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Cochranton Man Sentenced to Up to 90 Years in Prison for Murder of Stepmother and Brother

MEADVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – A Cochranton man has been sentenced to up to 90 years in state prison for the murder his stepmother and brother.

Court documents indicate Jack Elijah Turner, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree felony criminal homicide and one first-degree felony count of burglary on September 16 in the Crawford County Court of Common Please and was subsequently sentenced to a total of 45 to 90 years in prison in relation to the August 10, 2019 killings of his step-mother Shannon Whitman, 49, and his brother Darrin Whitman, 10.

Turner was ordered to serve 20 to 40 years confinement on each of two first-degree felony criminal homicide charges and five to ten years confinement on a first-degree felony burglary charge, with the sentences to run consecutively.

Additional charges against him, including theft and criminal mischief charges, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint filed in Crawford County District Court, the crimes took place at the home of Scott, Shannon, and Darrin Whitman located at 13185 State Highway 198, Guys Mills. Turner is the son of Scott Whitman.

“Many Pennsylvania State Police troopers worked tirelessly during the investigation of these brutal murders. The members of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Pennsylvania State Police should be commended for their excellent work in this case,” stated Crawford County District Attorney Francis J. Schultz in a prior release.

Turner was initially charged on August 11, 2019, with the theft of the Whitman’s 2009 Lincoln MKS automobile and an arrest warrant was obtained.

“After an intensive manhunt for Turner, he was arrested in Charleston, West Virginia, on August 14, 2019, by the Charleston Police Department,” explained District Attorney Schultz.

“The Pennsylvania State Police received a great deal of cooperation from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Titusville Police Department, the Millcreek Township Police Department in Erie, Pa., the Saint Johns County Sheriff’s Office in St. Augustine, Florida, and, of course, the Charleston Police Department. Good law enforcement requires teamwork, and this case is a prime example of that.”

After being arrested in Charleston, Turner waived extradition and was transported to the Crawford County Correctional Facility by Crawford County Sheriff’s Office on August 28, 2019. Turner has been in the Crawford County Correctional Facility since his return to Crawford County.

Turner was preliminarily arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Rita J. Marwood via video conferencing.