Three months after the death of his wife, Kirk Alan Turner, a dentist in Clemmons, has been charged with murder. Turner arrived at the Davie County Sheriff's Office shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday to turn himself in.
A grand jury indicted Turner, 50, earlier in the day on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Jennifer Jean Wittwer Turner, whose body was found Sept. 12 in a shop building on the 35-acre property at 627 Jack Booe Road that she once shared with her husband. She was 54.
Turner, with his attorney Chuck Alexander at his side, held a Bible and said nothing as he went inside the magistrate's office.
Moments later, he left the in handcuffs. A sheriff's deputy placed him in a patrol car, which would take him to the Davie County Jail, where he will be held without bond.
" Kirk has a good strong faith, and that's going to sustain him," Alexander said as he stood outside the sheriff's office. Turner's minister came to the sheriff's office, as well as his son, Gilbert Ray Turner, who said he came in support of his father. His son declined further comment.
Alexander said in a later interview that he will argue that Kirk Turner acted in self-defense.
The couple had separated more than a year ago, and Kirk Turner had filed for divorce on July 31. He had gone to the house Sept. 12 to pick up some items in the shop building, the sheriff's office has said.
At 9:45 p.m., sheriff's deputies were called to the house because of a report of a disturbance and found Jennifer Turner's body. There were knife wounds to her throat.
Kirk Turner was also in the building. He also had knife wounds. According to civil-court papers filed in the Davie County Courthouse, Kirk Turner had multiple stab wounds in his thigh and groin.
Alexander said that his client suffered severe injuries and could not walk for some time. He has returned to work at his dental office in Clemmons and was working there yesterday morning, Alexander said.
Davie County investigators have been tight-lipped over the past three months about what exactly happened the night of Sept. 12. They have said only that there was some kind of argument and that knives were involved. The Turners were the only people in the shop building at the time of Jennifer Turner's death. The autopsy report and search warrants remain sealed.
Alexander said yesterday that Turner had gone to the house with a mutual friend that night and was helping remove some items that his friend had stored in the shop. Authorities have not released the friend's name.
Sheriff Andy Stokes declined to comment much about the indictment. He did say that the investigation took a long time because there was a lot of physical evidence to be analyzed by the State Bureau of Investigation.
Stokes also said that despite requests, Kirk Turner has never had a formal interview with investigators about his wife's death.
"If it is self-defense, I wonder why he's never been willing to discuss that with us," Stokes said.
In October, Gwen Elizabeth Kennedy, Jennifer Turner's sister and the executor of her estate, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Kirk Turner. The lawsuit claims that Kirk Turner went on the property on Sept. 12 and "slit and/or cut (Jennifer Turner's) throat with a sharp object, thereby causing her death."
The lawsuit calls Turner's actions "malicious, reckless, wanton, and performed with the reckless disregard of the rights and safety of . Jennifer Turner."
According to civil-court papers, the Turners had an acrimonious separation. The couple were married Jan. 8, 1984, in Las Vegas. They have two adult children.
On April 4, 2006, Kirk Turner told his wife that he no longer wanted to be married. Jennifer Turner later filed for post-separation support and attorney fees, court papers said.
They accused each other of infidelity, according to court papers.
She alleged in court papers that she felt threatened by her husband, but there is no record of her having filed for a restraining order against him.
Kirk Turner denied his wife's allegations and accused her of causing "severe pain and embarrassment by falsely and publicly accusing him of intending to kill her."
Turner is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 28, 2008
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