Thursday 10 November 2022 08:38 PM Ex-Playboy model accepts plea deal in murder of California psychiatrist trends now
A former Playboy model accused of murdering a California psychiatrist and stuffing his body in the trunk of a car after he stopped paying her rent has quietly accepted a plea deal.
Kelsey Turner entered an Alford plea on Wednesday, which means that she avoids a trial and maintains her innocence of the heinous 2019 murder, but accepts the punishment of a guilty verdict on a second-degree murder charge.
Investigators said Turner and Dr. Thomas Burchard, 71, were in a relationship and that the child psychiatrist was paying her rent for at least a year before he traveled from California to Las Vegas to tell Turner that he could no longer foot the bill, which led to a fight.
Turner and her then-boyfriend allegedly bludgeoned Burchard to death with a baseball bat, and stuffed his body into the trunk of Turner's Mercedes Benz on a desert road in rural Nevada.
Turner entered the plea on Wednesday and stipulated to facing 10 to 25 years in prison when she’s sentenced in January, Law & Crime reported. Her next court appearance is scheduled for November 15.
Former Playboy model Kelsey Turner who is accused of murdering Dr. Thomas Burchard, 71, and stuffing his body in the trunk of a car after he stopped paying her rent accepted a plea deal
Dr Thomas Burchard's (left) decomposing body was discovered in the trunk of Turner's (right) car on March 7, 2019, in Nevada
Turner and her former boyfriend Jon Logan Kennison previously pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy in the case. Kennison was sentenced to 18 to 45 years in prison for his role in the murder.
In a jailhouse interview with Access Hollywood, he denied their involvement in the murder and insisted that the victim was not his girlfriend's 'sugar daddy.'
Kennison maintained his and Turner's innocence, saying' we're not monsters, we didn't do it,' and instead pointed a finger of blame at his girlfriend's former housemate, Diana Pena.
Kennison confirmed that prior to his death, Burchard had been paying for Turner's Las Vegas house, car and bills, but denied he was her 'sugar daddy.'
'I think he was just a really good friend. He had a good heart,' Kennison said.
However, after Burchard stopped paying Turner’s $3,200 rent per-month in the fall of 2018, Turner, her two children, and her mother were evicted for not paying rent, Law & Crime reported.
Judy Earp, Burchard's fiancée and his life partner of 17 years, told Access Hollywood at the time that she had raised concerns with him that Turner and other cash-strapped young women may have been taking advantage of him, but she said he told her:
