Aurelius B. Turner, a 29-year-old African American man from Cleveland, Mississippi, was brutally murdered on December 9, 1934. Turner was killed in his home by Alonzo Robinson, also known as James H. Coyner, who was a 39-year-old African American man with a disturbing history of criminal behavior. Robinson had previously served time in Indiana for grave robbing and was suspected of other murders.
On the night of the murder, Turner was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper when Robinson
attacked him with an axe and then shot him. Turner's pregnant wife, Louella Turner, was also attacked and killed by Robinson, who mutilated both bodies and kept some of Louella's flesh. Robinson reportedly struck one of the Turners' children over the head but did not harm the other child, who was sleeping in a crib.
Robinson was arrested on January 12, 1935, after authorities traced his letters to his post office box. During the search, police found obscene letters, Mr. Turner's pocket watch, and a packet of human hair and flesh with bite marks in Robinson's possession. The evidence was so disturbing that it drew national attention and required the presence of the National Guard during Robinson's trial.
The trial was a spectacle, with crowds gathering outside the courthouse and authorities fearing potential violence. Robinson was eventually sentenced to death and executed by hanging on March 5, 1935. The case had a lasting impact on the community and even influenced aspects of Thomas Harris's novel "The Silence of the Lambs".
This tragic event shook the small Delta community, transforming their perception of safety and leaving a dark chapter in Cleveland's history.
