Rochester man charged in Christmas Eve shooting to stand trial in April
Phillip Turner (Olmsted County Adult Detention Center)
(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man charged with shooting a woman in the head on Christmas Eve will stand trial in April, according to Minnesota Court records.
35-year-old Phillip Turner is charged with attempted second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony, as well as first-degree assault and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
He pleaded not guilty in early March.
Turner had a hearing scheduled Monday, March 20, after which court records indicate that his pretrial has been scheduled for March 30, with a jury trial beginning April 17.
RELATED: UPDATE: New details in Christmas Eve shooting; suspect arraigned
According to court documents, police claim Turner said at one point that the Rochester woman took his gun from him and shot herself in the head, then later backtracked and claimed he did not remember what had happened.
Court documents detail the woman’s injury, which occurred on the left side of her head. Police speculated in the report that her injury would have been more consistent with a bullet fired by a right-handed assailant than the claim that the right-handed woman shot herself with her non-dominant hand, at a downward angle.
Court documents claim that Turner also did not seek help for the woman or her children, even anonymously, after leaving the apartment after 7 p.m. Dec. 24.
A trial date has not yet been scheduled.