Lynn Turner (murderer)

Last updated
Lynn Turner
Killer Lynn Turner.jpg
Lynn Turner
Born
Julia Lynn Womack

(1968-07-13)July 13, 1968
Marietta, Georgia, United States
DiedAugust 30, 2010(2010-08-30) (aged 42)
Metro State prison, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Other namesAntifreeze Killer, Black Widow
Criminal statusDeceased
MotiveTo collect insurance money
Conviction(s) Murder
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment without parole
Details
VictimsMaurice Glenn Turner
Randy Thompson
DateMarch 3, 1995 / January 22, 2001
Span of crimes
1995–2001
Country United States
State(s) Georgia
Location(s) Cobb County/Forsyth County
Target(s)Husband/boyfriend
Killed2
WeaponsPoisoning (ethylene glycol)
Date apprehended
November 1, 2002;20 years ago (2002-11-01)

Julia Lynn Turner [1] (July 16, 1968 – August 30, 2010), [2] originally Julia Lynn Womack, was an American convicted murderer. In 1995, her husband, Glenn Turner, died after allegedly being sick with the flu. In 2001, the death of what had been described as her common-law husband, Randy Thompson, under remarkably similar circumstances, aroused the suspicion of law enforcement. After investigation, it was determined by authorities that Lynn Turner had murdered both her husbands by poisoning them with ethylene glycol–based antifreeze. She was tried for Glenn Turner's murder in 2004. She was found guilty and went to trial in 2007 for the murder of Randy Thompson, ultimately being convicted. Turner died in prison on August 30, 2010. [3] The cause of death was an apparent suicide by toxic overdose of blood pressure medication. [4]

Contents

Early life

Julia Lynn was adopted by the Womack family shortly after her birth mother gave her up. The Womacks divorced when Lynn was five, after which Helen Womack took custody of Lynn. Shortly afterwards, Helen Womack married again, and Lynn did not get on well with her new stepfather, D.L. Gregory. As a teenager, Lynn took to substance abuse and was admitted to a clinic in Atlanta for drug problems.

By the 1990s, Lynn Womack was working as a 911 dispatcher for Cobb County, Georgia. Lynn attempted to become a police officer, but she failed the psychological exam.

Marriage to Glenn Turner

In 1991 she met a Cobb County police officer named Maurice Glenn Turner and began to pursue him. She married Glenn Turner in August 1992. Glenn began to work a job at a gas station to support himself and Lynn after she left her job. Shortly after they married, Glenn and Lynn began to have problems in their marriage due to Lynn spending more money than Glenn could make and soon were sleeping in different bedrooms.

Around the same time Lynn began an affair with Forsyth County firefighter Randy Thompson who was from Warner Robins, Georgia. [5] Glenn was unaware of his wife's affair and by 1995 he began plans to move out and file for divorce. However, before he could go through with it, he fell ill and went to the emergency room on March 2, 1995, complaining of flu-like symptoms. [6] He was treated there, and when he felt better he went home. [6] The next day, he was found dead when Lynn came home. [6] Glenn's cause of death was ruled natural causes due to an irregular heartbeat. After Glenn's death she moved in with Randy Thompson and collected $153,000 from her husband's death and pension.

Life with Randy Thompson

Lynn and Randy bought a house together and had a son and daughter. By 2000 Randy and Lynn were having problems in their relationship, causing Randy to move out. On January 22, 2001, Randy Thompson, age 32, was found dead in his apartment. Thompson had reported feeling ill with flu symptoms and had gone to the emergency room complaining of a stomach ache and constant vomiting. [6] He was treated and released on January 21. Lynn made him some Jell-O and by the next day, he was dead. [6] She only collected $36,000 in her boyfriend's death because his $200,000 insurance policy had lapsed. Thompson's reported cause of death was an irregular heartbeat, the same cause of death as Lynn's previous husband. [6] [7]

Investigation and convictions

Shortly after Randy Thompson's death, police reopened the case of Glenn Turner's death after finding that both men died under nearly the same circumstances. Suspecting something sinister, Glenn Turner's mother read Randy Thompson’s obituary and called a named relative saying she lost her son very mysteriously as well and stated that both her son and Randy had a common connection to Lynn Turner. Blood tests later found that ethylene glycol–based antifreeze was found in Thompson's system. Police discovered that Lynn had visited an animal shelter, asking about how to put down a stray animal and what poison to use. Glenn Turner's body was exhumed and ethylene glycol was also found in his kidneys. Crime scene photos from Glenn Turner's death contained a photograph of the garage where antifreeze was visible.

Ten months after Randy Thompson's death, Lynn was arrested for Glenn's murder. She was tried for Glenn Turner's murder in 2004 and was found guilty. She went to trial in 2007 for the murder of Randy Thompson, ultimately being convicted. The state contended that she poisoned both men by placing the antifreeze in their food as it is odorless with a sweet taste. She faced the death penalty for the murder of Randy Thompson, but was instead sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. [8] According to the Georgia Department of Corrections website, Turner was serving her sentences at Metro State Prison.

Death

Turner was found dead in prison on August 30, 2010. [9] Her death was ruled a suicide. [10] [11] An episode of Murder She Solved on the Oprah Winfrey Network claimed that she intentionally accumulated enough prescription medication to cause an overdose.

Media

Turner's case has been profiled on many different television programs. Her case first aired on Forensic Files in 2007 in an episode entitled "Cold Hearted". Her case aired on season six of Snapped on the Oxygen Network that year, and three programs on the Investigation Discovery network: Deadly Women , Main Street Mysteries, and Motives and Murders. [12] On July 18, 2012, the ABC show Final Witness told the story from the perspective of her first husband, in an episode entitled Vixen's Elixir. [13] Oxygen True Crime, Charmed to Death “Dispatched” (S1 E6) aired August 22, 2021. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethylene glycol</span> Organic compound ethane-1,2-diol

Ethylene glycol is an organic compound with the formula (CH2OH)2. It is mainly used for two purposes, as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odorless, colorless, flammable, viscous liquid. Ethylene glycol has a sweet taste, but it is toxic in high concentrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women</span> Prison in Bedford Hills, Westchester County, New York, US

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women a women's prison in the town of Bedford, New York, is the largest women's prison in New York state. The prison previously opened under the name Westfield State Farm in 1901. It lies just outside the hamlet and census-designated place Bedford Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Malloy</span> Irishman who lived in NYC during the 1920s and 30s

Michael Malloy, later known as either Mike the Durable or Iron Mike, was a homeless Irishman from County Donegal who lived in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. A former firefighter, he survived multiple murder attempts by five acquaintances, who attempted to commit homicide as a life insurance fraud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diethylene glycol</span> Chemical compound

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound with the formula (HOCH2CH2)2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is a four carbon dimer of ethylene glycol. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent. It can be a contaminant in consumer products; this has resulted in numerous epidemics of poisoning since the early 20th century.

<i>And Then There Were None</i> (1974 film) 1974 film

And Then There Were None is a 1974 mystery film and a adaptation of Agatha Christie's best-selling 1939 mystery novel of the same name. The film was directed by Peter Collinson and produced by Harry Alan Towers. This was the second of three versions of Christie's novel to be adapted to the screen by producer Harry Alan Towers. Two film adaptations were previously released. An American made-for-television version was broadcast in 1959. Towers produced a third version in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central California Women's Facility</span>

Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is a female-only California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison located in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Valley State Prison. CCWF is the largest female correctional facility in the United States, and houses the only State of California death row for women.

"Autopsy" is a television series of HBO's America Undercover documentary series. Dr. Michael Baden, a real-life forensic pathologist, is the primary analyst, and has been personally involved in many of the cases that are reviewed.

Kathleen Megan Folbigg is an Australian woman who was convicted of murdering her three infant children, Patrick Allen, Sarah Kathleen and Laura Elizabeth. She was also convicted of the manslaughter of her fourth child, Caleb Gibson. The deaths took place between 1989 and 1999. Her husband contacted the police after discovering her personal diary. Folbigg is presently imprisoned, sentenced to forty years with a parole period of 25 years. She will be eligible for parole in 2028.

The Julie Jensen case involves the trial of a Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin man, Mark Jensen, on charges that he murdered his wife, Julie Carol Jensen on December 3, 1998. The case is notable for the eventual admission into evidence of a letter written by the deceased prior to her death expressing suspicion of her husband's intentions.

Ethylene glycol poisoning is poisoning caused by drinking ethylene glycol. Early symptoms include intoxication, vomiting and abdominal pain. Later symptoms may include a decreased level of consciousness, headache, and seizures. Long term outcomes may include kidney failure and brain damage. Toxicity and death may occur after drinking even in a small amount as ethylene glycol is more toxic than other diols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacey Castor</span> American convicted murderer (1967–2016)

Stacey Ruth Castor was an American convicted murderer from Weedsport, New York. In 2009, she was found guilty of intentionally poisoning her then-husband David Castor with antifreeze in 2005 and attempting to murder her daughter, Ashley Wallace, with crushed pills mixed in with vodka, orange juice, and Sprite in 2007. In addition, she is suspected of having murdered her first husband, Michael Wallace, in 2000; his grave lay next to David Castor's until David's remains were disinterred in 2016 and buried elsewhere by his son. The story made national news, and Castor was subsequently named "The Black Widow" by media outlets. A special two-hour edition of ABC's 20/20 aired on April 24, 2009, and again on February 8, 2019, to provide the full story of the Castor case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro State Prison</span>

Metro State Prison, previously the Metro Correctional Institution, is a former Georgia Department of Corrections prison for women in unincorporated southern DeKalb County, Georgia, near Atlanta. Female death row inmates were held in the Metro State Prison. The prison had room for 779 prisoners. It was closed in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Ramirez</span> American serial killer and rapist (1960–2013)

Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Muñoz Ramirez, dubbed Night Stalker, Valley Intruder, and Walk-in Killer was an American serial killer whose crime spree took place in California between June 1984 and August 1985. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989. He died in 2013 while awaiting execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrizia Reggiani</span> Italian socialite and criminal (born 1948)

Patrizia Reggiani is an Italian convicted criminal and former socialite. She was convicted in a highly publicized trial of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelina Rodriguez</span> American murderer on death row

Angelina Rodriguez is an American woman from Montebello, California who was sentenced to death for the September 2000 murder of Jose Francisco "Frank" Rodriguez, her fourth husband. She also was accused of killing her infant daughter in 1993 by suffocating her with a pacifier. Rodriguez is incarcerated at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California, where she is on death row awaiting execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Gissendaner</span> American criminal (1968-2015)

Kelly Renée Gissendaner was an American woman who was executed by the U.S. state of Georgia. Gissendaner had been convicted of orchestrating the murder of her husband, Douglas Gissendaner. At the time of the murder, Gissendaner was 28, and her husband was 30. After her conviction, and until her execution, Gissendaner was the only woman on death row in Georgia.

Patricia "Patty" Stallings is an American woman who was wrongfully convicted of murder after the death of her son Ryan on September 7, 1989. Because testing seemed to indicate an elevated level of ethylene glycol in Ryan's blood, authorities suspected antifreeze poisoning and they arrested Patricia Stallings the next day. She was convicted of murder in early 1991 and sentenced to life in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Urdiales</span> American serial killer (1964–2018)

Andrew Urdiales was an American serial killer who was convicted in Illinois in 2002 of killing three women and convicted in California in 2018 of killing five women. He was sentenced to death in California and committed suicide a few months later in California's San Quentin Prison.

The Rzeszowski family homicides occurred on 14 August 2011 in Saint Helier, Jersey in the Channel Islands. Damian Rzeszowski stabbed to death six people including four members of his family. He was found guilty of manslaughter with diminished responsibility and sentenced to 30 years in prison for each victim. He died in a suspected suicide in HMP Full Sutton on 31 March 2018.

The Staudte Family Murders case, also known as "The Antifreeze Murders", was a series of killings and attempted killings within the Staudte Family of Springfield, Missouri during a five-month period in 2012. Family matriarch Diane Staudte and her daughter, Rachel Staudte, committed the crimes together using antifreeze purchased off the internet, with the rationale that antifreeze sold online would not contain the added bittering agent in commercial chemicals making the ethylene glycol poison detectable. Diane's husband, Mark Staudte, was murdered first, followed five months later by her autistic 26-year-old son, Shaun Staudte. 24-year-old daughter Sarah Staudte had also been poisoned with the antifreeze, being taken to hospital in critical condition. Sarah survived the poisoning and later recovered, albeit with physical and neurological damage. Diane Staudte was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2016, while Rachel Staudte pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May 2015 as part of a plea deal in exchange for testifying against her mother at her trial, eventually being sentenced in March 2016 to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

References

  1. ↑ "FindLaw's Supreme Court of Georgia case and opinions". Findlaw.
  2. ↑ "Julia Turner Obituary - Marietta, GA". Dignity Memorial.
  3. ↑ Archived September 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Autopsy shows antifreeze killer's death was suicide". CNN . September 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  5. ↑ Communications, Emmis (April 16, 2003). "Atlanta Magazine". Emmis Communications – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nash, Alanna. "The Black Widow Killer: Two men. Two murders. Too many questions". Reader's Digest . Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  7. ↑ Grinberg, Emanuella (2008-01-30). "Black Widow's' antifreeze murder trial to start". CNN. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  8. ↑ "Georgia jury spares antifreeze killer the death penalty, sentences her to life without parole". statesboroherald.com. Statesboro Herald owned by Morris Multimedia, Inc. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Antifreeze killer dies in prison - CNN.com". CNN . Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Autopsy shows antifreeze killer's death was suicide". cnn.com. Cable News Network(CNN) / Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  11. ↑ Cook, Rhonda. "Lynn Turner's death ruled a suicide". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Lynn Turner Credits". Tvguide.com. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  13. ↑ ABC.com. "final witness - ABC.com". Beta.abc.go.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  14. ↑ Oxygen. True crime: 1 season, 6 episode, 23 August 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.