Facebook/Kelsey Turner Turner pictured with actor William H. Macy in 2017.
Kelsey Turner is a 25-year-old Playboy model who is accused of the murder of a beloved children’s psychiatrist. Dr. Thomas Burchard of Salinas, California was 71 years old. His body was found in the desert in the trunk of an abandoned in the outskirts of Vegas on March 7. Turner’s arrest was announced in a statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on March 28. Turner will be charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement. KSBW in Sacramento reports that Turner was arrested by FBI agents and Las Vegas cops in Stockton, California. The suspect will be extradited to Clark County, Nevada.
Burchard’s body was found in the trunk of a car on State Route 147. A man driving by called police about the car after he noticed it had a broken window. Online records show that Turner was arrested on March 21.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Turner Is a Model Who Has Posed for Playboy; In an Interview With the Magazine, Turner Described Herself as ‘Impulsive’
Facebook/Kelsey Turner
Turner is a model who posed for Playboy in May 2017. In an interview with the magazine, Turner described herself as “impulsive” adding, “I love emotions and fun, I live my life fully aware that it is the only one you have.” Turner goes on to say that the likes having people to talk to and that most of the guys she has met while modeling are “losers.”
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When asked about sex, Turner said, “Take the time to heat the oven. No one would put a lasagna in an oven at 200 degrees. The same advice applies to women with men. Take some time to really get your “O”. If you are in a hurry it is likely that only one takes pleasure, it is not a race. lol.” In April 2017, Turner appeared on the cover of OneTen magazine, a month earlier, Turner appeared on the cover of Conceited magazine. On her profile for the magazine, Turner is listed as being from Jonesboro, Arkansas.
2. Turner & Burchard ‘Have Known Each Other for Years’ Having Met Online
Turner pictured with her mother, Samantha, in January 2018.
Turner’s mother, Samantha, told KSBW that Burchard and Turner had “known each other for years.” Samantha said that Burchard paid the rent on the home in Salinas, California, where Turner lived with her mother and children. The station went on to report that Turner moved to Las Vegas after Burchard stopped paying the rent on the home. According to Turner’s mother’s Facebook page, she is a native of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and now lives in Monterey. In her bio, Samantha says that being a grandmother is her one true love. Samantha operates a children’s clothing business out of her home.
Burchard’s girlfriend told CBS Las Vegas after the suspect was arrested that she did not know or recognize Turner. The man who lived next door to Turner in Salinas told KSBW that the suspect had lived at the home for “about a year.” The neighbor, Marcelino Alejandro, said, “In fact, there were calls for police on a few occasions” due to excessive partying.
Facebook/Kelsey Turner
KSBW reports Turner and Burchard met online. The station, quoting an unnamed source, said the Burchard had gone to Las Vegas because Turner was being physically abused by her boyfriend. On her Facebook page, Turner says she is in a relationship with a man named Greg Hagio. In January 2019, Hagio was arrested in relation to a domestic violence charge. That incident occurred in Salinas. KSBW reports that Hagio was due in court in relation to the case in April 2019.
3. Burchard’s Girlfriend Referred to His Killer as ‘Soulless’
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported earlier in March that Burchard’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Speaking to the newspaper, Burchard’s girlfriend of 17 years, Judy Earp, said that the couple had been in Las Vegas in February for a conference and did not say why Burchard had returned to the city. Earp added, “Whoever did this is just soulless. The whole community has just a huge hole in it right now.” In a separate interview with CBS Las Vegas, Earp said that Burchard traveled to Vegas on March 1 and was supposed to return on March 4.
Las Vegas Metro PDKelsey Turner pictured in a Las Vegas police handout.
The father of one of Burchard’s patients, Andrew Williams, told the Review-Journal, “He was the nicest man you could ever have met.” Judy Earp said that Burchard’s death was especially hard on his grandson, Tom, as Burchard would play Santa Claus every Christmas.
4. Turner Has Described Herself as Being a ‘Very Talented Blues Singer’
Facebook/Kelsey Turner
In an interview with Maxim magazine, Turner talked about her hidden talent saying, “I’m actually a very talented r&b and blues singer. I would consider this a secret talent because I decided pretty early on that I wanted to preserve my music as a personal and private hobby. I have a keyboard in my room and record in studios often.” At the time, Turner was competing to become a Maxim cover girl and to win a $25,000 in prize money. When asked what she would do with the winnings, Turner said, “Responsibly enough I would probably pay off my student debt first and then help my family in any way that I could.”
5. Another Killing, Close to Where Burchard Was Found Dead, Has Been Mentioned as Being Connected
Shortly after Burchard’s death, KTNV reported that Vegas detectives were looking into the killing of another man, Marcos Madrid, 33. Madrid was found shot to death on March 15. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that’s that is the same date that an arrest warrant for Turner was granted.
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