The SEAL Code That Cost Him 30 Years: Dustin "Dusty" Turner Tells All

Summary

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SOFREP Radio: "The SEAL Code That Cost Him 30 Years: Dustin 'Dusty' Turner Tells All"

Podcast: SOFREP Radio
Host: Rad
Guest: Dustin “Dusty” Turner
Date: May 8, 2026
Episode Focus: A frank, emotional conversation with former Navy SEAL Dusty Turner, recently paroled after 30 years in prison for a murder conviction he maintains was both wrongful and the tragic result of misguided loyalty and military culture.

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the life, conviction, and eventual release of Dusty Turner—a former Navy SEAL whose adherence to the "SEAL code" and loyalty to a teammate led to his spending over three decades in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. Host Rad creates an open forum for Dusty to share his personal journey, the night that changed his life, his perspective on justice, remorse, and the difficulties of re-entering society after so long behind bars.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dusty's Early Life and Path to the SEALs

• Background: Grew up in the Midwest among a military family; naturally athletic, participated in multiple sports (05:48).
• Navy Enlistment: Entered the Navy at 17 through the delayed entry program, inspired by his brother and military family legacy (06:04).
• Aspirations: Originally intended to be a Navy diver but “snuck into” the SEAL qualification, impressing trainers with initiative and passing the physical (07:40).

Quote

"I snuck into the line with the SEAL team wannabes... I was one of only just a handful of guys that were able to pass the test. ...He said he appreciated my fortitude and he was able to kind of fast track me from there." – Dusty Turner, 08:01

SEAL Training and Team Environment

• Graduated BUD/S class 196 in 1994, recounting the brutal challenge of Hell Week and subsequent advanced training (09:15–12:48).
• Assigned to SEAL Team 4, attracted by its focus on Central/South American missions (11:43).

Entering the Tragedy: The Night of the Crime

• Setting: In 1995, a night out at a club ended in the murder of Jennifer Evans, a young woman Dusty had just met (13:49).
• Billy Brown: Turner’s teammate, swim buddy, and roommate, described as a “psychopath” with a history of violence and substance abuse, who Turner felt a duty to protect due to the enforced SEAL code of loyalty (14:54–16:41).

Quote

"I was trained to protect this guy, period. No matter what, I’m gonna protect this guy because... that’s what I’m supposed to do. And I did." – Dusty Turner, 17:00

The Night’s Events & Aftermath

• Sequence:
  • Turner describes the event as a “normal night” until Billy Brown, intoxicated and agitated, enters Turner’s car with Evans inside (13:49–29:44).
  • In a sudden outburst, Brown sexually assaults and kills Evans. Turner tried physically to remove Brown’s arms from Evans during the struggle (30:31–32:00).
  • In shock, Turner was pressured by Brown to drive away, and did not immediately report the incident to authorities (32:44–36:33).

Quote

"He snaps with all his might and training... I instantly do what you or anybody else would have done, and that is, I jump on his freaking arms and start pulling them off of her... She's sitting next to me dead." – Dusty Turner, 31:00

Turner’s Choices and the SEAL Code

• Loyalty vs. Right Action: Turner admits that his training and culture pushed him to protect Brown and the SEAL “brand,” even when he knew Brown had done wrong (18:41, 24:01).
• Failure to Report Immediately: Turner recounts the psychological conflict and trauma, acknowledging that—even under stress and shock—he followed the wrong loyalty (36:04).

Quote

“I have all this on my shoulders, and it’s not just protecting Billy Brown. I know if and when this comes out... it’s going to have huge repercussions across the entire teams. ...I was completely brainwashed by the training I went through.” – Dusty Turner, 24:01 & 38:23

Investigation, Polygraph, and Legal Outcome

• Polygraph: Attempted to unburden his conscience via a polygraph, hoping it would reveal the truth without directly “telling” on Brown (22:15–23:49).
• Officers’ Role: After telling the truth to his superior and answering detectives’ questions, Brown retaliated, fabricating a version of the story to implicate Turner equally (24:01–27:15).

Quote

“He feels in his mind that I just violated something sacred. I broke the SEAL code. ...He tells the story, including me in his crime, and the detectives use that story later to convict me of the crimes he committed.” – Dusty Turner, 26:32

• Conviction: Sentenced to 82 years, served 31; conviction largely due to Brown’s statement and Turner’s own role as accessory after the fact (20:11, 35:04).

Parole, Justice, and Ongoing Advocacy

• Release: Paroled in 2026, after a long campaign by advocates and a partial judicial acknowledgment of wrongful aspects (03:02, 54:30).
• Post-Release Perspective: Turner describes his deep appreciation for freedom and small pleasures, but makes clear he does not consider the parole a final “justice” and vows to continue seeking full exoneration (50:23, 51:40).

Quote

“Every little thing, man, when I jumped in a pool the other day... the most glorious thing I’ve felt maybe in my whole life. ...But my fight’s not over. This is not justice. ...I’m going to continue this fight as long as it takes.” – Dusty Turner, 50:32 & 51:40

• Future Plans: Intends to work with justice-involved veterans, using his experience and voice to help others caught in the system (52:46).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prison vs. Hell Week:

  "I went through hell week. That was a week. 31 years or something different." (49:09)

• On Remorse and Responsibility:

  "I never harmed anybody, and nor did I know anyone was going to be harmed. ...I did. ...I'll be responsible for what I did.” (38:23)

• On Billy Brown’s Later Confession and Hatred:

  "You know, my hatred for this guy has not subsided an ounce. ...What he has done to me and my family for 31 freaking years. Your hatred toward this guy would not diminish at all either." (43:36)

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Important Timestamps

• Dusty’s Early Life and Entry to Navy: 05:35–07:36
• SEAL Team Training, BUD/S, Assignment: 09:15–12:48
• Night of the Crime, SEAL Code, Billy Brown: 13:49–16:41
• Murder and Immediate Aftermath: 30:31–36:33
• Investigative Mishaps & Legal Process: 22:15–27:15
• Impact on Families & Remorse: 37:36–39:46
• Release and Life After Prison: 50:23–54:30
• Future Plans and ‘Second Chance’ Philosophy: 52:46–53:27

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Episode Tone and Reflections

The conversation is candid, emotional, and sometimes raw. Host Rad approaches both the gravity of the crime and the complexity of Dusty’s situation with empathy, balancing accountability with understanding of military culture’s unique pressures. Dusty’s emotions are palpable; he does not minimize the tragedy nor evade his own mistakes, but remains resolute that the crime for which he was convicted was not his. There is an undercurrent of sorrow for Jennifer Evans and her family, as well as for the long ripple effects on all involved.

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Final Thoughts

This episode of SOFREP Radio not only tells the story behind the headline but powerfully examines the cost of brotherhood gone wrong, the difficulty of moral choices under pressure, the failures of the justice system, and the enduring consequences for all families involved. It stands as a cautionary tale about unchecked loyalty, broken systems, and the real-life stakes of military camaraderie and personal responsibility.

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Find Dusty Turner:

• Instagram: @FreeDustyTurner
• More info and advocacy: [SOFREP.com article about Dusty Turner]

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For more details, listen to the full episode and read related articles at SOFREP.com.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[B]

Brute force. If it doesn't work, you're just not using enough.

[A]

You're listening to softweb Radio, Special operations,

[B]

military news and straight talk with the

[A]

guys in the community.

[B]

Hey, what's going on? This is Rad, your host of Soft Rep Radio and I have a very unique conversation to have with a very nice guest and we're going to get into that in just a moment. But first I got to talk about the merch store. That's right, we have new branded cool items. You might be seeing me out there wearing some of the Soft Rep radio with the lightning bolts sweaters and hoodies and the mugs that we have. Thank you so much for purchasing those and supporting the show. It keeps the fireplace going because it's natural gas and today prices are going up and I got to keep that on, so keep buying that merch. Thank you so much. Appreciate you. Second, you know what I'm going to say if you've been listening to the show, it's the book club. The so softrep.com book club. Now, my man Callum, my producer will probably put it somewhere here or maybe along here, but that is where you can click and check out the book [e-mail] so go check out the softwareup.com book club. And what's funny is I was just thinking about my guy guy, the editor who is in charge of all of that and he's just a great dude. So this is, this book club is curated by all the special forces guys behind the scenes and all the everybody that works here at Soft Rep to put it into your brain. So go read a book, okay? Because reading a book is knowledge. Knowledge grows your brain. Your brain is a muscle. So go to the gym for your brain, the book club. Now I'm just going to introduce my next guest, Dusty Turner. Welcome to the show, Dusty. It's nice to have you here. Thank you. Welcome. I'm going to read your bio real quick and we'll get into Dusty Turner. Standby, Here we go. Dusty Turner. Dusty Turner, born Dustin Allen Turner, was born on February 7, 1975 in the Midwest. He grew up in a loving family with a close knit extended family. Turner's life took a dramatic turn when he was convicted of first degree murder and abduction with the intent to defile in 1996 for the killing of 21 year old Jennifer Evans. Despite his conviction, Turner's actions in 1995 were not his fault as he helped a fellow Navy Seal, Billy Joe Brown, hide The murder. Turner's long fight for justice culminated in his parole in 2026 after spending 30 years in prison. His case has garnered attention for the wrongful conviction and the ongoing advocacy for his release. And you have now been released. So welcome to being released.

[A]

Feels great.

[B]

I'm sure it does. And welcome to Soft Rep Radio.

[A]

I like to be. I appreciate being here.

[B]

And welcome to the Internet.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay. And welcome to your new phone that you're probably swiping on and just learning all of those things.

[A]

Just a couple apps. It's too much for me already.

[B]

You're already saying apps, right? And wait till your phone overloads with apps that you can't even take a photo. You're like, wait, I just want to take a picture of the meal I'm eating right now to put it on a social media. And you're like, oh, I have to. You get too data. Data gets full. I mean, you're going to have. You've been. Okay. The reason why I'm talking about this is you've been locked up for the last 31 years of your life. Okay? Now, I'm not trying to make light of that situation because you know, what I read in your bio is very serious. All right? You were involved in a very serious situation that resulted in the loss of Jennifer Evans life at 21 years of age, who will never get to swipe up on a phone, never get to know what it is to not have an app. None of that. I have to speak because I feel her in me right now. And I just have to say that. And I want to have you on this show to hear what you have to say, because I've just thought about what had transpired. I've read articles about the same situation. I'm trying to not be any bias. I want to hear what you have to say. But I know that the situation is, I'm a girl, dad. I got two daughters in their 20s. And how I would feel as the father of the situation that I've read about, Right. If you go to softrep.com if the listener or the viewer goes to software.com you can find an article that Guy Guy wrote. It's great, great. It's very in depth. And it's all about Dusty's situation of how everything kind of transpired, surmised in this article. And it just talks about, you know, everything that had happened to him. So first off, Dusty is also a son, is also a family member of a family. Dusty's life was also dramatically changed and altered in the course of that moment in his Geo when he was driving or however that situation occurred that only you, Billy and Jennifer will ever, ever know. And so you were the driver of that, right?

[A]

I was driving the car that night, yeah.

[B]

Okay. That's what I just want to put. Yeah, I'm just making sure I understood that correctly. Right, so. So let's just talk about something you. You did go through, you know, high school. Did you play any sports in high school? Were you on the wrestling team? Were you playing baseball?

[A]

Pretty much every sport except for wrestling. You know, I was a competitive swimmer. And basketball, baseball, I don't know. I did a lot track, cross country, that kind of stuff.

[B]

And then you decided to join the military at what age?

[A]

Oh, well, you know, a lot of my family, military, former veterans. I had my father, stepfather, uncles, all served in Vietnam. My older brother was in the Navy. He's four years older than me, and he. He kind of convinced me to go specifically into the Navy. So by the age of 17, I entered under the delayed entry program. Had to have my mother sign, you know, to get in, but. Yeah. So after high school, I came running.

[B]

You went straight to the Navy after high school, graduate high school, went straight to the Navy. And was it a. Did you have a special warfare contract in the 90s? Was that how it went? Did you, like, get to have the first shot through bootcamp?

[A]

Actually, sort of, yeah. So I signed up initially to be a diver, and I'd been scuba diver since I was mid teens and really loved the water. Like I said, I was competitive swimmer. So I initially joined to be a diver. But before I arrived at boot camp, I heard about the SEAL teams and my brother told me a lot about them, and I read and seen some things, and I was convinced that that's what I wanted to do. So there's a story there on how I went from becoming, you know, wanting to be a diver and entering boot camp as a diver wannabe and then was able to finagle that into getting the buds.

[B]

Was that because you just ran faster in basic or did you just were able to.

[A]

So I. What I did, you know, so what I did was when. When it came time to do the physical test, they had one that was for the divers, EOD wannabes, and then the other for the SEAL team wannabes. And so I snuck into the line. With the SEAL team? Yeah, with the SEAL team wannabes. And I was one of only just a handful of guys that were able to pass the test. And so the fellow that Was there a team, you know, SEAL team guy was there overseeing the thing. And when I came up to him, he said he's looking at his clipboard and he's like, you took the wrong test. You're supposed to. So I said, look, sir, this is. He probably said, don't call me sir, I work for a living. But he said he appreciated my fortitude and he was able to kind of fast track me from there through a school into buds.

[B]

So that was like, you know, an opening and you kind of were able to take it and you just, you're like, oh, I'm in the right line, right? This is the right line. I think I'm in the right line.

[A]

That's all I know how to do it

[B]

well. Yeah, right. You're just kind of like shuffling up and you're like, now I'm in this line. And you went through that test. And he's like, wait a second here, Turner, Turner, Turner. He's like, where's Turner on this thing here? He's like right down at the bottom. You're going to add it with a pencil, Sir. Don't call me sir. Go get over there. Okay, so that's very cool. So that, that's, that's, that's really, you know, commendable, respected to like go through that. And you went through buds and how was Hell week for you? Was that something that a 17, 18 year old kid is ready for?

[A]

Of course not, but no. Well, I got there at the age of 18 and February 1994 through the entire year I ended up graduating December 1694. And of course Hell week was hell, but the whole thing was hell. Right at the conclusion of Hell week, I ended up in ICU for a few days and it was a tough experience. You know, I was pretty, pretty messed up. But, but I made it through and ended up graduating, went on to Army Airborne school. I graduated, by the way. I graduated buds class 196.

[B]

196, huh? And then you went, then you went to airborne school, huh? And then once you went to airborne school, all the other schoolings and so is like, I know like on a Green Beret team, there's like 18 echo, 18 foxtrot, 18 delta. Those are all different. Like a medic is Delta, a radio guy is an E, an Echo, you know, Zulu. Was there some, is that, is that on the teams as well? Like do you have a specific lane that you function or is a SEAL team really just, you know, going after like hostage rescue and like that thing?

[A]

Oh, My gosh. Well, as you know, the SEAL teams have wide operating, you know, areas and avenues and missions and so forth. So they don't specialize in one little area, it's very broad. But there are, there are some guys, you know, guys do specialized training after they get in the teams. And so a platoon like I was with Echo Platoon and Team four. And so we had guys that might need to get qualified in certain things, other guys get qualified in different things so that we all collectively were. Had all the skills necessary to do what we needed to do.

[B]

Sure, sure. And so you guys just basically just kind of task force yourself together with all the different guys that do.

[A]

Within the platoon itself.

[B]

Within the platoon, yeah, exactly. Okay. Okay. And so here you are, 18 years old, the highlight of your life is December 16th now.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

You've graduated buds and you're now got the trident and you're now recognized as a Navy seal.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Worked then. I, you know, it's been so long, I have no idea what, what, how it happens today.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But So I graduated Buds, went to Army Airborne School, was assigned to Team 4. It's out here in Norfolk or Virginia Beach, Little Creek. I chose Team 4 specifically because their area of operations, which is, which was, if it still is today, Central and South America. And that's really what where I wanted to operate at for various reasons. But, but then when you go to, when you get to the team, there's a period of time, a six month kind of probationary period and additional training. Then it was called STT SEAL Tactical Training and it involves kind of honing skills of advanced diving stuff and advanced land warfare, demolitions, you know, navigation stuff and just kind of honing all those skills. It wasn't like Bud's style of, you know, training where they're trying to kill you. Right. It's just there and it's just tweaking, honing those skills.

[B]

Yeah. Just making you just more of a perf. Perfectionist of craft and versus They've and

[A]

I'll add just that there's basically a six month period. You're doing this then and at the conclusion of that period is when you're officially, you know, awarded or tacked on that trident. And I was actually a couple weeks from, from that when I was arrested

[B]

when for the, for the murder of Jennifer Evans, which is just a segue into where we're at. That's really just what we're going to talk about is. So here you are now, you know, you're just a few weeks out of this. And you know, I want to blame alcohol.

[A]

Okay, well, you can to a degree. We could talk about that.

[B]

Yeah, right. You know, because like it was at a bar. You guys decided to go to a bar. Right. And. And then. Go ahead, please. So here we are, you're almost graduating and it's like you get a little shore leave or some time to go hang out with the bros.

[A]

Exactly. And. And I, you know, I didn't spend much time in Virginia beach area, although I was. I got to the Team 4 in 2-2-95. Fast forward all the way to the end of June and like you say, we're on. We just got a few days on leave. We've been up north training for A.P. hill. Just land. Land warfare stuff. Right. So there were supposed to be a few of us going to this specific club or just any of the clubs, but this one club I had been to a few times when I was in the area and the night was normal. It was just a normal night, just like any other night. And alcohol absolutely was involved. The man I was with, Billy Brown, is someone whom I was paired with early in training back in San Diego going through buds. I was paired with him because we were the same height. Right. And so.

[B]

Yeah, in a column.

[A]

Yeah. And so we had to be put in the same boat crew. And so we. Not only. I mean, it's uncanny how this worked out. Right. So we're in the same boat crew. We went through all through Hell week and all through training. Well, we were both injured about the same time and were held back or rolled back until future classes came through and we classed back up with them. So not only were we what they call swim buddies paired together, but again, we were held back because of medical issues, injuries, and then classed up with the same class, ended up going, graduated, ended up going to the army urban school together and got to the same SEAL team together and put in the same platoon together. Right. And I'll preface up too with the fact that this guy was an absolute psychopath and he should never have been in the military after he was kicked out of the Coast Guard. He had a past of violence and specifically against women. Right. But this is the person that I was paired with.

[B]

Like he already had that record before

[A]

coming into the military and before coming into the SEAL teams.

[B]

Is he like a 17, 18 year old kid? 19 year old kid at this time too. Are you guys both like 18? 19.

[A]

He was a few years older than me. I was the kid. Right. I'm young and he was a few Years older. And, you know, back when you're 19 years old, three or four years is pretty significant. Right. They seem like an elder almost.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But regardless, this guy was. He was a psychopath. And when he's. When he's sober, he's I think, what people would consider a pretty decent operator. Right. But he's increasingly getting drunk more often and it's becoming a daily thing. He's drinking at night every single day. And he's heading on a path. It's. That's destructive. Right. He knows it. People around him know it. I know it. There was multiple times in which myself and others had to kind of extract him out of a real messed up situation that he got himself and sometimes us others into. He was violent. So this is who this guy is. Right. But I'm paired with him, and as you probably know, in the Special Forces and especially the situation I was in with the SEAL teams and being. It was very unique for a person to be paired with someone that long, through all of training, it almost never happens. Right, right, right. So, you know, you know how I was trained? I was trained to protect this guy, period. No matter what, I'm gonna protect this guy because that's what. I at least understood that that's what I'm supposed to do. Right. And I did. And I did. And others did too, in situations that were really messed up in which he became violent and including going all the way back to buds when he. He ran into a family when he was drunk in his vehicle and did a hit and run. And they got his license plate and his description, his car description, all this kind of stuff. And wouldn't you know, that just kind of gets swept under the rug. And this is 1994. You know, I'm sure those things wouldn't happen today. We know that. You know, things have changed over the years, right? Decades. Right. I don't know.

[B]

There's a lot of things still getting swept under the rug today, bro. Okay. You want to look at the world with a microscope, I can tell you about an island that gets swept under the rug with a war in Iran right now. Okay, so, but let's not skew that. I'm just saying things do get covered up. However, you know, battle buddies, you know, are supposed to be there for each other through thick and thin. I get that.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You know, when I went to the Air Force and we left out of Utah, I went with a group of guys on the plane, and then we stepped off the plane and got on the same bus, and then we Went on the same bus, and then we went. We were like, oh, we're going to go through the same thing together. We're all going to be able to, like, you know, stick together from the beginning to the end. But then they went off in a different direction when they had to get special Mormon garments for their. And I had to go get my other stuff, and I was like, we'll see you guys later. So to have somebody paired up the whole entire time that you're talking about is really a unique situation where there is this, like, you know, okay, well, maybe I'm, you know, you do have this bond of, like, we've been through so much together already, but then all of a sudden, this guy's just taking you. You know, first of all, you know, the. The. The murder of her caused you to be hit with a life sentence. Right.

[A]

Basically. I mean, there's so many years. 82 years.

[B]

Well, 31 years. Oh, 82 years. So here's my belief in the justice system from Rad Me. I believe that I meet people all the time who are felons, who have been in and done their time, and then they got out, and now they're supposed to be able to have a second chance at their life, okay. Because they paid their time by the system that was put in place with their peers in the jury who gives them the rulings, and the law is all right there. And they, bam. This is what you're going to have to do. This is what you did. You go and you get locked up. You get locked up for 31 of the 82 years. But there's something in the Rubik's Cube of your sentencing that just doesn't sit right, and that is the fact that your step. You're saying you didn't commit the final blow to this young lady or the choke or the strangulation that had occurred to her. It was Billy in the backseat who had leaned over in front with his whole arm and just kind of, like, did her while you were driving. And you were, you know, just like now your battle buddy had just done this.

[A]

Yeah. And it's definitely an oversimplification what actually happened. Right. He. He snapped out on this young, innocent woman for no reason. Right. He's completely drunk. And there's, you know, I could detail the entire story. And by the way, in 2008, I was the first person in Virginia to be ruled actually innocent by the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and I was set to be released in 2008 because, you know, let's Back. Go back just a bit.

[B]

Yeah, sure. Please.

[A]

I held this knowledge of what happened to this innocent young lady, and I held it to myself for over a week, and that was extremely difficult. Right. So there came a time in which the authorities knew that. That I was there that night. Billy Brown was there that night, and that we may have some knowledge or some involvement or something of what happened to this young lady. And so they asked if we'd be willing to take a polygraph. And I didn't really hesitate to say, yes, I would take it, and I did take it. But my thought process at the time, in my young mind is that I can't tell on Billy Brown for what he did. I have. And he knows that, too. Right. There's this code in which I'm bound to this silence. So how do I let out to somebody of what happens but not tell on this guy? Right. So I jumped on the chance to take a polygraph, and I figured I would still go in and lie, which I did where necessary to cover for him. But I assumed that the polygraph would likely show where I lied and actually expose what actually happened. Right. And I don't know if that sounds crazy, but how else do I.

[B]

A little bit. It does a little bit. But. But I understand you. I understand you're trying to justify the whole situation. Right. It's something I've not been put into. So please continue the polygraph. You're trying to, like, you want to come clean. You have this guilt.

[A]

It's. It's not so much a guilt. It's. I have all this on my shoulders, and it's not just protecting Billy Brown. I know if and when this comes out of what happened, it's going to have huge repercussions across the entire teams. Right. And so I'm trying to protect the brand. I'm trying to protect this asshole who just murdered an innocent young lady. Right. Right. And so. And I'm. I'm 20 years. I just turned 20 years old and, you know, trying to carry that. And so this is what I did, right or wrong. I said, I'm going to take the polygraph. I lied to protect him. Sure enough, it showed exactly where I lied. And so that. So when the detectives are confronting me with the results and showing me, hey, you lied here, here, and here, which was. Which was true. They then thereafter, they knew what happened, at least the basic elements of what happened to Jennifer. So, yes, when they asked me to elaborate, I told him I wasn't gonna say anything further until I spoke with My warrant officer who was sitting out in the lobby, he came in and I said, specifically, the detectives want to know. I know things the detectives want to know. I haven't told them anything, but I don't know what to do. And he said, well, tell me what happened. So I told him everything, right? I told him everything. And he, and he said, he said, hold on, let me, let me go out and try to call the JAG officer. He comes back in about 15 minutes later and he says, the JAG officer can't help us out because it's an off base matter. Which seems weird in hindsight, but he, he was confronted by the detectives as he came back in. And so when he comes in, he says, look, the detectives going to come in here and ask you five questions and I want you to answer them truthfully. And I said, are you sure that's what I should do? He said, yes, answer them truthfully and it'll be all right. So I took the advice and the direct order from my superior officer and I answered these detectives questions completely truthful. Basically they took that, went into the other room where Billy Brown had refused to take a polygraph because it wasn't going to benefit him whatsoever. And they said, hey, your buddy just rolled on you. He told us everything, you're going down, you're probably going to get the death penalty, etc. Etc. And so he feels in his mind that I just violated something sacred. I broke the seal code, right? And so he thinks, therefore I deserve to go down with him. So he tells the story, including me in his crime, and the detectives use that crime. I mean, I'm sorry, the detectives use that story later to convict me of the crimes that he committed.

[B]

It's like, you know, if that's the case, then, you know, that's why I was just establishing you were driving the car in the very beginning. Right. If that's the case of the situation, then it's like these, your conviction is like you're guilty by association at that point.

[A]

Right?

[B]

That's just really the situation. Like nobody else can see past that enigma of what has transpired to take Jennifer's life that night. And so they're just looking at it like, you know, okay, yeah, man, he was driving. And then, I mean, there's more to it, right, because you did when?

[A]

When. Yeah, because let's start off here. I, I had gotten him a ride home so I didn't have to be with him that night. He was so drunk and obnoxious and I had met this very Nice, sweet young lady from Georgia, right? And we got along great. It was a normal night. Nothing out of the ab, you know, out of the, out of the, you know, ordinary. And so his Billy Brown's ex girlfriend happened to be at a club that night and she agreed to take him home. She didn't want to, but she did it as a favor for me. She was going to take him home. Therefore, he was out of my hair for the rest of the night. I assumed, long story, the fight between he and his ex girlfriend led to him storming out to the parking lot drunk as hell. And he found me and Jennifer in the car waiting for her girlfriends, whom I had met just a little earlier. And they were coming up at 2 o' clock in the morning to pick her up. And it was maybe five minutes till two, and we're sitting there waiting for her girlfriends. Instead, Billy Brown shows up, drunk and obnoxious. He gets into the car and because of his demeanor, which I've seen plenty of times in the past, I attempted to be, I attempted to calmly speak to him and hopefully to, you know, depress his, his, his, his, his, his feelings, right?

[B]

Defuse him, like de escalate him, like, ground him real quick, you know, like I'm going to, I, you know, this guy, you've already been through so much with him. You're like, all right, Billy, okay. Billy comes out and he grabs, okay, hey, buddy, so you're gonna be chilling. Get in the car.

[A]

I'm like, hey, Billy, I said, you know, Christian's gonna take you home, man. Where's she at? You know, she's gonna take you home. And I'm being calm and like, you know, trying to. Because his demeanor before I left him, he wasn't happy. He wasn't happy with me for pawn him off on his ex girlfriend and leaving with a young gal and so forth. So. And he was just so drunk, right? So he's in the car less than maybe three minutes. I don't know. When I say that to him, he's like, f that bitch, right? And he turns his attention to the young lady sitting in front of him in the car in a very compact, small vehicle. And he's Geometro. He's the same height as me, hatchback. We're about six, three.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

And you can imagine him sitting back behind this front seat. So Jennifer doesn't say a single word to him. And he says something real crude to her, obnoxious. And I'm like, billy, please just go and try to find Christian, and she'll take you home. And he says something else to Jennifer. He touches either her hair or her shoulder. He reaches up with his right hand and she never says a word to him. She kind of smacks his hand away from him. And I just kind of see this out of the corner of mine. And he snaps with all his might and training and strength and so forth, he puts all that into this poor, defenseless young lady, and in such a maneuver that it shakes the entire vehicle. And I instantly do what you or anybody else would have done, and that is, I jump on his freaking arms and start pulling them off of her and screaming at him, you know, what the are you doing? Get your. You know, let her go. Let her go. Right? And I'm screaming at him, and he's screaming at me. He's grabbing me. Just drive. Just fucking drive. So he's got such a lock around him that I literally had to get up under his fingertips and pry his arms off of her, right? And think about your little geostorm, right? And he.

[B]

Yeah, I do.

[A]

And so I get his arms off of her. Finally. He finally sits back. She's dead. One. One second, you know, five seconds, 10 seconds beforehand, everything's normal. It's. Everything's normal. And now this young lady. I'm only 20, she's 21 years old, and she's sitting next to me dead. Her head is facing out the passenger side door. And he's screaming at me, just fucking drive. Just fucking drive. What do I do? This is the. This is the era before cell phones. There's a pay phone somewhere, I'm sure. Right, Right.

[B]

No, I get.

[A]

So I'm stuck in this dilemma that I never should have put. Been put in. I'm not a criminal. I'm not. I don't know these things. I've never had any interactions with the law. I've never harmed. Certainly never harmed a woman. Right? And so this is.

[B]

This is.

[A]

This is the son of a. That they paired me with, right? And now what do I do? What do I do?

[B]

So it's. But why did you. Okay, so you're both six three. You know, I mean, there is a swearing an oath to the bros in the SEAL team and keeping the brand good and trying to protect it. But you also swore an OATH to protect U.S. citizens too. You know, us. And bro, I mean, she is. She. She is that. And he. So to like, not just like, you know, kamikaze yourself to the police station when it happened, even with him there while you're driving, he Just told you to drive. You say, okay, I got you, bro. Yeah, no problem. You could just drove right to the sheriff's department.

[A]

This poor woman.

[B]

Yeah, that's my. That's my. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, bro. But eight days later. But please, more. No, I know. No, I know. Please tell me. Please. I, I, I, I. I want your story.

[A]

It doesn't save her. She's dead. No, I tried to save her.

[B]

Yes, I know.

[A]

Of course you would have done the same thing. I jumped on him to get his freaking arms off this young lady. She's innocent. Exactly. Completely innocent. She did nothing to him. She nothing to deserve any of this.

[B]

She liked you, and he couldn't handle that. She liked you and he liked you. So it's like, he's my bro. We're bros. Peace out. I hate to put it so brass, but the next stuff that happened was you guys wound up, like, going to a park or something and trying to, like. Yeah, so that's what I'm saying.

[A]

Like, so I'm in that. That's right. That's the pinnacle of is. Or the point in which my decisions

[B]

became a accomplice.

[A]

No, I was never an accomplice to his murder. I was.

[B]

Oh, okay, please.

[A]

I obviously was an accessory after the fact of his crime. Right.

[B]

That's what I meant.

[A]

And I just want to be, you know, to distinguish what my role truly was.

[B]

I do, too.

[A]

Right. I never harmed anybody, and nor did I know anyone was going to be harmed. I would have stopped it. I tried to stop it when it happened. Right. So. So the point is, he's screaming at me to drive. I'm in a place I don't really know very well where I'm at. I don't even know where to go when I leave the parking lot. Right. I really don't even. To get back to the, to the base. Right. So. So he knows the area a little better. And so he's, he's screaming at me to just drive. Jennifer is dead, and he's drunk and screaming, and I'm. I'm in a state of what? Trauma? Shock.

[B]

Shock.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I don't even know what the hell to do. Do I get out of the car, run up and say, hey, this guy, you know, my SEAL team partner, is just killed a girl. I, I mean, I'm sure a lot of people say, yeah, that's what you should have done. Right?

[B]

Right. Yeah. Yeah, you should have done that. You should have done that. But that didn't happen.

[A]

No, it didn't. Happen. So why did, why did. No, why did I take off driving?

[B]

Why did any of. Why did any of you know what I'm saying?

[A]

It's like, you know, to understand why he snapped out, you'd have to ask him. Right. He still, to this day, he says, I don't know why I did it. I just snapped. That's not good enough. He, you know, he. There's reasons behind that. He hasn't found him.

[B]

Perhaps he's still incarcerated. He's still incarcerated. He's still locked up.

[A]

If he ever gets out of prison, there's going to be a serious problem. There's going to be a serious problem.

[B]

I understand that. So he's in, He's. Is he in state? The Virginia area? Is that where he's at? The Virginia prisons?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

System, I see. Yeah, man. I mean, like, bro, what a rough situation for the family of Jennifer, for your families. I mean, it's not just you impacted them traumatically. Your family is probably beside themselves, you know, with the situation.

[A]

You can't even fathom it. Right. And just as. Just, you know, I don't. I was asked not to speak a lot about Jennifer. Right. And I gotta respect that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I've asked that. And I don't want to do anything that further upsets her family, loved ones. Right. So I, I want to try to reel that back because I have a great respect for them and respect for what they've gone through. Right. And it's. She was their only child, you know, a lovely young lady. So the impact on their family, I'll just say, and leave it. This is immeasurable. It's immeasurable, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You're a girl dad. I hope to be a girl dad one day, you know, so. But also what happened to me and my family is also immeasurable. You know, I shouldn't have been put in that position. If Billy Brown would have told the truth when confronted with the authorities, I wouldn't have been. I wouldn't. I would never send years in prison, 12 months max, as a. As a misdemeanor crime for accessory after the fact of a felony is what I was guilty of and I admitted it and I was clean and open about it, you know, and I, And I made the decisions I made. I consider and justify and say I was completely brainwashed by the training I went through. And so this is why I did it. And it is. But regardless, it was my decision. I made it. I'll be responsible for what I did. I can't be. Did he Outrage you, too, for what he did. I can only be responsible for what I did.

[B]

Right. And as long as you were. I mean, look, that's why I was saying in the beginning of the show, if you've gone in, you've served your time from the judicial system, from your peers, which is how it works, and you get out, you deserve to have, you know, a second go at the situation.

[A]

And that is. I was convicted of things I did not do, right? The jury. The jury, like the foreman later said, please let this man out of prison. We didn't know. Others. Others. The people involved in the, in the prosecution said, hey, the man was wrongfully convicted. Right? I was in prison for things I did not do well.

[B]

And that's what, that's what I'm. I understand that. I understand that there was, like, some legalities that, you know, I use the Rubik's Cube, okay? Because, like, you're like, sitting here trying to Rubik's Cube your life, and then you're. If you were to try to Rubik's Cube your case, which I'm not a lawyer, but I'm going to pretend to be one for just a moment, you had, you know, been hit with some things that just automatically got put on your case by, like, the prosecutor of the state for the case, right? Like, they just, like attached, like forced. I mean, like, you know, how come they accused you of these things and stuck you with it at the time? Well, you know what I mean, because you were, like you said, after the fact, it should be a misdemeanor, you know, accessory after the fact.

[A]

That.

[B]

But there was some statutes that just automatically played on you, didn't they? Isn't that how they put it?

[A]

It was just false.

[B]

You had a go.

[A]

They convicted me on a false narrative. It wasn't about what was true. It was about what Billy Brown told them in a. In a point in which he felt like I broke the seal code and therefore I deserve anything that he did I should go down for. He tells him a story, they use that story as the, as the theory of the crime. It wasn't true at all. And that's how they convicted me. It was wrong.

[B]

So he just fabricated the situation to pull you into the web, you know, from what you've. From what you've just told us, okay. Versus what they charged you with. That's all from his own spider web of BS that he wanted to put out there and pull you into it. Because if he's going down, by hell, you're going down with Him.

[A]

All you gotta do is ask him. He'll tell you. You know, he. He became a Christian back in 1999. He confessed to his. His lawyer and to his family. I didn't find out until 2002. Right. And I went on, yeah.

[B]

Oh, wow, that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Wow. So you didn't find out about his confession?

[A]

I got transferred to a different prison here in Virginia. And it was shortly after I arrived. Within a day or two, some guy approaches me and he says he knew who I was. And he said, God has great things in store for you. I was Christian brothers with Billy Brown. He is a changed man, and he has confessed to his family and he's confessed to his lawyer of what actually happened. Right. So from that point, I, of course, called my mother and she found an attorney to go find him where. What prison he was at and to try to get a taped confession from him, which they. They eventually did. And since then, he's just told the truth about what happened, Right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, Just like what you were describing happened. He corroborates what you talk about now, like if, you know. Yeah, but at the time, he was just so scattered and just like, whatever.

[A]

I think he still feels like that I was wrong for. For telling the authorities what happened.

[B]

Well, how about you think that he's wrong for what he did?

[A]

Man has got issues.

[B]

How about your. How about your opinion? Yeah, who cares about his opinion anymore? Okay.

[A]

You know, my hatred for this guy has not subsided an ounce. If you were in my shoes, I don't know, seeing what. What I went through to see what he did to this young lady and put me in that position and what he has done to me and my family for 31 freaking years. Your. Your hatred toward this guy would not diminish at all either.

[B]

Well, it's just not your family. It's her family.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[B]

Okay. So, I mean, like, he's. He has crossed all sorts of spectrums of, Of.

[A]

Of violations, wickedness, maliciousness.

[B]

Okay. Yes. Okay. And so, I mean, like. Yeah, well, I'm glad he found something in 96, man. I don't know what. Whatever religion, whatever. He found 99. Whatever he found in 99. Okay. But it was a little late in my opinion. You know, I think. I think seals would find that in the. In hell week.

[A]

Yeah, he's never supposed to been there.

[B]

And, you know, there are people who are in the job in the military. You look at them, you're like, how'd you get this gig? And why am I not How, How'd this guy make it? It's like, how do you get, you know, did this guy just run 17 miles like I did? How did he do that? He's, you know, £25,000 more than me or something. It's like there's so many different variables. People are in their life for a reason. You've been put in this life, in this situation for a reason. Whatever that reason is to be discovered, whether it's that you're good at being regimented in your life.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Whether it's like you go do what you're told and then you go and still just continue to do what you're told, or whether you have a lot of remorse. I kind of feel that from you. You know, I was. I just wanted to have a real conversation with you about this and just, you know, let it be known that I feel like you are remorseful about the circumstances. And what would you do? A geostorm is like. It's a storm, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Was it red?

[A]

Silver.

[B]

Silver. Okay, so you had a silver geostorm, two doors and then the rear slant hatchback which lifts up. You have to like pop the hatch up to get in sometimes. Okay, so I'm six, four, six, five. I've been in a geostorm. Okay, So I get it. You know, usually they're five speed. Okay. So you have like a stick and it's like. Was yours five speed? So you have this console in the center of you right here. I mean, it's just, it's a small vehicle. Okay. And no room to really maneuver except, you know, from the back seat. And I just. That sticks with me so much in the story than most of anything else is the inside of that vehicle. Because I've rode in a Honda CRX, okay. I've rode in a Mazda 6, you know, two door coupe, the Mazda, you know, I rode in a Geostorm. And if you're in the backseat of those cars, I just. And that's why I blame alcohol, man. You know, a lot of these soldiers out there, you know, they're taking their lives these days and, you know, and I just blame alcohol first and foremost. Not so much. It's trying to. It's like alcohol makes you do stupid things, right? I don't hear the stoner out there doing that. You know, it's alcohol that makes people do this stuff.

[A]

And just so you know, Jennifer and I did have a drink or so, but we were not drunk.

[B]

You know, there's a difference of like dating and like going out and meeting and trying to like, do what guy and girls? I've been to the club. I've, you know, a whole nine yards. My wife and I hung out together, you know, we've been out. I get it. Having a normalcy of a normal life is normal. Okay? Homeboy takes it too far.

[A]

That's an understatement.

[B]

Oh, I already. That's my sense. That's my sense. Okay? And what I'm trying to say earlier is like, you should have a second chance at life. You've put in 31 years of your life into like, I want to say solitary, but literally into confinement. Okay.

[A]

For 31 years.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. It's just another kind of grave. Okay. And you know, I would imagine, you know, It just consistently replays in your mind. Okay. And how could it not? And I'm sure that that whole time when you're there, it was just, you know, you had nothing but, you know, to repent for yourself and saying, I'm just going to be the best I can be whenever I can be the best me possible.

[A]

I'll be honest. I was myself. I was myself in prison. I was myself before prison and I'm myself today. And I still held on to my values, you know, my virtues and my morals and, you know, I got through that ordeal. Prison was hell is hell. You know, I went through hell week. That was a week. 31 years or something different?

[B]

Something different.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Well, I appreciate you being so organic with me.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I appreciate it.

[B]

Excuse me, I'm choking up a little

[A]

conversation, you know, and allow me to talk about my story and what exactly happened.

[B]

Yeah, well, there is, you know, at free Dusty Turner on the social medias, if you want to learn more about Dusty, you can go to F3 Dusty Turner and, you know, hear the story more. Hold on one second. I'm just choking a little bit. I'm a little choked up. It was a. I dug deep on this for you. I just want you to know that.

[A]

What are you drinking there? Should I ask?

[B]

It's water.

[A]

Excellent.

[B]

It's good old quality H2O, you know what I mean? And, well, I guess I want you to have a good time outside and enjoy the amenities that are out here, you know? You know, get to know.

[A]

I'm just gonna add that I obviously see life a bit different now. Right. Probably a lot different. And I have a very unique perspective.

[B]

I get it. I feel it.

[A]

So right now in the day, living in a moment, I'm enjoying every little thing. I mean, you can't imagine every little. I mean, Every little thing, which is, which is new. It's just something different for me that I haven't had in 31 years. Every little thing, man, when I jumped in a pool the other day and it was the most glorious thing I've felt maybe in my whole life, just jumping in a pool, you know, and. But little things, I don't take any of it for granted, you know, because I didn't have it for 31 years. I didn't know if I'd ever get out, you know, so. And also, I'll add that my fight's not over. My parole was a great step and is to be around my family and good friends and I have such a huge support system and, you know, my advocates were just awesome. But my fight's not over. This is not justice. You know, this is not the truth. Me being convicted of crimes I didn't commit, that's not, that's not right. It wasn't right that I spent 31 years in prison for him. So. So I'm still fighting and I'm going to continue this fight is as long as it takes.

[B]

Well, just keep your nose clean. Yeah. You know, and, you know, get yourself something, some work going and just continue to be the best. Be the best you. And everything that you put into the seals is still in you. All the determination, all the passion, anything you thought about that you could do the best of while you were sitting there chilling in your cot, you could still do those things. Okay. Just remember that you can still do those things and don't worry about what other people think about you. Just continue. Just, just, just be you. Be the best you. And. And again, I, I just, you know, just be the best you.

[A]

Okay. And one last thing perhaps is I'm probably going to be working with some justice involved veterans moving forward. There's a great organization who's offered me a position and I'm probably going to be working for them here very shortly and to see what I can do in that space with justice involved veterans. As you know, I have a lot of experience in that department.

[B]

Well, yeah, you've had to become like your own advocate attorney. You know, you've had to reach. I mean, you've had 31, 30 years of reading probably law books. Imagine.

[A]

You might imagine, I read a lot.

[B]

Hundreds, I would imagine. Yeah. Did I mention the book club earlier? I can only imagine what book you read a million times. Okay. So, you know, it's like, anyhow, we're pretty chill around here and I appreciate you for coming on the show. And having this conversation, and I like your look. It's a nice. I feel like kindred spirits. Yeah, bro. Okay. You know. You know, I feel like we could have played contra together or Zelda and, like, you know, the beginning of Mortal Kombat 2. You know what I'm saying? And like, Mortal Kombat, you know, when they're sub zero. Right? I mean, like, bro, like, that's. That's, you know, we could have threw the baseball. I played first base. You know, we could have, like, you know, that whole thing. Bro, I just want you to know that I. I like you. Sorry. You were in a situation that is tough for me to put into words.

[A]

I understand.

[B]

Respectfully, because I understand. And again, I'm not trying to, like, continue to put the name out there, but I just want to say, you know, the loss of just Jennifer Evans is a sad thing.

[A]

Extremely sad.

[B]

And, you know, and. And, you know, on behalf of her, I'm just making sure her name's out there, you know, and not forgot. So thank you. And with that said, I'm going. I've had you for an hour, and I'm sure that we can keep going back and forth about it, but I'm gonna let you get back to your day and, you know, thank you for being on Soft Rep Radio with me to talk about the situation that you were in. And, you know, and it's Dusty Turner, you know, where you can check him out on social, you know, reach out if you're wanting to, you know, touch base with him or anything like that. And on behalf of myself and my main man, my editor in chief, guy, this was for you, bro. Okay? I got you and B Web and my producer Callum, and everybody on the back end. And to you, my listener, that and to the new listener. Thank you. And if you've told a friend to come listen, that's even cooler, right? So feel free to do that. I'm a different kind of cat and I just want to say Meow. All right, so on behalf of everyone here at Soft Rep Radio and on behalf of Dusty Turner and his people, Aaron with the same name as Aaron. Great name. Okay, this is rad. It's true story. Say it.

[A]

All right, appreciate you.

[B]

Bye.

[A]

You've been listening to Soft Rep Radio. This is an Iheart podcast, Guaranteed human.