Joseph Ture Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | Joseph Donald Ture Jr. February 7, 1951 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Details | |
Victims | 6+ |
Span of crimes | 1978–1980 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Minnesota |
Date apprehended | October 30, 1980 |
Joseph Donald Ture, Jr. (born February 7, 1951) is an American serial killer and kidnapper. Originally convicted of killing a woman in Sherburne County, Minnesota, in 1980, he was later linked to five additional murders, including the mass murder of a family in Clearwater, as well as numerous rapes. Following these revelations, he was given five additional life sentences, which he is currently serving at Minnesota Correctional Facility – Stillwater in Bayport, Minnesota. [1] [2] [3]
Joseph Donald Ture Jr. was born on February 7, 1951, in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents divorced when he was 10, and his father won custody of him, though he was primarily raised in an orphanage. [4] In his late teens, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, but only stayed for about six months before returning to the St. Paul area, where he held many low-skilled jobs. He was barely able to afford proper living conditions, and reportedly he spent some time living in his car. [4]
On October 30, 1980, Ture was arrested for the rapes of a 13-year-old Minneapolis girl and two other women. [5] While in custody, local police began investigating him in the murder of Diane Edwards, 19, a University of Minnesota student whose nude and battered body was discovered near Elk River on October 3. [6] She had been reported missing on September 26 after being seen getting into a man's car. [6] At least five witnesses who witnessed Edwards' abduction described the man's vehicle as an older, rusted station wagon. This description was similar to Ture's vehicle, a 1974 Ford Galaxie. [7]
In April 1981, Ture was convicted of rape and kidnapping involving the rape cases. [5] He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. [7] Afterwards, he was indicted in Edwards' murder. Based on eyewitnesses identifying him at the murder scene, Ture was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. After his conviction, he confessed to the 1978 murders of Alice Huling and her three children, but he quickly recanted his confessions. [8] In 1982, Ture was attacked by several of his cellmates while imprisoned in Stillwater, and sustained a broken nose as a result. [9] The beating occurred a few hours after Ture was placed in general population. [10]
Ture would have been eligible for parole in 2008; however, before that in 1996, a grand jury indicted him for the 1979 murder of Marlys Wohlenhaus, 18. [11] After reexamining the case, investigators found that Ture provided an alibi at the time of Wohlenhaus' murder, but a new investigation showed that the alibi had been fabricated. [4] Following the indictment, Ture agreed to be interviewed on 48 Hours , during which he professed his innocence. Days after the interview aired, numerous young women contacted the program claiming to recognize Ture as a man who sexually assaulted them in the 1970s. [12] It was found that most of these sexual assault victims had worked as waitresses, and police believe Ture had stalked them for weeks leading up the assault. [12]
In 1997, Ture was convicted of Wohlenhaus' murder and was given an additional life sentence. During his imprisonment, Ture allegedly bragged to his cellmate about committing the 1979 killing of Joan Bierschbach, 20. In 1999, Ture was indicted in the Huling family murders, and in 2000 was sentenced to life imprisonment. Ture claims he is innocent in all the murder cases and claims that investigators used him to solve cold cases. [4]
The documentary series Cold Case Files features the investigation into Ture's murders on season 2 episode 11 "Murder on the Menu". [14]
The American punk rock band Hüsker Dü released the song "Diane" in 1983 which is based on the murder of Diane Edwards, Ture's last victim. [15]
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