PHOENIX — Michael Turney was acquitted Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court of murdering his teenage stepdaughter.
Alissa Turney disappeared in May 2001 after finishing her junior year at Paradise Valley High School. Her family members found a note in her room alleging she was going to California. Alissa's body was never found.
Prosecutors charged Michael, 75, with second-degree murder, arguing he sought to control Alissa before murdering her. The defendant allegedly spent years recording conversations, calls and videos around the Turney family's home, prosecutors said.
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But the defense made a Rule 20 motion, arguing the state had failed to present enough substantial evidence to support a conviction. The judge granted the defense's motion, resulting in an acquittal.
Turney's counsel had previously objected to how prosecutors introduced "irrelevant" evidence at the trial that painted the defendant as "a bad father and pervert so he must have killed his daughter."
“I thought the defense did a nice job summing up that this case was really about painting Mr. Turney as a bad father, trying to convict him for murder because he was a bad father. But the court agreed that was not going to happen," said Hector Diaz with Diaz Law Firm
Turney pleaded guilty in 2010 to possessing 26 pipe bombs officials found in his Phoenix home during their investigation into Alissa's disappearance, according to the FBI.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office released the following statement Monday afternoon:
“On May 17, 2001, Paradise Valley High School Junior Alissa Turney poked her head into her boyfriend’s woodshop class and said that her stepfather was taking her out of school early. This was the last time Alissa was heard from or seen by anyone. For more than 20 years, her family fought for justice and their perseverance is a testament to the love they had for Alissa. I am proud of the hard work by prosecutors and law enforcement on this case. While our office doesn’t agree with the Judge’s ruling today, we respect the decision of the court.”
