Verdict against Talladega man reached but not announced after defendant is hospitalized

A Talladega County jury spent several hours deliberating Wednesday night and Thursday morning before delivering a verdict in the burglary case they had been trying. However, as of Thursday evening, only the jurors know what they verdict was.

According to assistant district attorney Jake Argo, the defendant, 26 year old Takarius Jabraun Turner,  began to complain of not feeling well while the jury was deliberating Thursday morning. An ambulance was called and Turner was taken to the emergency room of Citizens Baptist Medical Center in Talladega.

The jury informed Circuit Judge Julian King that they had reached a verdict while the defendant was in the emergency room.

According to the Alabama Rules of Criminal Proceedure, the court could not receive the verdict with Turner being absent unless he signed a waiver. Argo said defense attorneys Jon Adams and Simone Horn went to see their client in the emergency room, but were unable to obtain the necessary waivers.

King ordered the jury’s verdict sealed, and said he would contact the jurors when he could open the verdict.

Turner is charged with going to the home of Timothy Wilson on the 820 block of Shaw Avenue in Talladega in November 2012. Wilson testified that he had gone to sleep, only to wake up to see Turner standing over him with what he described as an assault rifle. The said he reached for a .45 caliber handgun that he kept on his nightstand and, after Turner fired first, a firefight ensued.

Both Timothy Wilson and Turner were injured in the gunfight, and both were flown to University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital for treatment.

If convicted, Turner would face 20 to 99 years or life in prison.