The death of an 18-day old infant in August launched a child rape investigation that has led to the arrest of an Oklahoma City man on complaints of firstdegree murder and dozens of sex crimes.
On August 23, police responded to a welfare check and discovered that an infant had died. They determined that the baby's mother was a 13-year-old girlwho had delivered the baby less than three weeks earlier. At least one person told police that the father of the deceased infant was 29-year-old RonDeshawn Turner. This allegation prompted a sexual assault investigation that led investigators to believe that Turner had not only raped the 13-year-oldgirl multiple times, but also sexually assaulted three younger girls, aged 12, 10, and 9.
During the course of the investigation, the younger girls told investigators that Turner had touched them inappropriately. The 13-year-old, whose motherTurner had been dating, said that the man raped her at least 25 times. She said that he also forced her to have sex with one of his friends, and thathe raped one of her friends at least four times.
But the rape allegations are not the only crimes of which Turner is accused. As police interviewed the girl, she told them that Turner was responsiblefor her baby's death. She said that the man put a plastic bag over the infant's face to suffocate him, and when that didn't work, he grabbed a pillowfrom a nearby couch and smothered the baby. The girl told police that Turner killed the baby to stop rumors that he was the infant's father, and thathe threatened to kill her as well if she told anyone how the baby died.
Midwest City police attempted to get a DNA sample from Turner to use for a paternity test. However, Turner sent a friend to submit the sample instead.When questioned, the friend admitted that he was not Turner.
The murder and rape suspect was arrested on December 16. He is held without bond on more than 30 counts of first degree rape of a child under 14, fourcounts of lewd or indecent acts or proposals to a child under 16, and one count of first degree murder.
If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
