Kirk Turner fatally injured Jennifer Turner after hitting her with a spear

On September 12, 2007, at 9:45 p.m., police received a desperate call for help at a home in the small town of Mocksville, North Carolina. Jennifer and Kirk Turner, a wealthy couple, had been injured in an attack, according to their friend Greg Smithson, who called 911.

“When police arrived, they found three people at the scene,” said digital forensics investigator Derek Ellington Kill or be killedBroadcast Saturdays at 21:00/20:00 on oxygen“Greg Smithson performed CPR on an unconscious Jennifer Turner.”

Rescue workers took over from the paramedics and attempted to resuscitate 54-year-old Jennifer, who had a knife wound to her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Paramedics tended to Kirk, then 50 years old, who had a tourniquet around his thigh and was fighting for his life. Officers asked Kirk what happened. “She stabbed me with a spear,” he was heard saying on a police recording. He kept repeating, “She stabbed me,” Ellington said. Despite his severe injuries, Kirk pulled through.

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Investigators discovered that Kirk had separated from his wife after his extramarital affair and was living in an apartment near the family home.

Smithson, an auto mechanic, told police he and Kirk restored old cars together and that they had been to the house to pick up tools with Jennifer's permission, according to Kirk's defense attorney Brad Bannon.

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The relationship story of Kirk and Jennifer Turner

Investigators discovered that Jennifer was already divorced when she met Kirk. They married in secret and eventually had two children.

The family moved to North Carolina, where Kirk opened a dental practice. They bought a farm so Jennifer would have a place to raise horses, according to her friend Anne Gould.

Cracks began to appear in the couple's relationship. Jennifer suspected that Kirk was unfaithful, according to Jennifer's friend Nancy Monda.

Jennifer hired a private investigator who confirmed her suspicions: Kirk was having an affair with a woman who was her personal banker.

Kirk moved out in June 2006, 15 months before Jennifer's fatal stabbing, and was ordered by the court to pay $20,000 a month to maintain the farm.

The separation was contentious. Jennifer filed a civil suit against Kirk's mistress, alleging alienation of affection.

“North Carolina is one of six states that has laws against alienation of affection,” Ellington said. “If someone interferes in your marriage, there can be a financial penalty.”

Interviews with witnesses revealed that the relationship between Kirk and Jennifer showed signs of violence.

Forensic evidence leads to the arrest of Kirk Turner

A month after the incident, the forensic evidence report was released by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, which had joined the case. came in.

“They were able to determine that the arterial jet was at most 23 inches high,” said legal analyst Lis Wiehl Kill or be killed.

Blood splatter showed that Jennifer was already on the ground when she was killed. Investigators believed this was enough to establish a murder case.

On December 13, 2007, Kirk was charged with first-degree murder. He spent a month in jail before posting $1 million bail.

The defense team built its case. Emails between the Turners proved to be key evidence. In the messages, Jennifer criticized Kirk's relationship with his girlfriend, writing, “It's all about your pretty parts,” Ellington said.

“Pretty parts” was Jennifer’s term for his genitals, according to Kill or be killed“In Kirk's testimony, she said as she attacked him, she was going to get his nice parts,” Bannon said. His wounds were just inches from his groin.

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Jennifer's first marriage became part of the case, according to Kill or be killedAlso crucial was an affidavit from Jennifer's first husband in which he stated that her obsession with horses had destroyed their marriage.

Before the fatal altercation, Kirk told Jennifer he would use the document to prove that their marriage ended for the same reason and not because of his affair, Bannon said.

The evidence “painted a pretty clear picture of who was gaining the upper hand,” Bannon said. “It wasn't Kirk. It was Jennifer.”

Because the forensic evidence regarding the pocket knife and spear used in the case was inconclusive, investigators focused on other areas to build the case against Kirk.

Jennifer's therapist said Jennifer talked about being afraid of Kirk, Wiehl said. Jennifer obtained a restraining order barring Kirk from her property.

The process begins

The trial began in July 2009. The prosecution cited $20,000 in spousal support and the lawsuit against Kirk's girlfriend as motives for the murder.

Prosecutors argued that Kirk was not attacked, claiming that he “knew exactly where to stand because of his medical history,” Hewlett said. They pointed to evidence that the blood splatter was near the ground.

The defense argued that Kirk and Jennifer's conversation escalated and she stabbed him with the 7-foot spear. “When the jury first saw that, their eyes widened,” Bannon said.

Both sides used traces of blood at the crime scene, on weapons and clothing in different ways to support their arguments.

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The Turners' daughter testified as a witness for the prosecution, while their son spoke in court about his father's good character.

The siblings remain divided. “This whole family was simply torn apart by what happened,” said Wiehl.

Smithson also testified. When he took the stand, prosecutors “hinted at the last minute that he was actually somehow involved in this murder,” Bannon said.

Kirk testified on his own behalf and stated that he was forced to end Jennifer's life to save his own.

On August 20, 2009, the jury acquitted the defendant on the grounds of self-defense. Winston-Salem Journal reported.

To learn more about the case featured in the episode “Spear and Loathing,” watch Kill or be killedBroadcast Saturdays at 21:00/20:00 on oxygen.