Did Heather Turner Really Take Her Own Life?

On May 4, 2017, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in Dallas, Georgia, after 43-year-old Andy Turner called 911 and said his wife had shot herself. Inside the bathroom, deputies found Andy on the floor holding 35-year-old Heather Turner. Her revolver was beside the toilet under a bloody towel. The couple’s daughter had woken up to a loud noise. Heather was pronounced dead at the scene, and on the bathroom counter was a notebook with five words written on it: “I’m sorry, I love you.” It looked like a suicide. But the Paulding County coroner, just four months into the job, saw enough to order an autopsy… In this episode of Crime Junkie, Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat examine the mysterious death of Heather Turner and the questions people still haven’t stopped asking. You’ll hear about the 911 call Andy Turner made on the morning of May 4, 2017, a diagram of the bathroom built from scene photos, the blood spatter low on the bathroom wall and the darker area higher up that the coroner believed may have been cleaned, the second, smaller wound on the right side of Heather’s head, why no bullet was found at the scene, Andy’s account of the night before Heather’s death. Heather was going through a lot. She was in a custody battle with her ex-husband and had just lost her grandfather. And according to Heather’s coworkers at the courthouse, she had been confiding in them about alleged abuse at home. One coworker told detectives Heather said Andy had broken her ribs. Another said she walked into a locked breakroom and found Andy in Heather’s face. A judge recommended that Heather seek a temporary protective order. Heather told people she planned to leave Andy that weekend. Then investigators searched Andy’s phone. Detectives found a search from April 23, 2017, about a week and a half before Heather’s death, asking whether suicide voids life insurance. Andy repeatedly declined to sit down for an interview with investigators. Then the autopsy results came in. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner found the bullet lodged in Heather’s skull and determined, based on its trajectory, that the wound was self-inflicted. Heather’s DNA was the only profile found on the trigger, and gunshot residue tests on her hands were positive. But Andy’s hands had been washed before he was swabbed, and his bloody shirt was never collected. Heather’s manner of death was ruled undetermined. This episode also explores the affair Heather was having with coworker Joel “Robb” Hebert, the April 2017 email Heather sent him describing Andy’s alleged behavior, Heather’s claim that her marriage to Andy was never legally officiated, the binder of documentation Andy’s first wife, Mende, gave to the sheriff’s office, Andy’s book, Who Turned Up the Silence, the 2018 protection order filed by Andy’s former girlfriend Christy Chupp, and the bizarre story an informant says Andy told about the morning Heather died. Heather Turner was a mother who loved her daughter. Her aunt and close friends never believed she would have left her, and when the investigation stalled, they started the Justice for Heather Turner Facebook page to keep asking questions. If you are actively  trying to leave an abusive situation and need immediate help, text START to 88788 to reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7. For state-specific legal information about protection orders, custody and more, visit WomensLaw.org. -------- Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram:   / crimejunkiepodcast   Facebook:   / crimejunkiepodcast   Twitter:   / crimejunkiepod   Crime Junkie is created anAmerican Idol Contestant Arrested For Murder!? The Case Of Ashley Flynn d hosted by Ashley Flowers. About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of Audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families. Follow Ashley: Instagram:   / ashleyflowers   Twitter:   / ash_flowers   TikTok:   / ashleyflowerscrimejunkie   Facebook:   / ashleyflowers.af   Check out these other great crime channels: ‪@annieelise‬ Great Wolf Lodge, Nolan Wells, Erie Family Massacre & Anna Kepner Updates    • Great Wolf Lodge, Nolan Wells, Erie Family...   ‪@kallmekris‬ The Smiling Man Rabbit Hole...    • The Smiling Man Rabbit Hole...   ‪@KendallRae‬ Blaze Bernstein: The Diary of Hate Behind A Brilliant Teen's Murder    • Blaze Bernstein: The Diary of Hate Behind ...