WASHINGTON — A devastating domestic tragedy unfolded in a Southeast Washington home when Keanan Turner, during what was supposed to be a first meeting with his infant son, executed an attack that left a mother and her daughter dead and another family member grievously injured. Turner, a 35-year-old from Forestville, Maryland, was found guilty by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, among other charges.
Witness testimonies revealed that Turner arrived at the home on Good Hope Road equipped suspiciously with black rubber gloves and a gun hidden under his clothing. The visit began peacefully enough with Turner feeding his 3-month-old son and engaging in conversation with the child’s mother and grandmother.
However, the atmosphere drastically shifted when Destiny Wright, the victim’s aunt, testified hearing what initially seemed like distant gunfire. Moments later, chaos ensued as Turner stormed into the room where Wright was fetching clothes for her nephew, aiming his gun at her and pulling the trigger.
“His manner was so calm and decisive, as if he had planned it all along,” 22-year-old Wright painfully recalled, her voice breaking as she recounted the horror. Wright described how she dropped to the floor, pleading for her life, while Turner coldly proceeded with his spree.
After a week-long trial and seven hours of jury deliberation, the verdict was delivered. Turner, who sat expressionless throughout the proceedings, heard the repeated pronouncements of “guilty,” signaling what may likely be a lifelong imprisonment.
Authorities were presented with a chilling case where Turner allegedly attempted to wipe out traces of his double life. Prosecutors argued that Turner, a married man embroiled in a custody dispute, was angered by child support claims filed by Ebony Wright, the mother of his child. This legal action threatened both his family life in Maryland and his government security clearance connected to his job as a licensed executive driver.
During the trial, Turner’s defense centered on a theory that an unknown intruder was the actual perpetrator. They pointed to the lack of forensic evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, in the apartment to support their argument.
In a dramatic moment in court, Destiny Wright identified Turner as the assailant, her testimony strengthened by a security video from a Ring doorbell camera that matched his appearance on the day of the murders. Adding to the prosecution’s evidence was Wright’s handwritten note provided while in an ambulance, wounded and unable to speak, naming Turner as her attacker.
As part of the crime’s aftermath, a fire investigator also linked Turner to an attempted arson at the murder scene, where paperwork on a child custody suit was found partially burned on a desk.
This heinous act not only wrecked the lives of the surviving family members but also left behind a young child, who miraculously remained unharmed physically, now without a mother and entangled in a legacy of profound loss and violence. Sentencing for Turner is scheduled for October, where he will face the consequences of actions that have irreparably torn a family apart.