1989 Child Murder: S.C. Father, Stepmother Arrested

TL/DR –

The father and stepmother of a South Carolina boy reported missing in 1989, Victor Lee Turner and Megan R. Turner, were arrested and charged with murder in connection with the boy’s death. The boy’s body was found in a camper near the Turner’s residence, and the cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. The murder charges come after advancements in DNA and forensic evidence technology helped match a ligature to a shirt collar the victim was wearing at the time of the murder.

Missing South Carolina Boy’s Parents Arrested and Facing Murder Charges

The father and stepmother of a South Carolina boy, missing since 1989, were arrested on Tuesday and will face charges for his murder, officials report. Victor Lee Turner, 69, and Megan R. Turner, 63, were apprehended at their home in Cross Hill, approximately 3½ hours north of the crime scene in Berkeley County. The pair are expected to be charged with murder in the Hill-Finklea Detention Center in Moncks Corner, S.C., according to jail records.

Legal representation for the Turners has yet to be confirmed. Communication attempts with the area public defender have yielded no immediate response.

The body of the victim, Justin Turner, was discovered in a camper near the Turner’s residence, with evidence pointing towards asphyxiation as the cause of death. Authorities have previously charged Megan Turner with the crime, Sheriff Lewis reports, but the complaint was withdrawn without prejudice, leaving the possibility to prosecute in the future.

Investigation into the long-standing cold case ramped up in 2021, yet the Turners showed minimal interest, according to Lewis. Authorities believe Justin was strangled shortly after his last meal on March 2, 1989, based on forensic examinations.

Advancements in forensic technology helped investigators match a ligature to the collar of the shirt Justin was wearing. Arrest affidavits state that Megan Turner admitted to an altercation with the victim and provided inconsistent information about her location at the time of the murder.

Victor Turner found Justin’s body during the initial search on March 5, 1989. Amy Parsons, Justin’s cousin, has been instrumental in keeping the case alive. She expressed gratitude for the case’s closure during a news conference, adding that the Turners should not have been free for the past 34 years.

Sheriff Lewis noted the impact of the murder on the local community, calling it a departure from a time of innocence. He lamented the life Justin could have had, saying, “Today Justin would have been 40-years-old. Could have graduated from high school, went to college, got married, had a child, been a productive citizen.”

—
Read More US News