FAMILY OF SEVEN GUNNED DOWN BY NEIGHBOR

All photos below are courtesy of MSS

A family torn apart

Neighbors and mourners pay respect

A present for the slain children

Seven 'body bag' heads symbolizing
each murdered family member

Indianapolis, IN--The key suspect in Indianapolis' biggest mass slaying surrendered Saturday evening, ending a two-day manhunt and police calling this the worst mass murder in Indianapolis history.

Desmond Turner, 28, accompanied by family members, turned himself in to police about 6:45 p.m. at a downtown Indianapolis fast-food restaurant. He was charged with preliminary counts of murder and felony murder of the shooting deaths of seven family members Thursday night, making him eligible for the death penalty.




Indianapolis Deputy Police Chief Tim Foley said shortly after Turner's surrender, "He didn't turn himself in out of remorse. He turned himself in because he had nowhere else to go."


The victims spanned three generations. They were identified as Alberto Covarrubias, 56, and Emma Valdez, 46; the couple's two sons, David, 8, and Alberto Covarrubias, 11; Emma's adult son and daughter, Magno Albarran, 29, and Flora Albarran, 22; and Flora's son, Luis Albarran, 5. Witnesses told police they watched Flora Albarran -- who apparently had come to the home to pick up her son -- walk in the house. A friend of Albarran's, who was in a car outside, and other witnesses told police they heard gunfire and Albarran screaming. Witnesses said they saw two to four black males emerge from the house after the shootings.

Turner Is On Probation

Police said Turner has a criminal record. He was sentenced in 2002 to six years in prison -- two of which he served -- for a violent crime involving a weapon. He still is on probation for that conviction. While in prison, Turner took part in a program in which he encouraged parents to talk to their children about gun violence.

Likelihood of Death Penalty?

Detective Leslie VanBuskirk, lead investigator on the case, placed Turner under arrest for the counts of murder and felony murder -- committing a homicide while doing another crime such as robbery -- and asked him if he understood what that meant, Foley said. "He said, 'That means life without parole.' And she said, 'No, that means the death penalty,' " Foley recounted.


Foley said it's up to the county prosecutor to seek the death penalty, but, "If I was a betting man, I'd say there's a high likelihood this is going to be a death penalty case." Foley said Turner quickly asked for an attorney, preventing any further questioning by VanBuskirk. During his brief contact with police officers, Turner didn't admit to anything, didn't look anyone in the eye, kept his head down and was generally sullen, Foley said.

Motive? Robbery?

Foley said Turner might have been given incorrect information that led him to think the home contained something of value. "From day one we were under the impression that it was a robbery, and that's what we still believe,'' he said. "We believe there was a lot of fabrication about supposed 'lots of money' and all sorts of items that were in that house.'' Nearly 30 shell casings from an assault rifle were found at the home. Authorities also confiscated a weapon. "We got several pieces of evidence that will be forensically powerful," Foley said.


Turner grew up in that same neighborhood and had returned last fall after being released from prison following a 3 1/2-year term for drug and weapons charges. Valdez and Alberto Covarrubias, who reportedly worked as a maintenance man at an apartment complex, owned seven properties in the neighborhood. "From day one we were under the impression it was a robbery, and that's what we still believe," Foley said.



Sources:

Indianapolis Star
Yahoo News
Fox News