(NewsSpace.com) – In April 2023, David Wayne Turner, then 57, drove his car into a group of people who were attending a food distribution event at a homeless shelter in Nevada. He struck three women, including Michelle Jardine, 55, who was homeless. Two were critically injured, suffering broken bones and a brain bleed, and Jardine was killed. Police eventually tracked down Turner, who said he did it on purpose. He was arrested and charged with a single count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to all three charges and has now been sentenced.
Court documents showed that Turner confessed to driving into the crowd of people in his 2006 Jeep Cherokee, traveling 50 miles per hour. Christina “Diamond” Roman and Clarissa Roman were doling out food that day and were struck by his vehicle at the same time as Jardine. The impact broke Christina’s back in two places, and her daughter, Clarissa, suffered multiple broken bones, collapsed lungs, and a brain bleed that led to her having a stroke.
When questioned by authorities, he said he intentionally planned to kill people because “I’m 57 years old and I’m done.” Turner appeared in court on Wednesday, January 31, before Judge Scott Freeman. After impact statements from the victims and family members, including Jardine’s mother, Angelina Blare, who said she hopes he remembers her face for the rest of his life, he was given his sentence. For the murder of Jardine, Turner was given life in prison without the possibility of parole. He also received 20 years in prison for the attempted murders of Christina and Clarissa Roman. Then, he received three deadly weapon enhancements that landed him another 20 years of prison time.
According to a media release by Washoe County, Nevada, the case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Adam Cate, who said Turner was “too dangerous to ever be let out of prison.”
Copyright 2024, NewsSpace.com
