Man sentenced to 2 life terms for stabbing deaths of woman, 4-month-old son

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee man was sentenced to two consecutive life terms after he was found guilty of killing a woman and her 4-month-old son, prosecutors said Monday.

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Enoch Zarceno Turner, 29, of Memphis, was convicted on Saturday in a Shelby County court on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated arson, and especially aggravated burglary, WMC-TV reported. He will not be eligible for parole, according to WHBQ-TV.

Turner was accused in the stabbing deaths of 32-year-old Heather Cook and her son, Bentley Cook, who were killed on Sept. 13, 2019, according to a news release from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors claimed that on the day of a scheduled paternity test, Turner allegedly broke into Cook’s home in Memphis and stabbed her more than 100 times, WATN-TV reported. Prosecutors said he then stabbed the baby 10 times before setting the residence on fire, according to the television station.

Prosecutors claimed that Turner was motivated by a desire to avoid “his paternal responsibilities,” WHBQ reported. Cook allegedly threatened to take legal action to prove that Turner was the child’s father. It was later confirmed that Turner was indeed the child’s father, according to the television station.

Turner was arrested by police later that day. Prosecutors claimed he lied about an alibi before admitting to being at Cook’s home, WATN reported. He originally said he “found them like that” at the residence, according to prosecutors.

“He will never be released from jail,” Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said in a statement. “The family wants everyone to remember that being a mom meant everything to Heather; and even though Bentley only lived four months, everyone could tell that his mom meant everything to him. It has always been our mission to ensure from that date on that Turner never gets out of jail.”

Prosecutors originally sought the death penalty, but Cook’s family agreed to the life terms without parole, WMC reported.

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