Family appoints top lawyer to probe murder of Karen Turner, four years later

An inquest has been opened in the murder case of Karen Turner, who was murdered in a game reserve in the Eastern Cape in 2019.

Nearly four years after Turner (31) was hacked to death while holidaying with her husband and two-year-old son at a resort in the Eastern Cape, her family has opened an inquest into the investigation, which they claim has gone nowhere.

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The family has appointed criminal lawyer Petrus Coetzee to probe the lags in the investigation and certain discrepancies in the evidence and statements submitted.

Tina’s death
The Witness reported in 2019 that Turner and her husband, Matthew, were holidaying at a resort in the Eastern Cape when they were attacked by two unknown men in their chalet.

Turner was stabbed to death and Matthew survived several stab wounds in his stomach.

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Turner, who was a teacher at Underberg Primary at the time, was three months pregnant and had celebrated her 31st birthday the day before.

The news of her murder made international headlines.

Speaking to The Witness, Turner’s brother Ian Crouch said the investigation has made no progress and the family is not prepared for the outcome of Turner’s death to become a cold case.

All this time we have been led to believe everything was on track and we were co-operating as normal. But recently, we have learnt there are big loopholes [in the investigation],” Crouch said, adding that the case has not even gone to trial.
He said they were concerned over the fact that some statements were only first submitted in 2022, three years after her death, while other statements were contradictory.

Crouch said his family strongly believes crucial evidence submitted at the time of death has been overlooked.

“I submitted statements on the day of her murder. How can that compare to statements submitted three years later? By that time, recollection of events is not fresh in one’s mind.

The Investigation
He said he believes the delays in the investigation have obstructed the course of justice and robbed his family of closure and that there is no hope of finding those accountable now.

The inquest seeks to establish how justice was allowed to be obstructed. It feels good that the truth is finally being brought to light but it is still painful to rehash all these details, especially for my sister’s husband, who has been present all week at the hearing.
“Four years later, he is still grieving. He lost his wife, his unborn child and their son lost his mother.
Crouch described the fight for justice as an ‘open wound that won’t heal’.

“Sitting five-and-a-half hours in the witness stand, I cannot express my anger and frustration,” Crouch said.

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The inquest, which was supposed to wrap up last week, has been extended to deal with contradictory evidence.

The times are dependent on the availability of court rooms.

This has cost us a lot of time and money, as each time a date is set, we have to travel to the Eastern Cape, but it is something we have to do for peace of mind and to move on.