On a summer evening in Cartersville, Georgia, the life of 38-year-old Clara Renee Ashworth was tragically cut short. On Sunday, June 28, 2020, a violent outburst shattered the quiet of a home on Crump Road, leaving one woman dead and a man wounded. Emergency services started receiving calls about shots being fired around 6:10 p.m. When Bartow County sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered a grim tableau.
The exterior of the residence was riddled with bullet holes, and a large number of shell casings, along with an empty rifle magazine, were scattered in the driveway.
Inside the home, deputies found Clara Ashworth in a corner, unresponsive with apparent gunshot wounds to her face and abdomen. Another individual, Charles Bagley, was found in the bathroom, bleeding from a stomach wound and using a towel to apply pressure. Bagley informed the officers that his cousin, David Aaron Turner, had pulled into the driveway and began shooting with a rifle. Bagley was hit by the gunfire as he tried to flee for cover. A third person in the house, Donna Mills, Turner's aunt, was in her bedroom when she heard the gunfire and her nephew entering the home. She recounted yelling at him to stop, to which he reportedly responded with profanity and continued shooting.
The investigation quickly led to the identification of David Aaron Turner as the suspect. He was later apprehended after his vehicle was spotted on U.S. 41. Turner was taken into custody and initially held on preliminary charges of aggravated assault, with further charges expected. He was subsequently charged with the murder of Clara Ashworth.
In April 2023, David Aaron Turner pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the charges against him, which included murder, aggravated assault with a gun, and aggravated battery. A psychologist's evaluation determined that Turner was mentally ill but competent to stand trial and assist his attorney. During the hearing, Clara Ashworth's sister gave a statement, and Turner also addressed Ashworth's family before the sentence was handed down. The court sentenced David Aaron Turner to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He will undergo evaluations and receive treatment while incarcerated.
