PHOENIX, ARIZONA: The gripping murder trial involving the disappearance of Alissa Turney, a Phoenix teenager who vanished over 20 years ago, continued on Monday, July 10, as her stepfather, Michael Turney, faced charges for her alleged murder.
The trial took a dramatic turn as the jury heard compelling testimony from Sarah Turney, Alissa's younger sister, shedding light on the bizarre circumstances that followed Alissa's disappearance and the alleged behavior of their father.
Sarah Turney's heartbreaking account
Sarah Turney, the key witness on Monday, July 10, shared her personal account of growing up in a household filled with peculiar conversations and situations involving her father after Alissa went missing. However, the defense vigorously challenged Sarah's testimony, highlighting Alissa's problematic behavior and suggesting that she may have run away. The courtroom fell into silence as Sarah recounted a chilling conversation with her father in 2017.
"Have you on occasion asked your father what happened to Alissa?" the prosecutor asked. "Many times," Sarah responded. "Has he ever given you an answer?" the prosecutor inquired. "He told me he would tell me on his deathbed," Sarah recalled.
Sarah also disclosed that her father had mentioned he would confess if the state offered him a lethal injection within ten days. These chilling revelations had a profound impact on everyone in the courtroom. Sarah was only 12 years old when Alissa vanished in 2001, and the trial's emotional toll was evident as she tearfully described her sister's significance in her life. "She got me dressed in the morning when she was there, picked out my clothes, and taught me how to do makeup and do my nails," Sarah said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Michael Turney, her stepfather, was allegedly the last person to see Alissa alive and had been secretly monitoring her activities through tapes and recordings. Sarah recounted how her father took her to California to search for Alissa after she disappeared, and she accompanied him in distributing flyers. Despite her young age, her father assigned her the responsibility of being the family's liaison with the Phoenix Police Department. "I was 17, and at a certain point, my dad said he couldn't handle it, so he asked me to be the official person who kept in contact with the Phoenix Police Department regarding the case," Sarah testified.
Sarah's podcast and suspicion
Not only did Sarah fulfill her role as a liaison, but she also mentioned her podcast on the stand. In 2019, she started 'Voices For Justice,' a podcast aimed at raising awareness about her sister's disappearance after growing suspicious of her father's involvement. He was arrested a year later. However, during cross-examination, the defense adopted an aggressive tone, asserting that Sarah and Alissa had a tumultuous relationship filled with jealousy and conflict.
"You guys fought a lot, didn't you?" the defense attorney asked. "Yes, that's correct," Sarah responded. "You guys were mean to each other. She would call you fat; you would call her stupid," the defense attorney pressed. "Yes," Sarah reluctantly acknowledged.
Did Alissa Turney's sister Sarah lie about sibling?
The defense attorney further claimed that Alissa had a history of behavioral issues and was a "partier." The defense referenced Sarah's past statements to detectives, where she described Alissa as problematic. "So you lied to Detective Anderson?" the defense attorney questioned. "No," Sarah refuted. "You said that Alissa was unpredictable?" the defense attorney continued. "That's what I believed at the time, yes," Sarah responded. "In any of those interviews, did you say, 'This is what my dad said? Yes or no?" the defense attorney aggressively interrogated. "I was brainwashed to believe a certain thing about my sister from my father," Sarah confessed.
During her testimony, Sarah also revealed another bizarre occurrence: her father traded in his truck for the exact same make and model after Alissa disappeared. However, she clarified that she never witnessed any signs of blood or discovered any evidence of a crime in their house during that time. The trial will resume tomorrow with Alissa's brother, John, scheduled to take the stand, Arizona's Family reported.
