Missouri man sentenced to life plus 25 years in double homicide in Independence
A 49-year-old Higginsville man was sentenced to life plus 25 years in prison in the fatal shooting of two people in Independence in 2021, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Steven B. Turner Jr., who was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder, pleaded guilty this spring to lesser charges of second-degree murder, first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the deaths of Billy Davis and Ashley Walker.
Following the prosecutor’s recommendation, Jackson County Judge Cory L. Atkins sentenced Turner to life in prison for the murder conviction, 15 years for armed criminal action and 10 years for involuntary manslaughter, all sentences to run consecutively.
According to court records, Independence police responded about 6:30 a.m. May 23, 2021, to what was initially reported to be a car crash in the 500 block of South Ash Avenue. About the same time, officers received calls about the sound of shots being fired nearby, in the area of Kentucky Road and South Huttig Avenue.
Arriving officers found Davis and Walker suffering from gunshot wounds in a Jeep Renegade that was riddled with bullet holes and that had crashed into a parked vehicle on the street. Both Davis and Walker were taken to a hospital, where they later died.
Police walked north of crash and found the shooting scene in the alley behind a home in the 100 block of North Huttig. There, they found 13 10mm shell casings and shattered window glass from a vehicle. Police interviewed two children who were riding bicycles behind the house.
The children told investigators they heard the sound of a gun being “racked” and then shots fired behind the house. Moments later a man, later identified as Turner, walked out of the house. Investigators also noted that Turner was seen running from the back of the home after the shots were fired. Investigators learned that Turner had allegedly shot at Davis twice before.
Investigators found Turner at an apartment building in the 3500 block of Broadway. Prior to his arrest, Turner allegedly threw a gun out of a window which landed at the feet of an Independence officer. Investigators determined that shell casings found at the scene of the double homicide were fired from the gun. The same gun was involved in five other reported gunfire incidents across Kansas City during the previous two years.
Turner’s attorney, Jacob Bedsaul with the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office, had asked the judge to impose a sentence that would give him a chance at parole by the time he reached his 70s, saying that he never really had a chance at a so-called “normal” life.
In a sentencing memorandum, Bedsaul said Turner was surrounded by violence, criminal activity and drugs for most of his life, including his father being sentenced to life in prison for murder when Turner was 22 years old.
Turner also is “profoundly remorseful for his actions,” Bedsaul said in the filing.
“He brings to the Court his background and his remorse not to excuse or justify, but to demonstrate that he is worthy of the mercy that he requests,” the memorandum said.
