Two men convicted in ‘religious’ killing
By Scott North
Herald Writer
Christopher Turgeon said it was God’s will when he orchestrated a 1998 killing in Mountlake Terrace. A Snohomish County jury on Friday called it first-degree murder.
Turgeon, who turns 38 today, took the news with a slight smile. The self-proclaimed prophet, who considers himself the modern incarnation of the biblical figure Elijah, had earlier predicted the result from the witness stand.
His co-defendant, Blaine Applin, 31, also was found guilty. Portrayed at trial as an easily manipulated follower, Applin showed no reaction to the verdict.
Turgeon was the leader of a violent religious sect called The Gatekeepers, which was based first in Snohomish County but later moved to California. He taught his followers that God wanted them to kill those Turgeon deemed wicked, including homosexuals, doctors who perform abortions and people who believe in equal rights for women.
For various reasons, Turgeon came to view a former member of the group, Dan Jess, 40, as a potential threat. Prosecutors alleged Turgeon and Applin traveled to Jess’s home, where Applin repeatedly shot the man early one Sunday morning when he answered his front door.
Turgeon and Applin first went on trial for the killing in May, but a mistrial was declared after jurors deadlocked 11-1, with a majority voting to convict. The second trial began three weeks ago and was largely a replay of the first. Both juries heard from Turgeon, who claimed Jess’s killing and a robbery spree in California were acts of holy war.
Deputy prosecutor David Kurtz argued that the killing was a crime, pure and simple. "I’m pleased," he said after the verdicts were read. "It has been a very long process."
Lawyers for Turgeon and Applin tried to show that the men were innocent by reason of insanity.
Defense attorneys Guss Markwell and Royce Ferguson claimed has a longstanding delusion with religious overtones and was unable to appreciate right and wrong.
Applin’s attorney, Pete Mazzone, attempted to portray his client as a man so in the thrall of a cult leader that he was unable to form the intent to commit a crime. Mazzone said the verdict was a disappointment, in part because he’d tried to draw a distinction between the acts of the two defendants.
Superior Court Judge Joseph Thibodeau has scheduled Applin’s sentencing for Oct. 22. Turgeon’s sentencing is set for Oct. 30.
Kurtz said he isn’t sure exactly how much time he’ll seek for the defendant’s, but he’ll likely ask for a longer sentence for Turgeon, because he was the leader. That will come as no surprise to Turgeon, one of his attorneys said.
"Somebody’s going to get hammered, and Chris fully expects it will be him," Ferguson said.
The two men have already been sentenced to roughly 100 years in prison in California for 17 felony convictions, including attempting to murder a police officer who was shot at as he tried to pull them over after a holdup.
You can call Herald Writer Scott North at 425-339-3431
or send e-mail to north@heraldnet.com.
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