A warrant made public last week offers new details about the allegations surrounding a former Playboy model’s involvement in the murder of a 71-year-old psychologist earlier this year.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 25-year-old Kelsey Turner was arrested in California after the body of Thomas Kirk Burchard was found dead in the trunk of a car in a Nevada desert. The victim’s death was ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma.
According to the Californian, an arrest warrant filed on April 5 names two alleged accomplices — her boyfriend, Jon Logan Kennison, and a bartender at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vagas, Diana Pena.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department warrant cited Detective Mitchell Dosch, who wrote that the victim’s body was recovered on March 7 underneath clothing packed in the trunk of a 2017 Mercedes coupe. He had been killed sometime within the previous four days, investigators believe.
Though reports did not conclude what the murder weapon was, officials say it left distinct marks on Burchard’s body.
Turner, who is reportedly pregnant, was with Kennison and her child at the time of her arrest on March 21. At that time, however, her boyfriend had not been named a suspect.
Neither he nor Pena have been arrested as of the latest reports available.
The victim allegedly visited Turner in Las Vegas, where he stayed with her in the home for which he reportedly paid the rent for the month. Kennison, Pena, and an unidentified man were also reportedly living there as of the beginning of March — but the fourth roommate moved out following a disagreement.
At one point during Burchard’s stay, a woman showed up and became involved in an altercation with Turner, police say. When the psychiatrist attempted to dial down the tension by driving the unidentified woman around the block, Turner allegedly became worried she would reveal Turner and Kennison were in a relationship.
Kennison was allegedly becoming more violent as the situation escalated. Police say he did not arrive for a scheduled meeting with police following the death.
All three suspects reportedly moved out of the home around the same time and Dosch said Pena did not show up for work after March 6.
While Pena is believed to have rented a local hotel suite, Turner and Kennison allegedly fled the state. Turner was with her child when officers nabbed her in Stockton, California.
[Featured image: Kelsey Turner, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office]
