Seven Years After His Murder Acquittal, Vt. Man Confesses to Police
A Vermont man acquitted seven years ago in a 2002 murder outside a pizza restaurant has called police and confessed to the crime.
The acquitted defendant, Isaac Turnbaugh, called police last month in Randolph, Vt., and confessed to killing his co-worker outside the restaurant, report the Burlington Free Press and the Herald of Randolph.
Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell said he can’t prosecute Turnbaugh for the murder, according to the Free Press account. “You only get one bite of the apple. It’s double jeopardy,” he said. Sorrell added that the statute of limitations has expired for other charges related to the crime.
Turnbaugh was charged, however, with punching a Randolph police officer after confessing to the murder. He was taken to a mental health facility for an examination.
A lawyer for Turnbaugh, Kurt Hughes, said his client confessed to the crime before the 2004 trial and more recently because of his mental problems. “He also claimed responsibility for 9-11,” Hughes told the Free Press.
