Justin Turner Cold Case Dismissed After 35 Years
The decades-old murder of five-year-old Justin Lee Turner, a case that once gripped South Carolina, has ended without a conviction after charges against his father and stepmother were dismissed.
The 1989 Murder
On a February morning in 1989, Justin’s father, Victor Lee Turner, and stepmother, Megan R. Turner, told authorities that the boy had gotten on his school bus but never returned home. The story sparked an intense search.
Days later, Justin’s body was found in a camper on the family’s property in Berkeley County. Authorities determined he had been strangled with a ligature.
Flawed Original Investigation
The original investigation in 1989 was plagued by errors. Key forensic steps were either delayed or mishandled, and the timeline presented by the Turners was never fully scrutinized at the time.
Cold Case Reopened
In 2021, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office revisited the case using modern forensic techniques. Investigators also re-examined statements from 1989, uncovering inconsistencies in the Turners’ original account.
These findings led to the arrest of Victor and Megan Turner in 2024, more than three decades after Justin’s death. Authorities alleged that new evidence suggested the couple’s school bus story was false and that the murder took place on the property.
Case Collapses in Court
Despite the renewed momentum, the case faced a significant obstacle: time. Over 35 years had passed since the murder. Key witnesses had died or could no longer be located, and some crucial physical evidence from the original investigation was missing or unusable.
Ultimately, prosecutors announced they could not proceed without that evidence. The charges were dismissed in 2024, leaving Justin’s killing officially unsolved.
Lingering Questions
The dismissal has left many in the community frustrated, particularly those who had hoped modern forensic science would finally secure justice for Justin. While the Turners were charged, the legal outcome now means the case returns to its cold case status, with the possibility—however remote—of future breakthroughs.
The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office has stated the investigation remains open, but with no trial and no conviction, Justin Turner’s murder remains one of South Carolina’s most haunting unresolved crimes.
📅 Justin Turner Murder Timeline
Feb 1989 –
Victor and Megan Turner report 5-year-old Justin missing, claiming he boarded a school bus and never returned.
Feb 1989 (Days Later) –
Justin’s body is found in a camper on the family’s property; cause of death: ligature strangulation.
1989 –
Initial investigation is flawed; inconsistencies in the Turners’ story are not pursued. Case goes cold.
2021 –
Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office reopens the case using modern forensic techniques.
2024 (Early) –
Victor and Megan Turner arrested and charged with Justin’s murder after new evidence emerges.
2024 (Later) –
Charges dismissed due to unavailable witnesses and missing evidence from 1989.
Present –
Case remains officially unsolved; investigation still open.
