‘None of His DNA Was Found,’ Says Defense Attorney as Trial Begins for Man Accused of Killing the Mother of His Infant Child

By Laura Berol , Belinda Miguel [former] - July 19, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Keanan Turner started his trial before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on July 18 for allegedly killing the mother of his infant son along with her mother, as well as gravely wounding her sister.

Turner, 35, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder while armed with aggravating circumstances, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, second-degree cruelty to children, first-degree attempted murder against a minor, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, destruction of property, carrying a pistol without a license, tampering with physical evidence, and arson. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Wanda Wright, 48, and Ebony Wright, 31, on the 2300 block of Good Hope Court, SE on April 12, 2021. 

According to court documents, Turner is the father of Ebony’s child, who was an infant at the time of the shooting. The child survived the incident, as did Ebony’s sister, who was shot in the face.

In his opening statement, the prosecutor said that Turner and Ebony had been classmates in high school and had been conducting a secret affair since 2018, while Turner was married with a child. According to the prosecutor, Turner urged Ebony to get an abortion when he learned she was pregnant and told her he didn’t want to be involved in the child’s life.

The prosecutor told the jury that Ebony filed for custody of their child and child support in March of 2021. After Turner received court notification of the suit, he made plans with Ebony to see their child for the first time.

According to the prosecutor, Turner’s arrival at Ebony’s apartment on the evening of the incident was captured on surveillance camera and Ring doorbell camera footage, as was his departure shortly before Ebony’s surviving sister called 911.

The prosecutor told the jury that they would hear Ebony’s sister testify that Turner shot her. The sister didn’t see the shootings of her mother and sister because they were in a different room of the apartment.

The prosecutor said that the surveillance footage would show a hand in a rubber glove reaching out the door of the apartment and attempting to remove the Ring camera just before the individual identified as Turner left the apartment. 

According to the prosecutor, when the police searched Turner’s car, they found an open box of rubber gloves.

K. Lawson Wellington, one of Turner’s defense attorneys, pointed out that no DNA evidence from Turner was discovered at the crime scene, even though the prosecution alleged that Turner spent an hour and a half there.

“They have a whole apartment, and from all that activity, none of his DNA was found,” Wellington said. “No one is that careful.”

Wellington cast doubt on the identification of Turner as the perpetrator, noting that witness descriptions of him varied between “medium height” and “tall,” and between “heavy” and “slim.” According to Wellington, the individual in the camera footage was wearing a head covering and a mask that obscured much of his face.

Wellington argued that Ebony’s apparent surprise in the surveillance footage at seeing the perpetrator was inconsistent with her close familiarity with Turner.

“[Ebony’s sister] had never met Keanan Turner before that day,” Wellington said, questioning her ability to identify Turner as her assailant.  

According to court documents, arson investigators found that someone had tried to burn a pile of papers in the apartment, including paperwork from Ebony’s custody and child support suit.

A lieutenant from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS) said that he found Wanda outside the apartment with a gunshot wound in her forehead and determined that she was deceased. He discovered Ebony in the apartment kitchen, near death from a gunshot wound to her head. 

The officer observed blood splattered on the walls and ceiling of a room with a crib, but no one else was present in the dwelling.

The prosecution called one of Ebony’s neighbors as a witness. When the fire alarm went off in the apartment complex on the day of the incident, he said, he entered Ebony’s apartment before first responders arrived and dragged Wanda’s body outside, thinking she might still be alive.

As he was leaving the apartment, the witness said, he saw a woman running toward the arriving paramedics, carrying a baby.

“Blood was gushing from her face,” said the witness.

The prosecution called a forensic scientist from the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) as a witness. She testified that she collected evidence from the apartment on the night of the incident. Items collected on scene included an iPhone, cartridge casings, and two projectiles that had embedded in the walls.

“So, of all the evidence that was collected, you would agree none of it was contaminated?” asked Franz Jobson, a defense attorney for Turner, in cross examination.

“Contaminated? I don’t know,” said the witness.

On redirect, the prosecution confirmed with the witness that no one had entered the apartment while she was waiting for a search warrant, and that she didn’t know of any breaks in the chain of custody for the evidence.

The trial is scheduled to continue on July 22.