What Did Dusty Turner Do and Why Was He Granted Parole After More Than 30 Years?

Dusty Turner was just a young Navy SEAL trainee in June 1995 when a night out in Virginia Beach ended in tragedy and altered his life forever. According to court records shared by Justia, a woman named Jennifer Evans was killed that night. Dusty Turner was later convicted alongside another man and went on to serve more than three decades in prison.

Now, in early 2026, WAVY News reported that a Virginia parole board granted Dusty Turner parole, sending ripples through his family, old court records, and renewed public interest.

As people look back at the case, a natural question emerges: What did Dusty Turner actually do that landed him in prison for so long?

On the night of June 18, 1995, Jennifer Evans, a 20-year-old college student, was last seen leaving a Virginia Beach club after talking with Dustin “Dusty” Turner and his fellow Navy SEAL trainee, Billy Joe Brown. Jennifer Evans never made it home, and a missing person case rapidly became a homicide investigation.

Investigators charged both Dusty Turner and Billy Joe Brown with Jennifer Evans’s murder. At trial in 1996, a jury convicted both men of first-degree murder and related charges, with Dusty Turner receiving an 82-year sentence and Brown 72 years. In the courtroom, prosecutors argued that the two men abducted and killed Jennifer Evans.

Under Virginia’s felony murder rule, the prosecution did not have to prove which man actually carried out the killing; participation in a felony leading to death could be enough for conviction.

In recounting the event, Dusty Turner admitted to helping move and conceal her body after her death, but his exact role in the fatal attack was disputed. His version maintained that Billy Joe Brown suddenly attacked Jennifer Evans and that Dusty Turner did not personally kill her. Over the years, both men gave inconsistent statements to police about what happened that night.

The legal record shows that in 2002, while serving his own sentence, Billy Joe Brown recanted his original implication of Dusty Turner and confessed that he alone had strangled Jennifer Evans. Billy Joe Brown repeatedly stated he acted by himself and that Dusty Turner was not involved in the killing.

Even so, Virginia courts ultimately upheld Dusty Turner’s conviction. The state Supreme Court ruled that evidence at trial was sufficient under the felony murder and abduction theories presented, meaning the conviction continued to stand despite Billy Joe Brown’s later statements.

After decades in prison, Dusty Turner became eligible for parole under changes in Virginia law and the structure of his sentencing. In January 2026, the Virginia Parole Board voted three to two to grant him parole. This vote did not overturn his conviction. It, however, did allow him to be released after serving over three decades behind bars.

The board’s decision factored in Dusty Turner’s conduct in prison, his age and health, and the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his conviction. Supporters, including family members and advocates, celebrated the move as a long-awaited step toward correcting what they consider an injustice.

Opponents of the parole decision expressed concern that the legal system had already addressed Dusty Turner’s appeals and that the original jury verdict was valid under the law. Parole decisions like this can be controversial, especially when they involve longstanding convictions and disputed facts.

With parole approved in January 2026, Dusty Turner is expected to return to Indiana, where family members have prepared living arrangements and support for his transition back into civilian life.