Terry Turner, the man convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of 31-year-old man of Moroccon origin, Adil Dghoughi, has been sentenced.
Turner, 67, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for killing Dghoughi, but he could serve that in probation, as reported by KHOU.
A judge is expected to determine how much of the sentence can be spent in probation within the next 30 days. Turner could serve up to six months in the county jail as a condition of probation, which both the state and defense attorneys think is likely. However, if Turner violates probation at all, he could get up to 10 years in prison.
Turner initially faced a prison sentence between two and 20 years after he was convicted of manslaughter by a Caldwell County jury. The state and defense both finished their closing arguments in Turner's trial Thursday morning. The jury then deliberated for more than six hours before Turner was convicted of the lesser charge.
Turner Shot Dghoughi After He Pulled into His Driveway Looking for Directions to His Girlfriend's House
Turner shot and killed Dghoughi in Martindale, Texas, on Oct. 11, 2021, and was originally charged with murder. Turner told authorities that an unknown vehicle entered his driveway late at night, so he grabbed his gun and chased after the car when it started backing out of the driveway.
Prosecutors believe Dghoughi was lost and trying to get back to his girlfriend's house, who lived just minutes down the road, as his phone had the GPS open with directions to her house.
Turner testified in the trial that he ran outside wearing just pajama pants and immediately pointed his pistol at the driver's side window of Dghoughi's car. Dghoughi began backing away, before coming head-to-head in his car with Turner, who said he jumped to the driver's side of the car and began banging on the window with his pistol.
Turner Claimed Self-Defense
Turner said since the incident happened two years ago that he was acting in self-defense as he believed he saw a gun pointed at him, but he has made conflicting statements as to how certain he was that he saw a gun. Dghoughi was found to be unarmed.
The defense said that Turner was reasonable to protect himself because he should have the right to feel safe at his home. But the state argued that Dghoughi was reasonable to reverse out of the driveway when he saw Turner coming at him with a gun. The arrest affidavit stated that Turner struck the driver's side door twice and then fired his gun.
Dghoughi's family traveled from Morocco to be in court through the course of the trial. They told KVUE after the sentencing that they don't believe in the justice system and that it's corrupt.
"How can I be able to go back and call my brother and sister back home and tell them that the killer of your brother didn't spend not even one day in jail?" Othmane Dghoughi, brother of Adil Dghoughi, said after the sentencing on Friday. "And all thanks to this county. It's very corrupt."
