Driver Charged with Murder in Newark Crash That Killed UD Student

Police say a 22-year-old man drove a U-Haul down Newark’s Main Street on April 29 and killed a University of Delaware student and hurt eight other people. He has been charged with two counts of murder, assault, and other crimes.

He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder: death caused while committing a felony and “reckless conduct showing indifference to human life,” according to a news release from April 30.

A police officer’s signal was ignored, and he was also charged with first-degree assault and having or using marijuana “in excess of personal use quantity.”

At a news meeting on April 30, Attorney General Kathy Jennings said that more charges will “undoubtedly” be brought.

Turner was being sought by police in three states: Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Police also said they found a gun in the van after the crash.

What took place?

Around 4:30 p.m. on April 29, Turner and his friend went back to the U-Haul van, which was parked in a lot in the 200 block of E. Main St. This is when the accident happened. It was said that it “had been reported as an unauthorized use vehicle on April 28.”

The van was rented, but it wasn’t returned on March 18, which was the due date. At 3:49 p.m., a license plate reader picked up on the van, but Turner and his friend didn’t get back into the car for another 40 minutes. That’s when police tried to arrest them.

Turner got into the van and wouldn’t listen. He jumped the curb, hit a police car, and then drove onto Main Street, according to the police. The police department stressed that they did not chase him and stayed in the parking lot.

Police say he drove too fast down the busy street, lost control of the van, and hit two people. One of them, a graduate student at the University of Delaware who was 24 years old, died at the scene. The police said they would name her once her family was told.

Turner kept going, though, and cops say he hit “several” cars. There was one person in one and four people in the other.

A “chain reaction” of crashes pushed a parked car into a person on the sidewalk.

“It was a nice day on Main Street, and it was clear that there were a lot of people there,” Newark Police Chief Mark Farrall said. “We were inundated with (911) calls.”

Three walkers were hurt, and one of them died. Five people in different cars were hurt, and Turner was also hurt.

Police say the person who was with the killed woman was also 24 and a graduate student at UD. Even though they were badly hurt, they were described as “stable” at a nearby hospital on April 30.

At about 12:30 p.m. on April 30, police said that Turner’s passenger, a guy, had not been charged “at this time.”

Not the first death caused by someone running away from cops

Mayor of Newark Travis McDermott and Farrall both agreed that more people are running away from cops these days.

McDermott talked about a few recent events, such as the death of UD student Noelia Gomez in August 2024, who was killed when motorcycle driver Brian Briddle ran away from police during a traffic stop. Even though the police didn’t chase him, Briddle drove fast and crashed anyway.

His case is still being heard in court.

It’s something that the city and other groups want to work on, but McDermott didn’t say what those projects would be.

“We as a community must also take action to prevent future tragedies,” he told us. “We need a multi-pronged approach that focuses both on improving pedestrian safety and ensuring that those who choose to flee from law enforcement face serious consequences for their reckless actions, regardless of the outcome.”

Farrall couldn’t say how many more people are running away from police, but he did say that there have been five incidents “since at least last August that have resulted in serious crashes.”

During the news conference, he said that the police did not chase on April 29 and that they have a “very strict” policy against it.

“What we have to make that judgment call on is, ‘Is the danger to the public greater if we don’t pursue than if we do pursue?'” Farrall spoke up. “That plays into the factor of whether or not we pursue somebody.”

Meanwhile, Jennings made it clear that Turner is to blame for the death and injuries on April 29.

“I want everyone in this room to understand the police did everything right,” he said. “Only one person caused this, and he’s in jail.”

Turner is being held in jail on a cash bond of $305,500. Jennings said that if he is found guilty, he will spend the rest of his life in jail.

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