Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Southside Slayer” Chester D. Turner Pt. 2

Episode Date: September 30, 2021

Love makes us say and do the strangest things. For Turner, it made him jealous, paranoid, and extremely violent. When another relationship comes to an explosive end, he hits the streets of Los Angeles... with a vengeance, ultimately becoming one of the city’s most prolific killers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, rape, assault, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and animal abuse that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. At the end of a long work week, Felicia Collier was trying to enjoy her evening. She was at home with her baby's son in her arms and her older daughter playing nearby. But just as she started to relax, her calm. was shattered by a deafening crash. Felicia sprang to her feet and looked out into the driveway.
Starting point is 00:00:40 It was covered in broken glass. Someone had thrown a brick through the windshield of her car. Even as she felt shock settling over her, Felicia wasn't truly surprised. Ever since she'd left her abusive boyfriend, she'd been bracing for something like this to happen. She'd given Chester Turner far too many chances over the years, wanting so badly to believe he could change. Now, at last, she knew he never would. Felicia double-checked that all of her doors were locked. Then she headed toward the phone to call the police,
Starting point is 00:01:12 but as she reached for the handset, it rang. With a trembling hand, she picked up and put the phone to her ear. The sound of Turner's voice had once been so soothing. Now it made her feel sick, and what he said to her that night was terrifying. Turner's words bounced down. the phone line, making it sound like he was beside Felicia when he said, I'm going to kill you. I'm going to enjoy killing you.
Starting point is 00:01:42 Hi, I'm Greg Paulson. This is serial killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're continuing our exploration of Chester D. Turner, one of the most prolific serial killers in the history of Los Angeles. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richie. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. Last time, we discussed Turner's isolated childhood and his increasingly
Starting point is 00:02:27 volatile relationship with his high school sweetheart, Felicia. We also explored how his killing spree blended in with a broader wave of violent crime in a South L.A. neighborhood. Today, we'll delve into the implosion of Turner and Felicia's relationship, his continuing murder spree and how his one surviving victim brought him to justice. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the unit bomber, it's tedious work to find what you're looking for.
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Starting point is 00:05:12 anniversary. You win? Details at Yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. By the spring of 1993, 26-year-old Chester D. Turner had killed at least nine people. His murders were horrific,
Starting point is 00:05:32 but they were just a drop in the ocean amidst a violent crime wave in South L.A. Not long after attending a repast dinner for his latest victim, 29-year-old Andrea Triplett, he was back out on the street, hunting for the next. At some point, on May 16th,
Starting point is 00:05:49 Turner met 29-year-old Desiree Jones. She'd previously worked at a care facility for the elderly, but in recent months had spiraled into a devastating drug addiction. That addiction is possibly what made Desiree vulnerable to Turner, who may have lured her to an empty house with the promise of a fix. Once they were alone in the backyard of the house, Turner strangled her to death. He left her body where it lay in the overgrown grass.
Starting point is 00:06:17 Afterward, he likely went home to his girlfriend Felicia Collier, their newborn son, and Felicia's daughter from a previous relationship. There are conflicting reports about the dates of Felicia and Turner's relationship, but we've created an estimated timeline based on the limited facts we know. One night in 1993, Felicia was getting ready to go out for the evening. Turner approached, telling her that she looked beautiful. He started to kiss her and tried to initiate sex. Felicia gently told him no. She'd just finished styling her hair and applying her makeup, and if she didn't leave now, she'd be late.
Starting point is 00:06:53 But Turner wasn't taking no for an answer. He grabbed Felicia, forced her onto the bathroom floor, and raped her. According to Felicia, her daughter was just outside the bathroom door and heard everything. Afterward, Turner got up and ran for the front door. Shaking, Felicia rushed to the bedroom and grabbed a gun that's she kept hidden there. Then she'd chased Turner out into the street, pointing the gun at his back. But before she could pull the trigger, she realized with a thrill of horror that Turner was carrying their son in his arms. Felicia lowered the gun and begged Turner to give her the baby,
Starting point is 00:07:32 but he refused. He said, I'm taking the baby and I'm never going to bring him back. A concerned neighbor ran outside holding a cordless phone and handed it to Felicia. She called the police and officers rushed to the scene. They arrested Turner and returned Felicia's son to her. The baby was unharmed, but the entire horrific incident was the last straw for Felicia. She fled to her parents' house, but when she told her father what had happened, he told her not to press charges against Turner. She had her baby back, he reasoned.
Starting point is 00:08:07 Just let it be. But Felicia couldn't just let things be. She needed an out. When the police released Turner, Felicia told him their relationship was over. She didn't want him in her house or in her bed ever again. Already jealous and possessive. Turner didn't take the breakup well. One night, he returned to her home and threw a brick through Felicia's car window.
Starting point is 00:08:31 Then he called her landline and threatened to kill her. Even more chillingly, he told her he'd enjoy doing it. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to a 2000 study by the U.S. Department of Justice, leaving or even threatening to leave is the most common precipitating event for a wife being murdered or hurt by her husband. Researchers believe that this is because abusive partners tend to seek power and control in relationships.
Starting point is 00:09:11 When victims make the decision to leave, abusers may feel as if their power is being undermined. So, in a bid to regain control, they attack. Felicia may not have known these statistics, but she knew she was in danger. However, when she called the police for help, they told her there was nothing they could do unless Turner actually attacked her. Feeling terrified and hopeless, Felicia kept her phone off the hook. She hoped that if she denied him the attention he wanted, Turner would just leave her alone. And it seems for a moment in time, he did. After about a month, Turner got into a new relationship, and Felicia breathed aside of relief.
Starting point is 00:09:54 He'd finally moved on with his life, and now, so could she. Things improved so much that she even allowed Turner to visit their son. But then one day, Felicia made a terrifying discovery. As she was driving, her brakes failed, and she narrowly avoided. getting into an accident. When she took the car to get looked at, she discovered that her brake lines had been cut. Felicia didn't want to believe that Turner might have done this. In fact, she was so deeply in denial that she went to him for advice, asking her ex to take
Starting point is 00:10:26 a look at the car. Turner told her that somebody was trying to kill her and that she needed to protect herself. That's exactly what she did. At some point, Felicia purchased a new handgun that was small enough to fit in her. back pocket. Although she likely hoped the day would never come when she'd have to use it, she never left the house without it. Unfortunately, that day finally came. One morning when Felicia arrived at her mom's house to pick up her son, Turner was waiting outside. His entire face had transformed, and he looked furious. As Turner walked towards her, he drew back his fist,
Starting point is 00:11:05 and Felicia saw something in his hand. She couldn't tell what it was, and she didn't wait to find out. She pulled out her handgun and told him to stop. Turner ignored her warning. He kept walking towards her, confident she'd never fire the weapon. He was wrong. Full of dread, Felicia closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. When she opened them, she saw Turner on the ground covered in blood. She had shot him six times. At first, Felicia thought she'd killed him, but when it became clear that Turner was going to survive his injuries, she felt a wave of relief. As complicated as their relationship had become,
Starting point is 00:11:47 Turner was the father of her child. She didn't want to live with his death on her conscience. Felicia was also afraid of going to prison. Initially, the police told her that she could be looking at an attempted murder charge. But once investigators looked into the case and the reams of paperwork detailing the threats Turner had made, they recognized that the she was. Shooting was an act of self-defense.
Starting point is 00:12:11 As far as we can tell, Turner wasn't charged with a crime. Why that is, we can't say. Though it's possible, both the authorities and Felicia thought the injuries he sustained were punishment enough. Turner spent 10 weeks in the hospital recovering. When he was released, his mother, Audrey, who'd kicked him out of her house years ago, took him back in. Unfortunately, we don't know much about this time in his life,
Starting point is 00:12:37 except that it didn't take him long to move on from Felicia. Within the year, he started dating a woman named Maria Condon. It seemed this was a whirlwind romance because in 1994, the couple moved to Utah together. There, Turner found work at a homeless shelter and later at a fast food restaurant. As far as we know, Turner didn't kill anyone during his time in Utah. In fact, he'd never even killed anyone outside of his South L.A. neighborhood. At first, Turner's narrow geographic area might seem unusual. Many other famous serial killers committed their sprees across multiple states,
Starting point is 00:13:17 which has led to a perception that this behavior is the norm. But according to the FBI, this is a misconception. Most serial killers operate within very specific and limited geographic areas, which you can consider their comfort zone. There's usually an anchor point for this zone, such as where the killer lives, works or has family. Serial killers who travel between states to kill are rare and are often either homeless, transient, or employed in a job that lends itself to travel like truck driving.
Starting point is 00:13:51 Interestingly, Turner did live an itinerant existence. After being kicked out of his mom's house as a teenager, he went back and forth between motels, missions, and the homes of girlfriends. As such, you might assume that going to Utah would give him free reign to embark on a whole new spree. Instead, the exact opposite happened. It's possible his shooting had been a wake-up call. Turner didn't like the direction his life was going and hoped that by moving to a new state, he could turn over a new leaf.
Starting point is 00:14:21 But its new lease on life didn't last for long. By the end of 1994, his relationship with Maria had broken down. In the wake of the breakup, it's possible that familiar rage began to resurface, a craving that could only be sated by violence. Turner couldn't hold his urges at bay forever. Coming up, a security camera catches Chester Turner red-handed. Robbing trains, rustling cattle. Pop culture usually depicts the Old West as an uncharted land with no rules.
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Starting point is 00:15:51 Now back to the story. In January of 1995, 28-year-old Chester D. Turner had just been through a breakup. With the end of that relationship, his new life in Utah fell to pieces. So he packed up his bags and headed back west. That February, he was in California back in his old stomping ground of the Figueroa Court, and back to his old bloodthirsty ways. There, he lured 31-year-old Natalie Price to a vacant house just west of the 110 freeway and strangled her to death.
Starting point is 00:16:30 The details of the crime were identical to so many that had come before, many of which had been attributed to the so-called Southside Slayer. This should have been a clear indication that the serial killer was still at large, but when Natalie's body was found, it's not clear whether the police immediately made the connection to the previous killings. It's possible that investigators weren't interested in reopening what appeared to be an open-and-shut case. You see, 34-year-old David Allen Jones was still in prison, charged with three of the murders Turner had committed. As we discussed last time, Jones was barely literate and was described by a psychiatrist as having the mental capacity of a child.
Starting point is 00:17:11 Under pressure from police, Jones made a false condition. confession to the three 1992 murders which took place at the 97th Street Elementary School. Despite the lack of evidence against him, despite the clear indications that the culprit was still at large, the authorities seemed to have decided that Jones was their man. To them, he was the Southside Slayer who'd been wreaking havoc on South L.A. So when Jones's trial began in 1995, he was quickly convicted of all three murders and sentenced to 36 years to life in prison. Of course, this only emboldened Chester Turner to commit a string of more crimes. Up to this point, he had no history of felonies or violent crime as far as the police knew,
Starting point is 00:17:57 but that was about to change. In 1995, Turner was arrested for stealing a car. This theft became his first felony conviction. He served an unknown amount of time in prison for this, but once he was released, he went right back to his old ways. On November 6, 1996, he attacked 45-year-old Mildred May Beasley, a married woman with a teenage son. She'd only been in L.A. for two months after moving from Texas. He strangled her to death and left her body amongst the bushes beside the freeway.
Starting point is 00:18:34 Four months later, in February of 1997, he murdered 30-year-old Cynthia Annette Johnson and dumped her body near a church. From the outside, Cynthia's murder looked just like all of those that had come before. She was lured to a deserted location, ambushed, then strangled to death. But after Cynthia, something changed. Turner moved out of the South L.A. area altogether and never killed there again. We don't know exactly why, but it may have had something to do with his next brush with the law. In April of 1997, he was jailed on two charges, assaulting a police officer and Annalia. cruelty. The specific details of exactly what happened here aren't available, but it was a
Starting point is 00:19:20 turning point. This was Turner's first conviction for a violent crime. It's possible that after word spread, he was no longer welcome in his South L.A. neighborhood. His hair-trigger temper had earned him a reputation as a loose cannon, and perhaps this most recent conviction was the final straw. Or perhaps Turner simply figured it was too risky. For years now, he'd been killing in the same tiny stretch of streets where he'd grown up, known as the Figueroa Corridor. Now that he was on the police's radar, he needed to be smarter. Either way, he wasn't too worried. He was ready for a fresh start in downtown Los Angeles. Once a thriving hub of restaurants, bars, and theaters, downtown L.A. deteriorated rapidly after
Starting point is 00:20:07 World War II. The decline of public transportation, combined with the rise of freeways, changed the landscape of the city, turning the area into an increasingly dangerous ghost town. The area is also home to Skid Row, which contains one of the nation's largest condensed, unhoused populations. According to local historian Kim Cooper, the area became a lawless kind of place and a place for people who couldn't or didn't want to live in any other kind of environment. In other words, it was an ideal hunting ground for Turner, who thrived on targeting vulnerable people, on the fringes of society. At the beginning of 1998,
Starting point is 00:20:47 Turner moved into a downtown hotel which offered long-term housing for low-income tenants. Soon he began prowling the surrounding streets, getting the lay of the land, and identifying potential victims. It wasn't long before he spotted 41-year-old Paula Vance.
Starting point is 00:21:05 She was unhoused and reportedly struggling with mental illness, which meant she was just what he was looking for. On the night of February 2nd, Turner found Paula alone on the streets of Skid Row. He led her to an alleyway behind an office building. There, he forced her to the ground, raped her, and strangled her to death. But unlike his own neighborhood, which he knew like the back of his hand, Turner was unfamiliar with downtown L.A.
Starting point is 00:21:33 He had no idea that five security cameras are trained on him throughout his attack. Unfortunately, Turner was never in full view of the camera, When Paula's body was found the next day, authorities scoured the footage, but they were frustrated to see little more than a silhouette. By sheer chance, the camera automatically cut away to a new angle just before Turner came into view. Had the camera stayed where it was for just one second longer, the police might have identified him. Instead, he got away with murder yet again. And he wasn't about to stop any time soon.
Starting point is 00:22:12 Two months later, on April 6th, Turner attacked 37-year-old Brenda Breeze. The pair crossed paths in the little Tokyo area of downtown, just yards away from the hotel where Turner was living. He somehow persuaded Brenda to come with them to a portable bathroom. Once they were alone, he strangled her to death with some kind of ligature and left her body inside the bathroom. As far as we can tell, Turner followed his tried and true method of murder. He'd killed Brenda just like he'd done with his previous victims.
Starting point is 00:22:45 On the surface, it seemed like everything was the same. But something about her murder was different. For reasons that aren't clear, Turner stopped killing entirely after this. There's a pervasive idea that once a serial killer starts killing, the only way he'll be stopped is if he's caught, that he's driven by an insatiable lust for murder that will never be sated. And while that's sometimes true, it's more often not. According to Jay Reid Malloy, a forensic psychologist and professor of psychiatry at the University of California,
Starting point is 00:23:19 murders are not generally acts that a person is compelled to do. Malloy told the New York Times that the acts of a killer are intentional and predatory. There is choice, capacity, and opportunity that is exercised. Therefore, it's equally possible for a killer to exercise the choice not to kill. One 2008 FBI study on serial murder indicated that when a killer goes through a dormant period, it's often because they've found another outlet for their emotions. Per the report, these outlets might include increased participation in family activities or, quote, sexual substitution.
Starting point is 00:23:59 Turner had already had one dormant period that we know of while he lived in Utah. At that time, he was in a new relationship and had steady employment, which might represent other outlets for his own. emotions. He was trying to improve himself and that dampened his desire to kill. And in 2001, three years after he killed Brenda, it seems he wanted to turn things around again. That year, Turner entered a drug rehabilitation program for cocaine addiction. But while it appears Turner was trying to get on the straight and narrow, the LAPD was determined to close in on the killer. In 2001, the force formed a special unit, dead at
Starting point is 00:24:41 dedicated to reviewing a huge backlog of unsolved cold cases from the past 40 years. Their specific focus was sexually motivated murders. Amongst the hundreds of unsolved murders, they honed in on the death of Paula Vance and the grainy security footage that showed her attacker. One detective assigned to the unit, Cliff Shepard, had been particularly haunted by Paula's murder. For years, he had a hunch that it might be the work of a serial killer. He and his partner distributed flyers in the local area, asking for any information about the crime, and looked into registered sex offenders nearby.
Starting point is 00:25:20 They worked diligently with other LAPD divisions as well as the forces' crime lab, hoping that they'd uncover something that was missed at the time of the murder. Shepard also took a still image of Paula's attacker from the security footage and had it blown up in the hopes that it would make the suspect easier to identify. Leaving no stone unturned, he even was. took the image to Paramount Studios to see if a specialist there could enhance it. Unfortunately, not even Hollywood's finest could decipher the grainy still. Frustrated by his lack of progress, Shepard eventually moved on to re-examining other cases.
Starting point is 00:25:59 This, of course, meant Turner continued to fly under the radar, and while he hadn't killed in years, his violent urges were getting harder and harder for him to ignore. As part of the drug rehabilitation program he was in, Turner was in, Turner was was given assistance to find a job. At some point, he got hired as a security guard at Midnight Mission, an outreach organization for those experiencing homelessness in Skid Row. Given his history of violent crime, it's unclear why Turner was hired as a security card. The job gave him unfettered access to some of the most vulnerable people in the city.
Starting point is 00:26:34 Now back in his old hunting ground, Turner found it hard to resist temptation. It didn't take long for him to take advantage of his new position. Up next, Turner sets his sights on a new victim. You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band teas, but on Deepop, people are searching for exactly what you've got. You once paid a small fortune for them at merch stands. Now, a teenager who calls them vintage will offer that same small fortune back. Sell them easily on Deepop.
Starting point is 00:27:09 Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. Who knew your questionable music taste will be a money-making machine? Your style can make you cash. Start selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes Taste. Now back to the story. By 2001, it seemed that 34-year-old Chester Turner was finally turning his life around. He'd entered rehab for his drug addiction and even scored a job working security at a local outreach organization helping the unhoused. But the constant influx of vulnerable people was just too tempted.
Starting point is 00:27:45 attempting to resist. And by the following year, Turner's sadistic urges returned with a vengeance. On the night of March 17, 2002, Turner was working his usual shift. He was posted up on the street outside the Midnight Mission, leaning against a wall, when 47-year-old Maria Martinez walked past him. Maria was a regular at the mission. She was unhoused, struggling with drug addiction, and sold cigarettes to get by. That night, Turner beckoned Maria over and asked if she had a light. She said, sure, and walked over to him. When Maria was within reach, Turner lunged at her, grabbing her by the throat.
Starting point is 00:28:28 As Maria struggled, Turner dragged her behind a nearby dumpster and began raping her. The sexual assault was horrific and protracted, going on for almost two hours. Afterward, Turner told Maria that if she went to the police, he'd kill her. But for now, he let her go. It was an unusual move given Turner's established MO. Occasionally, a serial killer will let a victim live. These incidents are rare, and there's very limited research on the subject. As such, we can only speculate about what might motivate this behavior.
Starting point is 00:29:05 It's possible that a serial killer will learn something about a victim that makes them sympathetic. For example, there have been numerous cases where victims were set free after telling their attack. that they were the sole caretaker for a child or an elderly parent. Another reason why a serial killer might let a victim go is if they don't fit his type. Many killers have a particular type of victim that they seek out, whether that's defined by physical attributes like only killing brunettes or circumstantial ones like only killing sex workers. In Turner's particular case, neither these explanations seems to fit.
Starting point is 00:29:43 There's no evidence that he felt any empathy for Maria, or that he was capable of feeling it for anyone, for that matter. Of course, Turner did have a clearly defined type. He killed only lone women who were mostly unhoused and who often had drug addictions. As Maria fit his type perfectly, there's no clear reason why he let her go, especially since he was worried about her going to the police. After the attack, Maria went straight to the LAPD's nearby Central Division Station. She walked up to the front desk and told the officers she wanted to report.
Starting point is 00:30:15 poor to rape. But the cops didn't take her seriously. They seemingly thought she was lying and impatiently told her to sit and wait. Defeated, Maria returned to the encampment where she was staying, processing her recent assault. Sadly, Maria's experience is far from unusual. People experiencing homelessness are disproportionately likely to be the victims of violent crime, with women being particularly at risk. In a survey by the downtown women, Center in Los Angeles, 50% of the women sleeping in shelters or on the streets said they'd experienced physical or sexual abuse in the last 12 months. Violence against the unhoused population is also more likely to go unreported because many people in this situation don't trust the police
Starting point is 00:31:07 or fear repercussions if they report crime. But Maria refused to be silenced. The day after the attack, she went back to the Midnight Mission. She sought out one of the admissible. Carrie Gatlin and confided in her about what had happened. Carrie listened to Maria's harrowing ordeal and encouraged her to take action. She told Maria to go back to the police and insist on filing a report. However, it appears Maria was on the fence. She believed the police had assumed that she and Turner had been partying together. As such, they were never going to take her or her attack seriously.
Starting point is 00:31:44 Fortunately, Carrie made it clear that she believed Maria's story. and persuaded her to return to the station with a brave face, and her bravery proved to be Turner's undoing. On March 18th, the day after she was raped, Maria filed a police report. She identified Turner as her attacker and told the police where to find him. After giving her statement, she was sent to a local hospital in downtown L.A. There, she was given a full sexual assault forensic exam, including DNA swabs. Meanwhile, the police went to the midnight mission to hunt Turner down,
Starting point is 00:32:24 but it appears he'd gotten wind that the authorities were onto him and made a feeble attempt to hide. The police found him hiding, fully clothed, inside one of the showers at the mission. They arrested him on suspicion of rape and took him into custody. Turner had to give a mandatory DNA sample, which soon confirmed that he was indeed Maria's rapist. He pled no contest to the rape charge, and shortly after, After, 35-year-old Turner was sentenced to eight years in prison. But that was only the beginning.
Starting point is 00:32:59 The LAPD's special cold case unit was working hard to find new leads. Once again, they focused on Paula Vance, whose murder was caught on camera. Although the attacker couldn't be identified, there was another piece of evidence that the LAPD hadn't yet taken advantage of, a semen sample taken from Paula's body. In the summer of 2003, Detective Cliff Shepard sent the sample to the LAPD's crime lab to see if there was a DNA link to any criminal in their database. That September, the lab came back with a match, Chester D. Turner, who was just 18 months into his eight-year sentence. The unit also had a semen sample taken from the body of Mildred Beasley,
Starting point is 00:33:43 who Turner killed in 1996. That sample, too, came back with a match. Now that they'd linked Turner to two murders. The detectives had every reason to suspect he was responsible for more. Casting a wide net, they began testing samples from more than 100 unsolved murders over the years. Among these murders were 35 that occurred in and around the Figueroa Corridor, where Turner mainly operated. For years, the LAPD had been stumbling around in the dark, trying in vain to connect an overwhelming deluge of crimes. But now, thanks to Maria Martinez's police report, it felt like someone had turned the lights on. Positive IDs poured in, confirming that Turner's DNA was present on a huge number of murder victims in South LA from the previous two decades. Ultimately,
Starting point is 00:34:36 the police were able to match nine more unsolved murders to Turner, bringing the total number of charges to 11. But they didn't limit their surge. to unsolved murders. The unit also began reviewing solved crimes which resembled Turner's murders. They soon flagged three 1992 murders of Deborah Williams, Mary Edwards, and Tammy Christmas, which had been committed in the same area where Turner operated. These were the three murders David Allen Jones was convicted of in 1995. By the time the special unit revisited the case, Jones had already been in prison for a decade. Now, doubting that, conviction, the police ran samples from all three of Jones's supposed murders against Turner's
Starting point is 00:35:24 DNA. Sure enough, Deborah and Mary's samples were a match. The DNA showed conclusively that Turner was involved in their deaths. For reasons that aren't clear, the physical evidence from Tammy Christmas's murder couldn't be located after Jones's conviction. As a result, Turner's involvement couldn't be proven. But based on the rest of the evidence, detectives were confident that Turner was responsible for all three murders. Finally, they realized the truth. David Allen Jones had been wrongfully convicted. He was released from prison in March of 2004, having spent 11 years behind bars.
Starting point is 00:36:06 Jones subsequently sued the city of Los Angeles and was awarded a sum of $720,000. Meanwhile, with Turner already behind bars for raping Maria Martinez, detects, and prosecutors were able to take their time building a case against him, and their diligence paid off. In the spring of 2007, Turner was found guilty on 10 charges of first-degree murder, along with an additional charge for the killing of Regina Washington's unborn baby. He was sentenced to death. Years later, in 2014, Turner was tried and convicted of four additional murders and given a second death sentence. His final toll made him one of the most prolific serial killers in Los Angeles history. To this day, Turner has never confessed to any of his crimes or taken any responsibility
Starting point is 00:37:02 for the lives he viciously destroyed. For years, he targeted women on the fringes of the city, women who were so vulnerable, so neglected by society, that he never imagined they would fight back. But Maria Martinez proved him wrong. And now, still on death row at San Quentin, Turner is the one left behind, discarded and alone. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on Chester D. Turner, amongst the many sources we used, we found Christine Pellisack's coverage in the LA Weekly, extremely helpful in our research. More episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast are free on Spotify.
Starting point is 00:38:02 We'll see you next time. Have a Killer Week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cuddler, sound design by Juan Borda, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Bruce Kitovich. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Emma Dibdin, with writing assistance by Jane O. and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Cheyenne Lopez, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood.
Starting point is 00:38:32 Serial killers stars Greg Poulson and Vanessa Richardson. Hey, partners, it's Carter from Parkast. You've probably heard stories about outlawed Jesse James, sharpshooter Annie Oakley, in the horrors of the Donner Party. But how much of what you've heard is actually true? Find out on my new series Wild Wild West, where I head out on the frontier to find the facts, learn the lore, and tackle the tallest of tales. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Wild Wild West, every Thursday, free, and only on Spotify. Want to hear something spooky.
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Starting point is 00:39:45 Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts,
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