MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Shelby County man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of the murders of a 32-year-old woman and her 4-month-old son.
Enoch Turner was convicted Saturday of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated arson, and especially aggravated burglary in the deaths of Heather Cook and her son Bentley in 2019.
Prosecutors argued that the night of a scheduled paternity test on Sept. 13, 2019, Turner broke into Cook’s home in the 6900 block of Bennington Circle. They said he stabbed her more than 100 times, then stabbed the baby ten times before setting the house on fire. They said he wanted to avoid parental responsibility.
Turner was caught by police that same day, and prosecutors said he lied about an alibi before admitting to being at the crime scene. They said he denied killing them but claimed he “found them like that.”
Though the state had pursued the death penalty in the case, after the jury found Turner guilty of the murders, the prosecution agreed to two consecutive sentences of life without parole.
“He will never be released from jail,” said Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman. “This ensures Turner dies in prison, and that was what the family wanted. Their peace matters… Saturday night, Heather and Bentley got some justice."