10 Feb 1st–Feb 7th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | wanted to try the case as our father is now in his seventies. “It was clear that we were running out of time, and without any search for Alissa’s remains and no new evidence emerging, the county attorney’s office made the deci- sion to partner with the Phoenix Police Department to take Alissa’s case to a grand jury for indictment, and they succeeded. Unfortunately, they just weren’t able to get it past the finish line,” she added. James Turney criticized prosecutors and the judge in the same recorded state- ment with Sarah, who is his half sister. “The fact that the judge did not allow it to go to the jury though was a shock,” he said. “My only hope is that he will be plagued for the rest of his life by the night- mares I have to this day in which my sister Alissa is pleading over and over for help.” Veteran Phoenix defense attorney Jason Lamm said moving for an acquittal after the prosecution finishes its case is a stan- dard tactic but one that seldom succeeds. “It is rare for a judge to grant a motion for a directed verdict,” Lamm said. But he also said it’s rare for prosecutors to indict a suspect in a murder case when there is no body and no crime scene. As an adult, Sarah Turney confronted her dad about her suspicions concerning what happened to her sister. In a recording she posted to TikTok in July 2020, Michael Turney told her, “Be there at the deathbed, Sarah, and I’ll give you all the honest answers you want to hear.” “Why don’t you give them to me now?” she asked. “Because you got ‘em now,” he replied. Turney told New Times that he knew he was being recorded at the time, and that he “continually told Sarah” that he did not kill Alissa. “She kept trying to come at me different ways, trying to get a confession,” Turney said. “I did not tell her that I would say what happened to Alissa on my deathbed. I told her that she would hear the truth.” New Times could not reach Sarah Turney for comment. ‘Everybody thinks I did it anyway’ Michael Turney has given numerous inter- views to the media over the years. In a 2009 interview for “20/20,” ABC reporter John Quiñones confronted Turney with allegations that he’d sexually abused Alissa. “There’s only two people that can confirm whether I did or didn’t. One is me. The other is Alissa. Alissa’s not here. I’m sitting here, and all I can say till hell freezes over is I didn’t do a damn thing to my daughter.” The “20/20” segment also revealed that Turney had Alissa sign contracts in which she agreed to do or not do certain things before turning 18. One statement read, “My father, Mike Turney, has never physically or sexually abused me at any time.” Asked if that went beyond what a normal parent would do, Turney told “20/20” it “depends on who you talk to.” He said he didn’t think it went too far at the time, but he “felt bad” about it later because he believed Alissa ran away because of it. Phoenix police raided Turney’s house on North 34th Street in 2008, looking for clues about Alissa’s disappearance. Instead, they discovered a mother lode of weapons: 26 pipe bombs, two silencers and an array of firearms. In 2010, Turney pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of unregis- tered destructive devices and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served seven. Following his release, Sarah’s social media drumbeat for justice began. The campaign went viral. And in 2020, when a grand jury indicted Turney, Adel — the county attorney at the time — praised Sarah’s “perseverance and commitment to finding justice for your sister.” Turney said he was vindicated by the acquittal. He said he brought the lawsuit to call attention to his treatment and condi- tions in county jails, which he claimed are “filthy,” unsanitary and unhealthy. Turney said he caught COVID-19 in jail, and his teeth were ruined because of poor nutri- tion. In the suit, he asked for $10,000 to repair his teeth. “You would go months without sunshine, and rarely would you get outside to exercise,” Turney said. He also complained of poor medical care and lack of access to vitamins. The lawsuit stated Turney also wants to “punish the wrongful conduct” of police and prosecutors “to deter such conduct in the future.” Turney, though, said he realizes the lawsuit is a long shot. “I tell myself, why not walk away?” he said. “I mean, everybody thinks I did it anyway. Not everybody, but a lot of them do.” Sarah Turney spent 20 years trying to uncover the truth about her sister’s disappearance. (Photo by Sarah Turney) Long Shot from p 8
