Slaying suspect had dispute with teacher

By Dan Oberdorfer
Southern Minnesota Correspondent

Lyle, Minn.

The 14-year-old suspect in the killing of school teacher Sharon Turnbull was upset about a grade she'd given him in her 7th-grade math class, according to Mower County Attorney Fred Kraft.

The prosecutor added, in an interview Tuesday, that repeated acts of vandalism directed at Turnbull began at about the same time, more than a year ago. He stressed that investigators don't know whether the grade, and another school-related misunderstanding between the two, amount to a motive. But he said they have little else that might explain it.

A colleague of Turnbull's who knows the youth's family described him as an unusually bright and exceptionally talented student.

Authorities said that since the spring of 1981 Turnbull, 33 -- a math and physical education teacher known for her no-nonsense approach-- was a victim of two burglaries, her car was spray-painted four times and her flower garden was uprooted once. She was shot once in the head on Aug. 6 as she watched TV at home, where she lived alone.

The youth is the only suspect in the killing, but others are believed to have been involved in the vandalism, Kraft said.

Investigators also have learned of a misunderstanding between the youth and Turnbull over an assignment the youth said he turned in but Turnbull said she never received, Kraft said.

The youth, a neighbor of Turnbull's, was arrested at home last Thursday after police searched his house and found what authorities have said was the weapon used in the killing. He was arrested last fall in connection with one of the spray-painting incidents against Turnbull, but the case was dismissed by Mower County Judge Paul Kimball after a defense attorney argued that police had conducted an illegal search.

Rachel Hudson, a music teacher in Lyle and a friend of both Turnbull and the youth's family, described the youth as a bright, straight-A student who had lots of potential. She remembers a disagreement over a grade between the youth and Turnbull, but said it seemed as if the youth had forgotten it.

"Everybody gets grades they don't like," she said. "This one didn't seem any different than any of the others that people get."

Hudson said she taught the youth in band class, and that he has unusual talent. He plays the tenor saxophone. As a 7th-grader he was allowed to play with the senior band, she said.

Kraft has initiated juvenile court proceedings against the youth; yesterday he applied to have him certified to stand trial as an adult, he said. No hearings have been set.

Minnesota law forbids officials to disclose the names of juveniles accused of crimes. The youth's name will become public, however, if he is tried as an adult.

Kraft said he wants the youth tried as an adult because of the nature of the offense and because he does not believe the youth is suited for treatment as a juvenile.

If the youth is certified as an adult, Kraft has said he will bring the case to a grand jury, which could charge him with first-degree murder. A conviction on that offense carries a mandatory life sentence, and the youth would not be eligible for parole for 17 years. If the youth is found delinquent in the juvenile court system he cannot be held pas his 21st birthday.

The youth is now being held in the Olmsted County Jail in Rochester, because the Mower County Jail in Austin does not have facilities for keeping juveniles for long periods. Lyle is a community of 550 people near the Iowa border.

The youth's attorney, Scott Richardson, could not be reached for comment yesterday. He refused to comment on the case last week.