Clinton man found guilty of murdering two women in southeast DC apartment

WASHINGTON – Recently, a Washington DC Supreme Court jury found Keanan Turner, 34, of Clinton, Maryland, guilty of murdering Wanda Wright and Ebony Wright in the 2300 block of Good Hope Court SE in Washington DC on April 12, 2021. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Police Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Turner was found guilty on two counts of aggravated premeditated murder, aggravated assault with intent to kill, aggravated assault, attempted premeditated murder of a minor, second-degree child abuse, arson, and criminal damage to property. In addition to these charges, Turner was found guilty on four counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and illegal carrying of a pistol.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 14, 2024, before Supreme Court Justice Maribeth Raffinan. Due to the aggravating circumstances, Turner faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

According to evidence presented at trial, Ebony Wright was already in a relationship with the defendant when she became pregnant. The defendant asked her to terminate the pregnancy, and when she refused, he stopped speaking to her. After the birth, Ebony Wright filed a lawsuit against the defendant in Superior Court of the District of Columbia for custody and child support.

After the lawsuit was filed against the defendant, he contacted Ebony Wright to meet his child for the first time. On April 12, 2021, the defendant went to Ebony Wright's apartment. Present at the meeting were Ebony Wright, her mother Wanda Wright, her sister, the child, and the defendant.

After meeting with the family for nearly an hour, the defendant pulled out a gun and shot Ebony Wright in the head. He then shot Wanda Wright in the back of the head. He then went to the back bedroom where the sister was and shot her once in the face. Before leaving the apartment, the defendant set fire to the custody paperwork in an attempt to kill the child. As he ran out of the apartment, the defendant attempted to remove a Ring camera on the front door, exposing a unique tattoo on his arm.

As the nurse lay wounded in the back bedroom, she heard the child crying in the living room. Despite having a gunshot wound to the face, she rescued the child, carried him out of the apartment, and called 911.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Korba, who investigated and brought the charges, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miles Janssen and Emma McArthur, who prosecuted the case.

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