Episode 27: Jack Elijah Turner and the Murders of Shannon and Darrin Whitman
08/03/20 • 22 min
On August 10, 2019, Scott Whitman returned to his Crawford County, Pennsylvania home sometime after 10 P.M. from his shift as a CNA at a local retirement home to see his wife and son. When he arrived, he noticed the home was dark and his wife's silver Lincoln MKS was missing from the driveway. Where would his wife and their 10-year-old son go at such a late hour, he thought. Upon entering the home, expecting to find a note from Shannon telling him where they had gone, as Darrin was borrowing his phone to view YouTube videos, he instead found the bodies of his wife and son on the sun room floor, both had been shot in the head. The murderer had been the one to steal the Lincoln, as well. Scott's son, Jack Elijah Turner became the main suspect, especially since he was on the run and had been seen with his deceased step-mother's stolen Lincoln on video surveillance as he robbed a Kwik Fill gas station in Mill Creek. A four day manhunt ensued until Jack missed a Greyhound bus in Charleston, West Virginia that was to take him back to Erie, Pennsylvania. Sources: Nikki. (2019, October 23). "I didn't kill my family," Jack Elijah Turner wrote on Facebook after probably killing his family. Retrieved from: https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Scanlan, Dan. (2019, August 14). Double Homicide suspect seen in St. Johns county is Caught in West Virginia. Retrieved from: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190814/double-homicide-suspect-seen-in-st-johns-county-is-caught-in-west-virginia Gushard, Keith. (2019, October 8). FULL STORY: Turner charged with killing stepmother, half-brother. Retrieved from: https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/full-story-turner-charged-with-killing-stepmother-half-brother/article_9b7d5d18-e960-11e9-aa8d-bf695b692ddf.html Your Erie. (2020, February 17). Commonwealth seeks death penalty in Crawford county double homicide. Retrieved from: https://www.yourerie.com/news/breaking-news/notice-of-aggravating-circumstances-filed-against-jack-turner-in-double-homicide-case-notice-tells-turner-commonwealth-seeks-death-penalty-if-found-guilty/ Heavy. (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/ Crowley, Mike. (2019, November 2). FULL STORY: Turner headed to trial on double homicide, other charges. https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Hahn, Tim. (2019, October 7). Crawford Man Charged in Double Homicide. https://www.goerie.com/news/20191007/crawford-man-charged-in-double-homicide
On August 10, 2019, Scott Whitman returned to his Crawford County, Pennsylvania home sometime after 10 P.M. from his shift as a CNA at a local retirement home to see his wife and son. When he arrived, he noticed the home was dark and his wife's silver Lincoln MKS was missing from the driveway. Where would his wife and their 10-year-old son go at such a late hour, he thought. Upon entering the home, expecting to find a note from Shannon telling him where they had gone, as Darrin was borrowing his phone to view YouTube videos, he instead found the bodies of his wife and son on the sun room floor, both had been shot in the head. The murderer had been the one to steal the Lincoln, as well. Scott's son, Jack Elijah Turner became the main suspect, especially since he was on the run and had been seen with his deceased step-mother's stolen Lincoln on video surveillance as he robbed a Kwik Fill gas station in Mill Creek. A four day manhunt ensued until Jack missed a Greyhound bus in Charleston, West Virginia that was to take him back to Erie, Pennsylvania. Sources: Nikki. (2019, October 23). "I didn't kill my family," Jack Elijah Turner wrote on Facebook after probably killing his family. Retrieved from: https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Scanlan, Dan. (2019, August 14). Double Homicide suspect seen in St. Johns county is Caught in West Virginia. Retrieved from: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190814/double-homicide-suspect-seen-in-st-johns-county-is-caught-in-west-virginia Gushard, Keith. (2019, October 8). FULL STORY: Turner charged with killing stepmother, half-brother. Retrieved from: https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/full-story-turner-charged-with-killing-stepmother-half-brother/article_9b7d5d18-e960-11e9-aa8d-bf695b692ddf.html Your Erie. (2020, February 17). Commonwealth seeks death penalty in Crawford county double homicide. Retrieved from: https://www.yourerie.com/news/breaking-news/notice-of-aggravating-circumstances-filed-against-jack-turner-in-double-homicide-case-notice-tells-turner-commonwealth-seeks-death-penalty-if-found-guilty/ Heavy. (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/ Crowley, Mike. (2019, November 2). FULL STORY: Turner headed to trial on double homicide, other charges. https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Hahn, Tim. (2019, October 7). Crawford Man Charged in Double Homicide. https://www.goerie.com/news/20191007/crawford-man-charged-in-double-homicide
Previous Episode
Episode 26: The Solved Cold Case of Krystal Beslanowitch
On December 14, 1995, 17-year-old Krystal Beslanowitch set off on foot to go to a convenience store in Salt Lake City, Utah at 8:45 PM, but never returned to the motel her and her boyfriend, Chris were living in. Chris walked to the convenience store to search for Krystal, but the employees say they never saw her there. Two days later, the nude, battered body of a teenage female was found on the bank of the Provo River. She had been beaten to death with granite rocks. Her boyfriend phoned the police after seeing drawings of the Jane Doe's tattoos on the news to tell them he believes the body was that of his girlfriend, Tracy Beslanowitch. It was later determined that Krystal had been using the identity of her step-sister, Tracy, and that the Jane Doe was in fact Krystal.
18 years later, the murder was solved using new technology known as the M-Vac when police were able to take DNA from the rocks at the crime scene used to kill Krystal.
Sources:
Savage, Laiken. (2020, February 1). Krystal Beslanowitch. Retrieved from: https://laikansavage.wordpress.com/2020/02/01/solved-sundayss-krystal-beslanowitch/
Fretwell, Courtney J. (2020, February 9). The Murder of Krystal Beslanowitch. Retrieved from: https://forensictales.com/the-murder-of-krystal-beslanowitch/
Miller, Jessica. (2016, September 30). Utah jury sentences man to life without parole for killing teen in 1995. Retrieved from: https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4416500&itype=CMSID. Salt Lake Tribune.
Kennedy, Gene. (2019, September 19). DNA match leads to arrest in cold case homicide from 1995. Retrieved from: https://fox13now.com/2013/09/19/arrest-made-in-cold-case-homicide-from-1995/ Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
Curry-Reyes, Traciy. (2019, April 20). Krystal Beslanowitch, Joseph Michael Simpson: Watch ‘Murder Decoded Murder On The Rocks’, Profiling Utah Cold Case. Retrieved from: https://tvcrimesky.com/2019/04/20/krystal-beslanowitch-joseph-simpson-murder-decoded-murder-on-the-rocks-of-teen-investigation-discovery-teen-tracry-beslanowitch/1535
Audio:
M-Vac Systems. (2016, December 18). M-Vac System Case Study-Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch Cold Case Homicide. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGXJFBHcMzE
Next Episode
Episode 28: The Murders of Conner and Brinley Snyder
This case had relatively widespread social media coverage by those believing it was a sad suicide story, but the truth has come out. On September 23, 2019 at 4:30 PM, dispatchers were called to a home at 2442 Route 143 Kempton, Albany Township, Berks county, Pennsylvania by Lisa Snyder. A mother who says her son, Conner Seth Snyder, age 8, committed suicide by hanging himself with a dog lead from the rafter of their basement after telling her he wanted to build a fort with the new dog lead she had purchased. She claimed he was severely bullied in school and kept saying he wanted to die, but did not want to go alone, so, there hanging with him was his little 4-year-old sister, Brinley Louise Snyder, on the same dog lead.
First responders responded to the 9-1-1 call about 11 minutes later, to find that Lisa claimed she had only briefly tried to get Brinley down from the lead but became sweaty due to her anxiety. The children passed away 3 days later on September 26, 2019. A large police investigation ensued, as this case was shady from the beginning, and on December 2, 2019, Lisa Snyder was finally arrested. She remains in prison while awaiting sentencing to see if she will receive the death penalty. There was no evidence suggesting Conner had ever been bullied.
Sources:
Egan, Leigh. (2019, December 3). Full affidavit of mother accused of hanging her children in basement, having sex with family dog. https://www.crimeonline.com/2019/12/03/read-full-affidavit-of-mother-accused-of-hanging-her-children-in-basement-having-sex-with-family-dog/ Chiu, Allyson. (2019, December 3). A mother said her children, 8 and 4, hanged themselves. She’s now been charged with their murders. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/03/lisa-rachelle-snyder-murder-conner-brinley-hanging/ Schroeder, Laurie & Lehman, Pamela. (2019, December 2) Conner and Brinley Snyder: Happy children who were not bullied, DA says after mom charged in their deaths. https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-berks-hanging-who-were-conner-brinley-20191202-ztyyw7pm6zhltmv7yitlkn2upi-story.html Harris, Chris. (2019, December 2). Pa. Mom Accused of Hanging Kids, Staging Murder-Suicide Allegedly Fabricated That Son Was Bullied. https://people.com/crime/pennsylvania-mom-accused-hanging-kids-fabricated-son-bullied/ Schroeder, Laurie, & Lehman, Pamela, & Gamiz, Manuel. (2019, December 2). 'It hits us in the heart’: Pennsylvania mom charged with murder, accused of hanging her children. https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-berks-child-deaths-arrest-20191202-n3awtpbfgjaqtoh3lk4pyqlcjy-story.html The Associated Press. Penn Live (2020, June 30) Mom accused of killing kids found hanging in Pa. home says she can’t afford lawyer. https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/06/mom-accused-of-killing-kids-found-hanging-in-pa-home-says-she-cant-afford-lawyer.html
Audio:
CrimeOnline-9-1-1 Dispatch: https://soundcloud.com/user-815495581/berks-county-children-911-call
Press Conference 6ABC Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btWRIY4hKfg
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