CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas — After several hours of deliberation, Terry Turner, the man convicted of manslaughter in the death of 31-year-old Adil Dghoughi, has been sentenced.
Turner, 67, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for killing Dghoughi, but he could serve that in probation. A judge is expected to determine how much of the sentence can be spent in probation within the next 30 days. Turner could serve up to six months in the county jail as a condition of probation, which both the state and defense attorneys think is likely. And if Turner violates probation at all, he could get up to 10 years in prison.
Turner initially faced a prison sentence between two and 20 years after he was convicted of manslaughter by a Caldwell County jury.
The state and defense both finished their closing arguments in Turner's trial Thursday morning. The jury then deliberated for more than six hours before Turner was convicted of the lesser charge.
Dghoughi's family traveled from Morocco to be in court through the course of the trial. They told KVUE after the sentencing that they don't believe in the justice system and that it's corrupt.
"We're not shocked, to be honest with you," Dghoughi's brother said. "Everything was corrupt since Day 1. He killed my brother ... with a cold-blooded execution."
Turner shot and killed Dghoughi in Martindale, Texas, on Oct. 11, 2021, and was originally charged with murder. Turner told authorities that an unknown vehicle entered his driveway late at night, so he grabbed his gun and chased after the car when it started backing out of the driveway.
"My brother died, and he's going to heaven," Dghoughi's brother said. "The question is, those people who took the decision and the guy who took my brother, will they go to heaven? We'll let them live with that for the rest of their life."
The arrest affidavit stated that Turner struck the driver's side door twice and then fired his gun.
The state and defense argued whether Turner shooting Dghoughi was justified in self-defense.
The defense said that Turner was reasonable to protect himself because he should have the right to feel safe at his home. But the state argued that Dghoughi was reasonable to reverse out of the driveway when he saw Turner coming at him with a gun.