'I Killed Dale, He Is In The Freezer': Prosecutors Say Brother Confessed In Killing, Dismemberment

PLAINFIELD, IL — Dismembered body parts of a Plainfield-area man were stored in a freezer in the basement of the home he shared with his half-brother and his wife, prosecutors say.

An investigation into the death of Dalewayne Turner, 38, began June 28, when recreational boaters on Lake Mattoon in central Illinois discovered a partial severed arm bearing distinctive tattoos, including a skeleton holding a Green Bay Packers helmet.

James Adams, 26, and Robin Turner, 62, are charged with concealment of a homicide and dismembering a human being, with additional charges expected, state police said.

Adams admitted to killing his half-brother, first to a family member, then to police, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say the pair cut Dalewayne Turner's body up into small pieces and placed many of the body parts in a freezer purchased for that purpose at a local Best Buy store. The freezer was discovered in their home in the 2400 block of Ruth Fitzgerald Drive, where public records show the victim also lived.

Relative calls 911

According to prosecutors, on June 30, Illinois State Police received a phone call from the Joliet Police Department that a family member called 911 to report that his sister-in-law, Robin Turner, and half-brother, Adams, told him they killed and dismembered his brother, Dalewayne Turner, at their residence on Fitzgerald Drive.

The relative said Adams told him the killing happened two weeks earlier, when Dalewayne Turner entered the Ruth Fitzgerald Drive residence "and became physically violent with Robin and James."

The family member told police that "James told him that during the violent encounter James grabbed a knife and stabbed Dalewayne several times" before he bled out and died, according to prosecutors. The pair admitted to dismembering the body, stashing it in the freezer and taking about four hours to clean up the blood stains.

Prosecutors say Adams told his brother, "I killed Dale, he is in the freezer." According to the relative, Adams and Robin Turner, who was present for the confession, also mentioned they took several body parts to a lake, according to court documents.

The family member told police that he walked out of the house and called 911. He told police he did not witness any blood stains or signs that a crime took place at the house, or see any signs that Robin Turner had any physical injuries that could have resulted from the alleged battery.

"James Adams along with Robin Turner took extreme measures to cover-up the killing and then further measures in an attempt to hide Dalewayne's body," court documents allege. "The measures included utilized bleach for clean-up and to mask odor, re-painting the house, removing wood panels and burning them in a fire pit, getting rid of rugs. The stabbing apparently resulted in a blood scene and these measures were done to destroy physical evidence."

After boaters found the partial arm in Lake Mattoon, ISP contacted multiple agencies about reports of a missing person but did not find any. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources conducted a search of the lake with sonar technology and recovered multiple black plastic bags filled with human remains. The bags were weighed down with 5-pound weights/plates or concrete and secured with masking or duct tape.

According to proseuctors, license plate readers captured a maroon Ram pickup truck registered to Robin Turner and James Adams June 28 at a Walmart in Mattoon, where surveillance cameras saw the driver purchasing weights and duct tape — the same types that were found in the plastic garbage bags.

ISP identified the victim by comparing an image of a single tattoo to photographs of Dalewayne Turner posted on Facebook, prosecutors said.

Grim evidence found at Ruth Fitzgerald Drive home

According to court documents, investigators found additional body parts confirmed to belong to Dalewayne Turner, in a basement freezer while executing a search warrant on July 1 at the Ruth Fitzgerald Drive residence. ISP agents found the freezer locked shut, covered with a blanket, duct-taped and topped with cinder blocks. A reciprocating saw blade with blood-like stains was hidden under the blanket, according to prosecutors.

"ISP CSI opened the freezer and discovered a partial body; there was a torso, neck, and head, but no limbs," documents state.

On June 30, ISP agents attempted to interview Adams, and while an official interview did not take place, prosecutors allege the man spontaneously uttered, "The one thing I will say is that I did it, but I did it out of self-defense. I will tell you guys that."

A preliminary review of Robin Turner's cell phone revealed a Google search history that included phrases such as "what does an overdose of adderall look like," "is it easy to crack yiur [sic] head from a fall," "does chloraphorm [sic] really knoc uou [sic] out" "how do you divorce someone you can't find," "chest freezer" "why are there so many missing people that never get found" and "do you have to have a body embalmed." The searches dated from June 2 to 25.

On Monday, each appeared in court, where prosecutors were given leave to file a petition to deny pretrial release to keep them in jail.

Adams is due back in court for a detention hearing on July 10, while Robin Turner's detention hearing is July 9.

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