By Drew Wright
[email protected]
Dailey Siftings Herald
While the jury began
deliberations in his trial,
Mark Turley spent the break
on the grass of the Clark
County Courthouse, throwing
a football with his son.
And following the jury’s
verdict, he will get to
continue doing that.
The jury’s finding of not
guilty for the defendant
capped off a second day of
testimony that saw Turley
and his family take the stand
before closing arguments
were made in the rape case
that was instigated over
a year ago. From the beginning,
Turley’s defense
attorney, Louis Loyd, adamantly
stated that the allegations
were not true,
but instead a smear campaign
against his client by
the victim’s mother, with
whom the defendant has a
reportedly turbulent past.
The alleged victim also took
the stand but court was
sealed off during this time.
Turley’s mother, Janice
Womack, was the first to
take the stand and discussed
some aspects of Turley’s
past. While she admitted
that her son was not perfect,
Womack insisted that he was
innocent and incapable of
committing the allegations.
“Is your son a child molester?”
asked Loyd, point-blank.
“No, he’s not,” said Womack.
“He would never do that.”
Prosecutor Stephen Shirron
next questioned the witness,
asking her what a pedophile
looked like. Womack
responded that she did not
know. Shirron went on, saying
that sometimes people
do bad things. Womack
again admitted that her son
had had problems in the
past with anger and drugs,
but he was not capable of
what he was accused of.
“You can’t tell me what
a pedophile looks like?”
Shirron asked again.
“ C a n y o u ? ” Woma
c k r e s p o n d e d .
Next to take the stand
was Turley’s young son,
who briefly discussed
the good relationship
he had with his father.
Finally, Turley himself was
in the chair to answer questions.
Dressed in a dark
blue button up shirt and
fighting through tears, the
defendant vehemently denied
the rape allegation
he was charged with.
“In one week, my life got
turned upside down,”
Turley said of a year ago.
“Did you touch this girl,
Mark?” Loyd asked his client.
“No sir, I would never
touch a girl,” said Turley,
again becoming emotional
and crying. “This is not
me. I’m not that guy.”
During Shirron’s questioning,
the prosecutor brought
up Turley’s drug use. In
response, Turley disclosed
that he had been sober
from methamphetamine
for 10 years. Shirron also
presented a piece of paper,
on which Turley had selfdescribed
himself, including
words such as “vain.”
After both sides rested,
closing arguments were
scheduled for 12:45 p.m.
After the break, Shirron
began by thanking the jury
for their service. Describing
this day as the “most important”
of Turley’s life, Shirron
stated that there was no
reasonable doubt and that
this trial was about no one
except the victim. Calling
Turley a “predator,” Shirron
insisted that the victim’s
testimony was consistent.
When Loyd began, he too
thanked the jury before
moving on to his case for
reasonable doubt. Telling
the jurors that he did not
want to instruct them how
to think, Loyd agreed with
the prosecutor’s notion that
the victim had no reason
to lie. However, he said, it
was easy for children to be
manipulated, especially in a
court of law. Further defense
included the fact that there
was no DNA evidence to substantiate
allegation, which
he reiterated was really the
intention to drag his client’s
name through the mud.
Of the aforementioned selfdescription
Turley had
essayed, Loyd revealed it
was actually a self-forgiving
writing he had filled
out years ago during
his recovery from meth.
Shirron returned once more
and disputed claims that
the initial investigation was
not handled thoroughly.
He further explained that
a child’s emotional complexity
was not yet developed
enough to understand
what had happened.
The jury soon returned to
deliberate. Around a quarter
past 4 p.m., they returned
with a verdict of not guilty,
thus acquitting Turley of
the rape charge that could
have sent him away for life.
The decision was greeted
with a sigh of relief from the
sizable crowd of family and
friends that had turned out
to support the defendant.
Judge Robert McCallum
then adjourned the court.
“It’s been a long year, and I
went through a lot of pain,”
said Turley after making his
way outside. “I’m just glad
it’s over, and I can get on
with my life.”
