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Trace Evidence

171 - The Murder of Justin Turner - Part 2

Trace Evidence

Steven Pacheco

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.74.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 August 2021

⏱️ 69 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Five year old Justin Turner vanished on a Friday morning in March of 1989. Two days of searches organized and led by the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department turned up no trace of the missing child. Investigators began to theorize that the boy had been abducted while making his way to the bus stop until, early on the third day, his body was discovered in a location that was supposed to have already been searched.

While the focus of the investigation turned to Justin's stepmother, disputes between investigators and the coroner's office as well as the solicitor's office were sighted as hindering the case. Laws protecting spouses from testifying against one another were changed and a very public battle about the circumstantial nature of the evidence drew criticism from all sides.

Now, thirty-two years later, the case is in the hands of cold case investigators who hope new forensic technology can finally unlock the truth and identify Justin's killer.

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Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/justin-turner

Transcript

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0:00.0

Meeting courtly targets essential growth non-negotiable scalability imperative profitability crucial bandwidth

0:09.6

VOLBOS is London's only fiber network providing 10 giga standard for the businesses where everything is mission critical

0:15.6

VOLBOS, the business fiber network built by VOLBOS for London. Today's episode examines a case involving a child under the age of 10 and includes discussion of violence and sexual assault which may be disturbing to some listeners.

0:29.6

Listener discretion is advised.

0:32.6

5-year-old Justin Turner vanished on a Friday morning in March of 1989. Two days of searches organized and led by the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department turned up no trace of the missing child.

0:53.6

Investigators began to theorize that the boy had been abducted while making his way to the bus stop until early on the third day when his body was discovered in a location that was supposed to have been searched already.

1:06.6

The focus of the investigation turned from the possibility of a stranger to someone closer to home, namely his stepmother Pamela.

1:15.6

Following the conclusion of a coroner's inquest and arrest warrant was issued. Two months later, the grand jury returned an indictment, charging her with the five-year-olds murder.

1:26.6

Six months later, all charges were dropped with the solicitor's office citing a lack of sufficient evidence to ensure a conviction.

1:34.6

Disputes between investigators in the coroner's office recited as hindering the case, laws protecting spouses from testifying against one another were changed in response.

1:45.6

A public battle between prosecutors and the sheriff came down to a debate about the weight of circumstantial evidence.

1:52.6

32 years later, Justin's case has fallen into the hands of cold case detectives who hope advances in forensic technology will finally unlock the evidence necessary to place a child killer behind bars.

2:06.6

Has a new person of interest come into the case or do investigators remain focused in on the only person ever publicly named a suspect?

2:16.6

This is Trace Evidence, Episode 171, the murder of Justin Turner, Part 2.

2:30.6

Welcome to Trace Evidence. I'm your host, Stephen Pacheco.

2:35.6

Today, we will conclude our examination into the horrifying murder of five-year-old Justin Turner. Before getting back into the case, just a few notes about the show.

2:46.6

Trace Evidence is a weekly true crime podcast focused on unsolved murders and disappearances. You can follow the show on social media on Twitter, at Trace Ev Pod, Instagram at Trace Evidence Pod, or by searching Facebook for Trace Evidence.

3:03.6

If you're interested in supporting the show and getting some Trace Evidence merch, there's a Patreon at patreon.com slash Trace Evidence, or you can donate directly via PayPal.

3:15.6

Visit Trace-evidence.com for all social media links, donation, options, and contact information. You can submit case suggestions through the website or email me directly at Trace Evidence Pod at gmail.com.

3:31.6

On a humid day beneath gathering storm clouds, the body of five-year-old Justin Turner was found in a spot that had supposedly been searched multiple times.

3:41.6

What began as an investigation into a stranger abduction quickly became a case focused in sharply on Justin's own stepmother.

3:49.6

This is episode 171, the murder of Justin Turner, part two.

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