KEYSTONE, Fla. (TCD) — Deputies arrested a 53-year-old man after he allegedly shot and killed his elderly mother on her birthday this week.
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, shortly after 7 p.m., the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office conducted a welfare check on 78-year-old Joanne Turrell in the 16000 block of Colwood Drive.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Turrell’s daughter asked a neighbor to check on her mother. The neighbor agreed and found Turrell dead when she went inside the home. The neighbor called the sheriff’s office and deputies located Turrell’s body under a blanket.
Joanne Turrell’s son Douglas Turrell, who also lived in the home, reportedly locked himself inside a bedroom with a gun. Officials arrested him on suspicion of his mother’s death and charged him with second-degree murder.
The Tampa Bay Times reports Joanne Turrell was shot at least once.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “Our heart breaks for the friends and family of this woman whose life was not only tragically ended but done so at the hands of her son.”
Chronister added, “Joanne Turrell was celebrating her 78th birthday. A time that should have been filled with joy and beautiful memories. Instead, we are now trying to piece together what resulted in it ending in such heartbreak.”
Douglas Turrell remains held in a Hillsborough County jail without bond.
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