Dusty Turner, a former Navy SEAL trainee, has been in prison for more than 30 years after a co-defendant confessed to acting alone in a 1995 killing.
Turner and fellow SEAL trainee Billy Joe Brown were convicted in separate trials in 1996 of abducting and killing 21-year-old Jennifer Evans in Virginia Beach, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Turner was sentenced to 82 years for first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile, while Brown received 72 years for similar charges plus attempted rape.
Brown later recanted his trial testimony in sworn statements in 2003 and 2008, saying he acted alone. “I am here to glorify Jesus Christ by telling the truth,” Brown testified in 2008. “If it helps Dusty, that’s great.”
At the conclusion of a 2008 evidentiary hearing, a Virginia Circuit Court judge ruled that Brown “acted independently in murdering the victim and that Mr. Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim.”
Another series of appeals ensued, with the state Supreme Court ultimately finding that the recantation evidence is “generally questionable” and ruling against Turner.
Turner’s case has recently gained renewed attention on social media, with posts tagged #FreeDustyTurner circulating on X and Instagram. According to the Free Dusty Turner Coalition of Justice, the renewed interest stems from public outrage over Turner remaining in prison despite the recantation and other evidence of wrongful conviction.
In a new email interview, a spokesman for the coalition told The Dallas Express that while a full pardon would be ideal, parole is currently the most viable path for Turner’s release.
Turner secured the necessary votes of the Virginia Parole Board in October 2025, but his case was not scheduled for public hearings in November or December, which are required to certify the vote.
“The stated reason was the need for a sexual predator assessment – despite the fact that Dusty was wrongfully convicted of a sexual offense, has no qualifying mental disorder, and has been assessed as posing no risk to society,” the spokesman said.
“The campaign is calling on the Virginia Parole Board and Governor Youngkin to honor the parole vote, place Dusty on the January 2026 agenda, and finally grant his long-overdue freedom,” the coalition spokesman told DX.
The spokesman said Turner has accepted responsibility for a lesser role as an accessory after the fact, resulting from misplaced loyalty to his Naval comrade, and has an exemplary record in prison. Members of Turner’s family, including his mother, Linda Summitt, 77, have advocated for his release.
The court record indicates that Turner’s conviction for abduction remains central to the case.
The prosecution’s original theory claimed Turner could be held liable for felony murder even if he did not personally kill Evans.
Some courts have rejected the trial’s results, and the Virginia Court of Appeals granted Dusty a Writ of Actual Innocence, while other appellate courts have ruled against the man, who is now in his 50s.
The coalition spokesman put the issue this way: “Ultimately, the system chose to uphold a conviction and adhere to the principle of finality rather than confront a proven wrongful one.”
Turner has exhausted most traditional avenues of appeal.
Former governors denied previous pardon requests, and the next public hearing before the Virginia Parole Board is in January 2026, just before Governor Glenn Youngkin’s term ends.
Social media attention and advocacy campaigns continue to press for Turner’s release. The coalition and supporters emphasize that justice delayed is justice denied, and Turner’s future remains uncertain.