A man was arrested and charged with murder after a woman and man were found shot to death this summer in a home in New Market, Maryland, with four children inside. The suspect is the woman’s ex-husband, authorities say.
David Phillip Turner, 33, of Miami, was charged in the brutal crime, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday. He was charged with first-degree murder and a weapons charge.
Crimea Malita Baker, of New Market, and Sean Antoine Lange, of Arlington, were the victims. Baker was 33 and Lange was 34.
“This was a heinous, targeted double murder – a crime of rage and anger,” Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said after the killings on Aug. 25.
The victims were shot 42 times at close range, Jenkins said.
Deputies were called to a home in the 7000 block of Mandalong Court, north of I-70, at about 7 a.m.. Inside, they found Baker and Lange dead in an upstairs bedroom.
According to the initial investigation, they were shot at about 1:30 a.m.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Four children were found in the home unharmed, the sheriff’s office said. Baker was the mother of all four children and Lange was the father of one child.
Investigators say Turner broke into the house and killed Baker and Lange, leaving the children hiding in fear for hours.
Turner was arrested Saturday on a beach, with help from the FBI and Fort Lauderdale police.
“Sheriff’s Office detectives have worked tirelessly, seven days a week for over a month with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies to identify the person responsible for these shocking murders. This investigation has been a priority of this office since the morning of the shootings,” Jenkins said in part in a statement Monday.
Turner is being held in Florida while awaiting extradition to Maryland.
Baker was upbeat and inspiring, her friend Tiffany Poston told News4.
“She was just a role model. Not just for her children, but for me too. I looked up to her a lot,” she said. “She was always dancing and smiling and laughing, and she deserved everything good.”
News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.
Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
