Homeowner shot and killed man backing out of driveway, TX cops say. He’s found guilty
A Texas homeowner accused of shooting and killing a man in his driveway early one morning in 2021 has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Terry Turner, then 65, noticed a car parked in his Martindale driveway around 3 a.m. on Oct. 11, 2021, according to the Austin American-Statesman, citing Turner’s testimony to police.
After grabbing a handgun, he rushed outside toward the vehicle, which quickly began driving away, according to the outlet. He chased after the car, banged on the window and fired into it, the Statesman said, citing an affidavit.
The driver, Adil Dghoughi, a 31-year-old Moroccan immigrant and rideshare operator, was hit in the head and killed, according to The Austin Chronicle.
“I just killed a guy,” Turner told a 911 dispatcher, claiming the driver had pointed a gun at him, according to the outlet.
A police investigation revealed that no firearm was found inside Dghoughi’s car, according to the Associated Press.
Ten days after the shooting, police issued an arrest warrant for Turner in the killing. He turned himself in to authorities the following day, according to a news release from the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office.
During his trial, Turner’s attorneys argued that he was acting in self-defense, believing that, in the dark night, he saw Dghoughi holding a weapon, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
“We want people to know that this wasn’t self-defense,” Dghoughi’s brother told KVUE.
Dghoughi immigrated to the U.S. in 2013 and studied financial analysis at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit.
A jury found Turner guilty of manslaughter on Nov. 2 after rejecting a murder charge. He now faces between two and 20 years in prison, according to the Associated Press.
“It’s a tragedy for everyone,” Larry Bloomquist, Turner’s former attorney, told McClatchy News. “I think it’s a tragedy for Terry Turner. I think it’s a tragedy for that young man who lost his life.”
Neither Turner’s current attorney nor a representative for the Caldwell County District Attorney’s Office immediately responded to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Martindale is a small town about 35 miles southwest of Austin.
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