in 1989

Images of Victor Lee Turner, 69, and Pamlea Okay. Turner, aka Megan Renee Turner, are displayed throughout a information convention

The sheriff mentioned deputies gave them ample time to speak throughout the journey after studying them their rights, however they selected to not.

‘I by no means received one telephone name – one telephone name – from his daddy or his stepmother. “What are y’all doing about my son’s death?” Not one. What does that inform you?’ Lewis mentioned.

Several members of the boy’s household had been on the information convention, together with Amy Parsons, who was eight years previous when her cousin died. 

She mentioned whereas a lot of her kin grieved and cried and demanded justice – together with the boy’s mom, who has since died – the Turners moved away and disconnected.

‘Put these two folks the place they need to be as a result of they walked for 34 years,’ Parsons mentioned. ‘They had freedom for 34 years whereas our household suffered.’