As Anaheim domestic violence criminal defense lawyers, we were sad to read about an active police hunt for an Irvine man accused of attempting to kill his wife. The University of California at Irvine campus police are looking for Gregory Scott Turner, 33, a graduate student in criminology. Turner's seven-year-old daughter called 911 on the afternoon of Dec. 15, according to the Orange County Register, and responders found her mother choked into unconsciousness. Turner fled their home and is believed to be suicidal. He is described as a white man, six feet tall, 225 pounds and may be driving a royal blue 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck with the California license plate number 8P53538. Campus police can be reached at 949-824-5223.
The OC Weekly said Turner's seven-year-old daughter called 911 at 2:20 in the afternoon to report the violent confrontation between her parents. The couple also has a five-year-old daughter who witnessed the assault, which took place at the Verano Place apartments on UC Irvine's campus. Neither girl was physically harmed in the attack, but authorities said Turner beat and choked his wife into unconsciousness and tried to kill her. She was hospitalized overnight and expected to be released Dec. 16 into a domestic violence safe house. The girls were in the custody of Child Protective Services. The Verano Place apartments made the news for domestic violence last year as well, when graduate student Brian Hughes Benedict shot his ex-wife, Rebecca Clarke, in a parking lot with their toddler son already in a car seat. Benedict is being tried for murder.
Our Colton domestic violence criminal defense attorneys hope Turner understands how serious these charges are. When an incident of alleged domestic violence results in life-threatening injuries like these, prosecutors may skip domestic battery or corporeal injury on a spouse charges altogether, and charge the defendant with attempted murder or aggravated battery. Those are serious felonies that are also likely to be counted as strikes for the purposes of the three-strikes law. Aggravated battery can get you up to four years in prison -- not counting penalties for related crimes like assault or child endangerment -- and attempted murder can even earn a sentence of life in prison. Furthermore, even though these are not expressly domestic violence crimes, courts can and will grant restraining orders to the alleged victims. That's why people facing these kinds of charges should retain an attorney as soon as possible.
If you're accused of any kind of domestic violence, you should call Howard Law, P.C.. We represent both men and women accused of domestic battery, corporeal injury on a spouse, child abuse and other crimes related to violence in the home. In our experience as Oceanside domestic violence criminal defense lawyers, people facing these charges for the first time are often people who aren't habitual abusers -- just people whose argument got out of hand. Unfortunately, police officers who see domestic violence routinely don't tend to believe they've made a mistake, and prosecutions are specifically set up to go forward even when alleged victims recant their tales. We work hard to get charges dismissed long before trial, but if forced to trial, we use physical evidence, past records and other evidence to defend our clients vigorously.
Howard Law, P.C. offers free, confidential case evaluations, so you can talk to us with no further risk or obligation. To set up a meeting, call us today at 1-800-872-5925 or send us a message online.
