Two additional women have stepped forward and said they also were assaulted by Turner. It has not been released if the additional allegations happened on or around Wright State’s campus or housing areas.
Greene County Prosecutor David Hayes said the additional allegations are being investigated.
Hayes wouldn’t comment on the safety of students at Wright State at a press conference earlier this week, but said reporting the incidents to the authorities was handled “professionally by the Wright State Department of Public Safety.”
The first two women who accused Turner of the assaults are not Wright State students.
Turner’s attorney entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity on his behalf on Jan. 6. Turner’s attorney has requested that the court order an evaluation to determine Turner’s sanity at the time of the alleged assaults. His attorney has also asked for the court to evaluate whether Turner is currently competent to stand trial.
On Jan. 19, the court filed an order for competency evaluation, according to Greene County court records.
In Ohio, to be legally insane, the defense must prove that the person charged didn’t know the difference between right and wrong at the time of the crime, as the “result of a severe mental disease or defect”, according to information from the Ohio Public Defender’s site. Pleading not guilty by reason of insanity puts the burden on the defense to prove that Turner was insane when he committed the crime.
The plea document states that based on his attorney’s contact with Turner and further investigation, his attorney does not believe that, “due to defendant’s present mental condition, he is capable of understanding the nature and objective of the proceedings against him” or in helping with his own defense.
Turner’s attorney, Chris Beck, declined to comment for this story.
Both initial victims reported being restrained during the assaults, according to Fairborn Municipal Court records. Turner lived in an apartment at 2050 Village Drive, but prior to the assaults, victims were told to go to 2030 Village Drive, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Turner is due back in court on Feb. 2 for a final pretrial hearing.
Seth Bauguess, spokesman for Wright State, said the university notified the campus of the assaults through their warning process. The safety bulletin went out on Oct. 20, 2020.
In addition, the university developed an educational safety program that was developed by Wright State’s university police department and Student Advocacy and Wellness office that was provided to the campus community through virtual live sessions and pre-recorded sessions. The training sessions highlighted how to safely “set boundaries while online,” according to an email sent to campus.
About the Author
