Turner convicted of manslaughter

A jury in Caldwell County found Terry Turner, a Martindale man who killed another man who drove into his driveway two years ago, guilty of manslaughter last week.

The state and defense both finished their closing arguments in the trial of Terry Duane Turner around 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 2. The jury deliberated for more than five hours before returning with the manslaughter conviction. On Friday, Nov. 3, the jury decided on a 10-year suspended sentence.

Turner shot and killed 31-year-old Adil Dghoughi in Martindale on Oct. 11, 2021, and was originally charged with murder. Turner told authorities that he had gotten up to use the bathroom at about 3:30 a.m. when he noticed an unknown vehicle entered his driveway. He grabbed his gun and chased after the car when it started backing out of the driveway.

The arrest affidavit stated that Turner struck the driver’s side door twice and then fired his gun.

The state and defense argued whether Turner shooting Dghoughi was justified in self-defense.

The defense said that Turner was reasonable to protect himself because he should have the right to feel safe at his home. The state argued that Dghoughi was reasonable to reverse out of the driveway when he saw Turner coming at him with a gun.

Turner claimed he saw a gun pointed at him, so he fired, although such a weapon was never found in Dghoughi’s vehicle. Turner was not arrested until 11 days after the shooting.

Caldwell County Judge Chris Schneider will in the next few weeks decide how much of Turner’s suspended sentence Turner will serve in jail. Turner was also fined $10,000. However, Turner will not spend the two- to 20-year prison sentence Manslaughter often carries in Texas.

Dghoughi’s family traveled from Morocco to be in court through the course of the trial.