Microscopic fibers link couple to 5-year-old son’s strangulation 34 years ago, sheriff says

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

Investigators long thought a 5-year-old South Carolina boy found strangled in 1989 had been killed by his father and stepmother. But a sheriff says it took 34 years of scientific advancement to link microscopic fibers on the boy’s shirt to a ligature found in the parents’ home. Berkeley County deputies announced on Wednesday that they have charged 69-year-old Victor Turner and 63-year-old Megan Turner with murder in the death of 5-year-old Justin Turner. The boy’s body was found inside a cabinet in a camper behind the Turner home in March 1989. Investigators suspected the couple from the beginning, saying the killing scene appeared staged and the couple told lies, including that the boy had gotten on the school bus.