A drug transaction in Fayette, Missouri, on December 30, 2019, ended in the fatal shooting of 29-year-old John L. Turner of Poplar Bluff. Turner was found inside his car on South Linn Street about 1:30 PM with a gunshot wound to the head. A witness saw another man running from the vehicle, and investigators later traced text messages that connected Turner to 21-year-old Alfredo Demario Hicks Jr.

Police say Hicks met Turner to buy marijuana and used a .380 caliber handgun to shoot him. Hicks was arrested, confessed to the shooting during a police interview, and was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Court filings state Hicks admitted the shooting was not accidental; he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and to armed criminal action, witness tampering, and receiving stolen property, and received a total prison sentence of 35 years. Turner’s parents and children survived him and mourned his death as senseless and out of character for a non-violent man.

If anyone knew John Turner, his routines, or the meeting on South Linn Street, does anyone have information that could add to the record?