Former Playboy Model Admits To Murder In Former Boyfriend's Death, Faces Years In The Pokey
Kelsey Turner.
Nov. 11 2022, Published 11:51 a.m. ET
A former Playboy and Maxim model accused of murdering her boyfriend submitted a plea deal this week, Radar has learned.
Kelsey Turner, 28, who is accused of killing Dr. Thomas Burchard, a child psychiatrist, in 2019, entered the plea deal on Nov. 9, according to records from the Clark County District Court. Police arrested Turner after Thomas' body was found in a car in March 2019.
According to police, Thomas went to Las Vegas to end a two-year relationship with Turner and to tell her that he was no longer going to fund her lavish lifestyle. Turner and her boyfriend at the time, Jon Logan Kennison, 30, are accused of beating Thomas to death with a baseball bat before putting his body in the trunk of Turner's Mercedes.
Turner's agreement with the district attorney's office was an Alford plea, in which she will accept a second-degree murder charge while maintaining her innocence. Turner is due in court on Nov. 15, according to KTNV.
Kennison pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June and was sentenced to 18-45 years in prison, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Diana Pena, the couple's former roommate who pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder, told the court that she witnessed Kennison strike Burchard with the bat inside their home located at 7474 Puritan Avenue.
The outlet reported that Pena testified that Turner urged Kennison to "knock Thomas out." Pena said she later saw Kennison covered in blood. According to authorities, Burchard died from blunt force injury to the head.
“Dr. Burchard was a psychiatrist in our behavioral health program for almost 40 years and was very helpful to many patients,” Montage Health spokeswoman Mary Barker said in a statement at the time. “It’s a very sad situation and our hearts go out to his family, friends, patients, and colleagues. We are notifying his patients and providing grief counseling for staff.