Caldwell jury convicts man of manslaughter

Adil Dghoughi[/caption]

LOCKHART — On Oct. 11, 2021, Adil Dghoughi, 31, was shot and killed by Terry Turner, now 67, after pulling into his driveway located in Martindale. More than two years later, on Nov. 2, 2023, a jury concluded that Turner was not guilty of murder, but rather he was guilty of manslaughter.

According to the San Antonio  Express-News, Dghoughi was allegedly lost and looking up directions when Turner said he noticed an unknown car parked in front of his house at approximately 3:30 a.m. Grabbing his gun, Turner went outside when Dghoughi began to reverse out of the driveway. He followed him down the driveway, where he claimed that he believed the driver pulled a gun, which led him to shoot through the car window. Turner then called the police and informed the dispatcher that he had shot and killed a man.

Public records reveal that Turner was arrested 11 days after the initial slaying, but was almost immediately released on a $150,000 dollar bond, which community members argued was low for a murder charge. The case gained national attention after it took four months to indict Turner on a first-degree murder charge. Many have questioned the lack of urgency on the case; some believe it was because of who the victim was — a Moroccan immigrant.

For example, concerned resident Tamika Chavez stated, “[Turner] was only arrested after [Dghoughi’s] friends and family advocated and got multiple news channels and social media groups involved. If roles were reversed and a young man of color killed an older white man, there’s no way he would have been allowed to walk free for almost two weeks,” in a comment on the press release shared by the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office.

When Dghoughi’s story made national headlines, readers believed that this would bring attention to “stand your ground” laws. These laws provide that when threatened or attacked, individuals should not be forced to run and instead are allowed to protect themselves. Laws of this kind are present across multiple states, including Texas. Texas also has what is known as a “castle doctrine,” allowing one to protect their property.

Terry Turner[/caption]

The trial began on Oct. 30, with Dghoughi’s mother and brother attending. Turner was represented by Austin attorney Gerry Morris. Morris did not deny that Turner slayed Dghoughi, but instead focused on the self-defense aspect, claiming that his client was trying to protect himself and his home.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, the prosecution, as well as the jury, did not feel that shooting Dghoughi was justified. On the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 2, jury members deliberated for a number of hours before returning a verdict to 421st District Judge Chris Schneider in Caldwell County. The verdict read that Turner was convicted of manslaughter, a lesser charge.

Originally, Turner was charged with first-degree murder, a first-degree felony that implies that the individual charged knowingly causes the death of a person, while manslaughter is a second-degree felony and is used when the defendant causes a "reckless" death.

“An overarching theme throughout the trial was the fear that Turner felt and acted on that resulted in [Dghoughi's] death. He assumed the worst, imagined a weapon that was not there and repeated the phrase “bad people doing bad things” multiple times throughout the trial as the defense walked jurors through his thought process that night — all while Adil [Dghoughi]was simply lost and looking for directions,” said Sam Benavides, communications director with Mano Amiga, a Hays County advocacy group who helped in publicizing the case.

Turner's punishment hearing on Friday, Nov. 3 resulted in a 10 year suspended sentence and a $10,000 fine. Though, depending on the upcoming ruling of Judge Schneider, some of the sentence could be served in jail. Until a decision is made, Turner remains out on probation.