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Coroner Demands Jury Decide Death Mystery
14 Aug
Summary
- A coroner will convene an inquest for a 2017 death.
- The death was previously ruled a suicide by the sheriff.
- A jury will determine the manner of death in January 2027.
Paulding County Coroner Lindsey Eberhart announced she will convene a coroner's inquest in January 2027 to determine the manner of death for Heather Turner. Turner, 35, was found with a gunshot wound in her Dallas-area home on May 4, 2017. Her husband initially reported it as a suicide.
The case remained undetermined for nearly nine years, attracting significant public attention. In February 2026, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office concluded its investigation, ruling the death a suicide based on forensic evidence like gunshot residue tests and a handwriting analysis of a note.
Coroner Eberhart, however, was not included in the sheriff's and district attorney's meeting that reached this conclusion. She has conducted an independent review of the case over five months and will not endorse the suicide ruling without jury determination.
The inquest will not be a criminal trial. Five jurors will hear evidence and decide Turner's manner of death by a simple majority. Eberhart will then amend Turner's death certificate to reflect the jury's finding.
