In the early morning hours of May 23, 2021, the life of 35-year-old Ashley Walker was tragically cut short in Independence, Missouri. She was discovered alongside Billy Davis inside a bullet-riddled SUV that had crashed into a parked car behind a house on Huttig Avenue. Both Walker and Davis had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to their injuries at the scene.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led authorities to 44-year-old Steven Turner Jr.
of Higginsville. Turner was reportedly a friend of Walker's but had an ongoing dispute with Davis. According to court documents, Turner received a phone call tipping him off to Davis's location that morning. He then proceeded to the area and fired 17 shots into the SUV. Turner later claimed he was unaware that Walker was also inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting.
Law enforcement apprehended Turner at an apartment in Kansas City, where he attempted to dispose of the 10mm Glock handgun used in the killings by throwing it out of a third-story window. The weapon was recovered by detectives, and ballistics testing confirmed it was the same firearm used in the murders. Further investigation revealed that the shell casings from the scene matched those found at five other shooting incidents in the area, including a homicide that occurred in September 2020.
Initially, Turner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action. In an interview with police, he admitted to the killings, stating that another man had threatened his girlfriend and wanted Davis dead. In April 2025, Steven B. Turner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree involuntary manslaughter, and armed criminal action. His sentencing was scheduled for July 7 of the same year.
