Enoch Turner: Man fatally stabs woman and 4-month-old son before DNA test to evade legal responsibilities
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SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE: A 25-year-old Tennessee man will serve the rest of his life in prison for the murders of his 4-month-old son and the child's 32-year-old mother.
It appears that the man killed both victims with knives in an attempt to avoid taking on the legal and financial responsibility of the young child.
According to court documents, Shelby County District Court Judge Chris Craft sentenced Enoch Z Turner to life in state prison for the 2019 killings of Heather Cook and her young son Bentley Cook on Saturday, May 11.
Enoch Turner faced several charges
In an effort to hide any evidence of the killings, the prosecution claimed that Turner broke into Cook's house, stabbed her "over 100 times", and then stabbed Bentley ten times before setting the house on fire, Law&Crime reported.
After a four-week trial, the jury convicted Turner of two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of particularly aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, and aggravated child abuse.
Turner was given two life sentences by Craft, which he will serve one after the other.
In addition, he mandated that Turner serve 12 years for the burglary charge and 25 years for the charges of aggravated child abuse and aggravated arson.
Turner's first life sentence is to be served concurrently with these sentences.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman, who prosecuted the case alongside Chief Prosecutor Eric Christensen, declared in a statement after the sentencing that "he will never be released from jail."
“The family wants everyone to remember that being a mom meant everything to Heather (Cook); and even though Bently (Cook) only lived four months, everyone could tell that his mom meant everything to him. It has always been our mission to ensure from that date on that Turner never gets out of jail,” Hagerman added.
Heather Cook sued Enoch Turner to establish his fatherhood
According to press releases from the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, Cook had sued Turner to establish his fatherhood over Bentley. Turner's paternity test was scheduled for September 14, 2019.
However, on September 13, 2019, calls regarding a fire at Cook's home in the 6900 block of Bennington Circle prompted the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to send deputies and firefighters.
Cook's family member placed the first call, stating that they “found the house filled with smoke.”
Responding authorities found Heather Cook and Bentley Cook suffering from multiple stab wounds in an upstairs bedroom of the residence. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The fire marshal stated that it appeared as though the fire in the center of the room where the bodies were found was intentionally started.
Enoch Turner was 'motivated by a desire to evade his paternal responsibilities'
Detectives quickly focused on Turner as a suspect after hearing from family members that he and Heather Cook had been "in an argument over child custody issues." Turner was located and placed under arrest later that day.
Prosecutors claimed that Turner's brutal killing of Heather and Bentley Cook was "motivated by a desire to evade his paternal responsibilities."
Prosecutors said that after conferring with the relatives of the victims, they agreed to the consecutive life sentences, even though they had previously filed notice that the state would seek Turner's execution.
“This ensures Turner dies in prison, and that was what the family wanted. Their peace matters,” Hagerman said.
“Saturday night, Heather and Bentley (Cook) got some justice. The next day, Mother’s Day, the family took some extra time to remember them — this time with the peace that Turner can never hurt anyone like them again,” Hagerman added.
