District Attorney Jeff Rosell announced today that Vincent Turner, Jr. received a 23 year prison sentence for committing two armed robberies in December of 2013. In both instances, Turner, 22, arranged to buy marijuana from the individuals via Craigslist and agreed to meet with them in a public place. On December 9, 2013, he met a man and woman in the Dominican Hospital parking lot and robbed them of the marijuana at gun point. The woman was able to catch Turner’s license plate number as he drove away. On December 11, 2013, Turner committed a similar robbery in Sacramento County, in which he discharged a firearm into the air during the robbery. He is facing felony charges in Sacramento County for that incident.
On December 27, 2013, Turner arranged another meeting to purchase marijuana through Craigslist. During the robbery, he shot the male victim in the arm and torso, causing significant internal damage. The three robberies were investigated and ultimately solved through the combined efforts of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, the Capitola Police Department, and the Elk Grove Police Department in the Sacramento area. Prosecutor Sara Dabkowski commended the three agencies for their joint efforts to solve the three violent crimes. Detective Jordan Brownlee from the Sheriff’s Office spearheaded the investigation.
On January 29, 2015, Turner entered into a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office and pled guilty to one count of Attempted Murder and one count of Robbery, and admitted enhancements for personally using a firearm and for personally inflicting great bodily injury. On March 5, 2015, he was sentenced by the Honorable Judge John Salazar to the prison term of 23 years in the California Department of Corrections. He faces additional time in Sacramento County. Assistant District Attorney Sara Dabkowski said, “The defendant’s lengthy prison sentence will ensure that the members of our community are safe and that his escalation of violence will not continue.”