Attorney General Jim Hood announced Sept. 11 that 39-year-old Donald Turner, of Clinton, was convicted on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated domestic violence, and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Also known as Darnell “Slick” Turner, he was found guilty by a Hinds County trial jury Sept. 7 on one count of each charge. He was arrested in April 2016 after being indicted for beating the then-22-year-old mother of one of his children, shooting into the car she was in, and dragging her to a bridge where he strangled her before suspending her over the railing. After Turner left the scene in the Washington Addition neighborhood in Jackson, he returned and assaulted a person who was trying to assist the initial victim. He then drove the mother of his child home while continuing to beat her.
“This heinous act of strangling a woman while dangling her over a bridge deserves maximum punishment,” said General Hood. “Domestic violence is a serious offense. I’m glad to see that a Hinds County jury recognized that fact and stood for protecting other victims of domestic violence. This should send a strong message to other offenders.”
The Attorney General’s Office received this case after Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith recused himself due to an admission in open court that he previously represented Turner and that Turner visited him in his home.
Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill, Sr. scheduled a sentencing hearing for 1:00 p.m. on October 17. Turner faces up to 45 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department with assistance from Attorney General Investigators Larry Ware, Christopher Watkins and Jerry Spell. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Stan Alexander and Special Assistant Attorney General Patrick Beasley.
