Man convicted of murder for beating partner to death with toilet paper rack

A man has been convicted of murder for the death of his romantic partner in Medina in 2022.

Court documents filed last week show Hennepin County District Judge Paul Scoggin found 27-year-old Jeremiah Quan Turner guilty of first- and second-degree murder in the killing of 27-year-old Jasmine Nelson.

Turner had waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a verdict from the bench.

A criminal complaint states police were called to the 500 block of Clydesdale Circle around 12:30 a.m. on December 29, 2022, on a report of a woman who had been in a car crash. Nelson was found not breathing and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Despite the initial report of a crash, officers found no evidence that any of the vehicles at the property were damaged. The eldest of two children at the scene confirmed to police that her mother was home the whole night.

The child described a brutal assault in which Turner beat Nelson with a toilet paper rack, continuing to do so as the mother cried and pleaded for him to stop.

Investigators found blood throughout the home, and an autopsy found that Nelson died of multiple blunt force trauma.

The prosecution petitioned Scoggin for an aggravated sentence, citing factors such as the presence of children in the home at the time of the murder and the severity of Nelson’s injuries.

Scoggin concurred with the state’s assessment, noting the “particular cruelty” of the crime.

“The degree of injury is remarkable,” the judge’s order states. “The assault occurred over a prolonged period of time rising to a level that is fairly characterized as torture. The severity of the injuries rival anything this Court has seen in 40 years of practicing criminal law.”

Turner’s sentencing is now scheduled for April 23. In Minnesota, a first-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years.