Texan Who Killed Man Driving Away Is Guilty of Manslaughter

UPDATE Nov 3, 2023 9:07 AM CDT

A Texas man has been convicted of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Moroccan immigrant who had pulled into his driveway. A Caldwell County jury on Thursday rejected a murder charge and convicted 67-year-old Terry Duane Turner of the lesser count in the October 2021 shooting death 31-year-old Adil Dghoughi outside Turner's home in Martindale, about 30 miles south of Austin. Family members of Dghoughi, who lived in Austin, have said he was lost, the AP reports. Prosecutors said he was trying to leave the driveway when he was shot. Turner said he shot in self-defense and testified that he thought Dghoughi pointed a gun at him, but no weapon was found inside the vehicle. In Texas, manslaughter carries a sentence of between 2 and 20 years, reports KVUE.

Oct 26, 2021 4:01 AM CDT

Terry Turner got up to use the bathroom shortly before 3:40am on Oct. 11 and discovered, he says, someone parked in his driveway. The 65-year-old Texas man ran for his gun and went outside, where, he told police, the car quickly backed up and started driving away as Turner chased it. Then he fired, police say, killing the driver, 31-year-old Adil Dghoughi. Turner, who turned himself in Friday on a charge of first-degree murder, claims self-defense, CBS DFW reports. CNN reports the case could test the boundaries of Texas' "stand your ground" law.

Turner called 911 after the shooting, telling the dispatcher he shot after Dghoughi pointed a gun at him, but police found no weapon in Dghoughi's possession. An attorney for Dghoughi's family says his windows were up when he was shot. Dghoughi's girlfriend believes he got lost and had pulled over to look up directions. Turner's lawyer says he was defending himself when he shot Dghoughi, but would not answer a question about what threat an unarmed Dghoughi, a Moroccan immigrant, posed to Turner from his car as he drove away. Dghoughi's family has been frustrated by how long it took for charges to be filed, but say they will keep fighting until justice has been served. (More Texas stories.)