QuickTake:

Living with his parents in the Mohawk area, Christopher Allan Turner shot them while they were in bed, a prosecutor said.

A 60-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty Friday, March 20, to what a judge called the “inexplicable” shooting deaths of his parents at their shared home northeast of Springfield.

Christopher Allan Turner must serve a minimum of 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole, Lane County Circuit Judge Charles Zennaché said Friday.

Turner’s sister and nephew discovered the bodies of Paul Allan Turner, 89, and Beverly Jean Turner, 84, on Feb. 23, 2025, said Matthew Wojcik, a prosecutor with the Lane County District Attorney’s office. Turner lived with his parents on the 36000 block of McGowan Creek Road in the Mohawk area.

The next day, Lane County Sheriff’s Office announced Turner was in custody and suspected of the killings, and a grand jury June 12 indicted him on two counts of first-degree murder.

“While they were in bed, [Turner] shot at them multiple times, causing their deaths,” Wojcik said.

The shooting took place either the previous night or that morning, and Turner told authorities at the scene “there had been some arguing the night before,” Wojcik said.

Sheriff’s office investigators found Turner on a couch “surrounded by alcohol containers” and with blood on his clothing, Wojcik said. A pistol found nearby also had blood on it, and its ammunition matched the caliber of the shots that killed Paul and Beverly Turner, Wojcik said.

“Mom and Dad were wonderful people. They didn’t deserve this,” Paula Warren, Turner’s sister, said Friday, standing to address the court.

The couple were married for 67 years, and Paul Turner served in the U.S. Army before a career with building supplier Willamette Graystone, while Beverly Turner worked for many years at KeyBank of Oregon, according to obituary information.

“I will never understand what could have caused you to do this to two people who loved us and raised us and gave us a wonderful home and upbringing,” Warren said in court. “You’ve hurt me beyond what anyone ever could have done.”

Turner, handcuffed and seated next to defense attorneys, turned his head in the direction of Warren as she spoke.

Later in the hearing, Zennaché asked Turner if there was anything he’d like to say.

“No, sir,” Turner said.

Taylor Herbert, a defense attorney for Turner, describes a host of medical problems for Turner, including cirrhosis of the liver. Turner’s high blood ammonia can cause confusion, Herbert said.

Zennaché, addressing Turner, said, “It’s a terrible thing that happened here. I’m glad that you took responsibility for it and spared the family the need to go through a trial.”

The judge also addressed Warren and others with her in the courtroom, stating that he was sorry this “horrible thing” happened to her family.

“Hopefully, you can treasure all the good moments and not let your memory be defined by how it ended. It’s inexplicable,” Zennaché said.