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The Case of Dusty Turner
📻 Episode #568
🎙️ Hosted by Maggie Freleng
📅 Apr 02, 2026
About This Episode
On June 19th, 1995, Dusty Turner was out at a bar with some friends in Virginia Beach, VA, including his roommate and training partner, Billy Brown. Dusty Turner and Jennifer Evans were sitting in his car waiting for Evans’s friends to join them when an extremely intoxicated Billy Brown forced his way into the back…
The Case
On June 19th, 1995, Dusty Turner was out at a bar with some friends in Virginia Beach, VA, including his roommate and training partner, Billy Brown. Dusty Turner and Jennifer Evans were sitting in his car waiting for Evans’s friends to join them when an extremely intoxicated Billy Brown forced his way into the back seat and began insulting Evans and pulling her hair. When she tried to defend herself, Brown suddenly attacked her, wrapped his arms around her neck in a forceful choke hold, and killed her instantly. All the while Dusty Turner had been prying and clawing Brown’s hand off of Evans, pleading with him to stop. Finally realizing that she was dead, Dusty panicked and reacted to his intensive SEAL training that demanded “always protect your swim buddy” regardless of the cost. Dusty’s instinct for survival and misplaced loyalty to Brown took over as he drove out of the parking lot and helped Brown hide the victim’s body in a nearby wooded area. Eight days later, Dusty confessed the entire story to his commanding officer and agreed to take the police to the body after being assured that he would only be used as a witness during the trial. During Billy Brown’s trial in 1996, Brown testified against Dusty to receive a lesser sentence of 72 years in prison. Three months later, with an outraged community and media frenzy surrounding the case, Dusty Turner was convicted of first-degree murder and abduction, and sentenced to 82 years in prison.
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In Their Own Words — transcript excerpts
Short excerpts from the episode's official published transcript, with timestamps — listen from these moments, or read the full transcript via the podcast's own platforms.
00:03:56“Speaker 1: And I guess even though my partner was in the army, Speaker 1: he still tries to explain like enlisting and then joining Speaker 1: Special Forces. So this might be when did you decide Speaker 1: to enlist and then become a seal? Speaker 2: A good question. I did enlist when I was still seventeen,”
00:15:17“Speaker 1: murder and abduction. Billy Brown received seventy two years, while Speaker 1: Dusty got eighty two and then even more insult to injury. Speaker 2: From what I understand, the authorities within the military had Speaker 2: told guys that I had been around that they are Speaker 2: to have no contact with me or my family. That's difficult,”
00:26:08“Speaker 2: It's surreal. Through a good portion of this past day Speaker 2: and a half, I felt like I've not even been Speaker 2: inside my body, Like I'm just hovering and just watching. Speaker 2: And I got to say it again, I'm fortunate to Speaker 2: have all my people around me. I don't have to”
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← #567 Lance Alford #569 Dusty Turner →
Also on the podcast: #40 Dusty Turner · #82 Dusty Turner - RE-RELEASE · #481 Chris Turner