Topline: Wentzville police are asking for new information in the 1977 killing of 19-year-old gas station worker Kenny Turner.
Published: July 2, 2026 7:26 am ET
Shawn Fletcher
Committed to the craft of journalism and am driven by my desire to inform and inspire.
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Kenny Turner (via Family handout)
WENTZVILLE, MO — Wentzville police are asking the public for help solving the 1977 killing of 19-year-old Kenny Turner, a gas station worker who was beaten, stabbed, and robbed while working an overnight shift.
According to KSDK, Turner was killed on Sept. 10, 1977, while working at a gas station in the 700 block of Pearce Boulevard in Wentzville.
Follow-up coverage from First Alert 4 and statements circulated by Wentzville police said Turner was working at the Kerr-McGee gas service station in the early morning hours when he was attacked during a robbery. Investigators said he suffered blunt-force injuries and stab wounds, and about $200 was taken from the cash register.
Police said detectives have never stopped working the case, and that new DNA technology has allowed investigators to revisit the homicide decades later.
The department is now urging anyone who remembers the killing, the business, or suspicious activity from that time to come forward in hopes that even a small detail could help solve the murder of the 19-year-old worker.
Turner’s killing has remained unsolved for 48 years, making it one of the area’s oldest open homicide investigations still being actively pursued.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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DNA Gives Police New Hope in Search for Killer Who Murdered 19-Year-Old Gas Station Worker Nearly 50 Years Ago
Wentzville police are asking for new information in the 1977 killing of 19-year-old gas station worker Kenny Turner.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: July 2, 2026 7:26 am ET
Kenny Turner (via Family handout)
WENTZVILLE, MO — Wentzville police are asking the public for help solving the 1977 killing of 19-year-old Kenny Turner, a gas station worker who was beaten, stabbed, and robbed while working an overnight shift.
According to KSDK, Turner was killed on Sept. 10, 1977, while working at a gas station in the 700 block of Pearce Boulevard in Wentzville.
Follow-up coverage from First Alert 4 and statements circulated by Wentzville police said Turner was working at the Kerr-McGee gas service station in the early morning hours when he was attacked during a robbery. Investigators said he suffered blunt-force injuries and stab wounds, and about $200 was taken from the cash register.
Police said detectives have never stopped working the case, and that new DNA technology has allowed investigators to revisit the homicide decades later.
The department is now urging anyone who remembers the killing, the business, or suspicious activity from that time to come forward in hopes that even a small detail could help solve the murder of the 19-year-old worker.
Turner’s killing has remained unsolved for 48 years, making it one of the area’s oldest open homicide investigations still being actively pursued.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
DNA Gives Police New Hope in Search for Killer Who Murdered 19-Year-Old Gas Station Worker Nearly 50 Years Ago
Wentzville police are asking for new information in the 1977 killing of 19-year-old gas station worker Kenny Turner.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: July 2, 2026 7:26 am ET
Kenny Turner (via Family handout)
WENTZVILLE, MO — Wentzville police are asking the public for help solving the 1977 killing of 19-year-old Kenny Turner, a gas station worker who was beaten, stabbed, and robbed while working an overnight shift.
According to KSDK, Turner was killed on Sept. 10, 1977, while working at a gas station in the 700 block of Pearce Boulevard in Wentzville.
Follow-up coverage from First Alert 4 and statements circulated by Wentzville police said Turner was working at the Kerr-McGee gas service station in the early morning hours when he was attacked during a robbery. Investigators said he suffered blunt-force injuries and stab wounds, and about $200 was taken from the cash register.
Police said detectives have never stopped working the case, and that new DNA technology has allowed investigators to revisit the homicide decades later.
The department is now urging anyone who remembers the killing, the business, or suspicious activity from that time to come forward in hopes that even a small detail could help solve the murder of the 19-year-old worker.
Turner’s killing has remained unsolved for 48 years, making it one of the area’s oldest open homicide investigations still being actively pursued.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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