In the spring of 2019, a domestic dispute in a quiet Tonawanda, New York apartment escalated into a tragedy that ended the life of 49-year-old Renee Taschetta. On the evening of April 30th, police were called to the Dumas Place apartment that Taschetta shared with her boyfriend, Mario Turner, Sr. There, they discovered Taschetta had been fatally shot.
The incident marked a grim conclusion to what had reportedly been a history of police visits to the residence.
Initially, Turner, who was 51 at the time, was taken into custody and charged with criminally negligent homicide. However, as the investigation by the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and the Erie County District Attorney's Office progressed, the severity of the charges against him was elevated. A grand jury later returned an indictment for the more serious charge of second-degree murder, reflecting a belief that the shooting was not merely an act of negligence but one with malicious intent.
The legal proceedings that followed painted a somber picture of the final moments of Renee Taschetta's life. After his indictment, Mario Turner, Sr. remained held without bail. His trial concluded in October 2019 when a jury found him guilty of one count of second-degree murder. The conviction carried a significant sentence, and in November of that year, Turner was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 25 years to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend.
