A Tennessee man was sentenced to life in prison Saturday for the murders of his 4-month-old son and the child’s mother.
Shelby County District Court Judge Chris Craft issued the life sentence for Enoch Turner, 25, in connection with the 2019 killings of Heather Cook, 32, and her infant son, Bentley Cook, WREG reports.
According to prosecutors, Turner forcibly entered Cook’s residence, stabbing her more than 100 times, and then inflicted 10 stab wounds on Bentley before setting fire to the house in an effort to conceal the crime.
News releases from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office indicated that Cook initiated legal action against Turner to confirm he was the father of Bentley. Turner was slated to undergo a paternity test on September 14, 2019, a day before the victims were murdered.
On September 13, 2019, deputies from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters responded to a fire at Cook’s home on Bennington Circle.
Upon arrival, authorities discovered the victims unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The fire marshal determined that the fire was intentionally started in the room, near their bodies.
Police zeroed in on Turner as a suspect, spurred by reports from family members about an argument over custody matters. Turner was subsequently arrested. Prosecutors later said the murders happened because the defendant didn’t want to take responsibility for the infant.
Initially, Turner fabricated an alibi but eventually confessed at the home that day, News Channel 3 reports. He then claimed that he “found them like that,” the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said.
“He will never be released from jail,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman, said in a statement following sentencing.
“The family wants everyone to remember that being a mom meant everything to Heather (Cook); and even though Bently (Cook) only lived four months, everyone could tell that his mom meant everything to him. It has always been our mission to ensure from that date on that Turner never gets out of jail.”
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[Feature Photo: Bentley Cook/Handout]
