Arkansas Supreme Court Affirms Ke’von Turner’s Life Sentences in 2021 Ambush Murders

The Supreme Court of Arkansas on Nov. 21, 2024, affirmed the conviction and concurrent life-without-parole sentences of Ke’von Turner for two counts of felony-capital murder in the April 26, 2021, ambush slayings of Roger Shelby and Andrea Verser in North Little Rock. Associate Justice Shawn A. Womack wrote the court’s opinion, concluding that the State presented substantial evidence supporting Turner’s role as an accomplice, that limitations placed on defense voir dire did not produce reversible prejudice, and that testimony about a self‑destructing Snapchat message was admissible under the rules governing lost originals.

Why it matters: The decision upholds accomplice‑liability and evidentiary precedents in a high‑profile double homicide, affirming lower‑court findings about coordination of an ambush, the use of cell‑phone and surveillance evidence, and the treatment of ephemeral social‑media content in criminal trials.

The State’s evidence at trial, as described in the opinion, showed that on the night of April 26, 2021, Shelby, 20, and Verser, 23, were ambushed while sitting in a parked car; 23 bullets were fired into the vehicle, killing both instantly. The opinion summarizes security footage, phone records, and witness statements that the State presented to show Turner coordinated with at least two gunmen, including Joecortland Roberson, in the minutes before the attack. The opinion says Turner exchanged multiple calls with Roberson before the killings, met with the masked gunmen in a parking lot just before the shooting, and left the scene with them about 1:00 a.m., later fleeing to Dallas, Texas.

The court described financial motive evidence the State offered: joint criminal ventures between Turner and Shelby produced more than $20,000 over time, and the State alleged Turner arranged the attack in part to obtain cash he believed Shelby stored in his apartment—roughly $17,000, according to the opinion. The court treated Turner’s conduct before and after the killings—phone communications, positioning of the victims, attempts to mislead a witness and police, and flight—as corroborative of accomplice liability rather than mere presence.

Turner’s counsel moved for a directed verdict at the close of the State’s case, arguing insufficient evidence of his participation. The circuit court denied that motion; a jury later convicted Turner on both counts. Turner elected to be sentenced by the circuit court and received two concurrent life terms without parole; the Supreme Court affirmed those sentences.

On appeal Turner raised three principal arguments. First, he argued the evidence was legally insufficient to prove accomplice liability for felony‑capital murder. Applying the standard of viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, the Supreme Court concluded substantial circumstantial and direct evidence supported the jury’s verdict and that assessing witness credibility was the province of the jury.

Second, Turner contended the circuit court abused its discretion by restricting defense counsel’s voir dire on the range of punishment. The opinion explains the trial court allowed general voir dire about mandatory minimums but limited more specific questioning about sentence lengths and instructed jurors not to consider punishment during the guilt phase. The Supreme Court concluded the trial court did not act improvidently and that Turner failed to show prejudice from the limitation.

Third, Turner challenged admission of testimony from witness Oksana Pavliv about a Snapchat message in which he allegedly instructed her to withhold information from law enforcement. Turner argued the best‑evidence rule (Arkansas Rule of Evidence 1002) required production of the original message. The Supreme Court treated the Snapchat exchange as analogous to an ephemeral telephone communication and held that Rule 1004—permitting other evidence when an original is lost or destroyed without bad faith—applies to self‑destructing social‑media messages. Pavliv testified that Snapchat messages were automatically deleted and unavailable for retrieval; the court concluded the trial court did not abuse its discretion admitting her testimony under Rule 1004.

The opinion also notes related case details: two men identified in the record as Joecortland Roberson and Martez Holmes were charged in the case and pleaded guilty to lesser offenses, while a third gunman was never identified. Forensic testing attributed bullets to three separate firearms, including a Glock 9mm and a .40‑caliber handgun; one weapon was recovered and others were not tied to Turner at trial. The court said Turner failed to produce his claimed .40‑caliber firearm for testing despite having said he had lent it to someone else.

By affirming the convictions, the Supreme Court found no reversible error under Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 4‑3(a) after reviewing the record for prejudicial errors. The court’s written opinion was filed Nov. 21, 2024.

Details from the record: the appeals opinion identifies the trial court as Pulaski County Circuit Court, Sixth Division, No. 60CR‑21‑2638, presided over by the Hon. Cathleen V. Compton. Appellant counsel was Michael Kiel Kaiser; appellee representation was by Tim Griffin, Arkansas Attorney General, through Assistant Attorney General David L. Eanes Jr.

What remains unresolved: the opinion notes the third gunman was never identified in the record; the decision affirms Turner’s convictions and sentences and does not alter the status of other investigations or convictions in related pleas.