In the Homewood North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, a late-night argument on March 7, 2025, shattered the peace of a shared residence and ended in tragedy. Therreus Lindsey, a 27-year-old male, was fatally shot inside the Mount Vernon Street home where he lived with his identical twin brother, Darius, and their mother. The dispute began around 11:30 p.m.
when their housemate, 36-year-old Preslin Turner, who lived on the third floor, came downstairs and confronted the family, accusing someone of having been in his room.
The verbal confrontation quickly escalated into a physical fight between Turner and the Lindsey brothers. According to Darius Lindsey's testimony, he and his brother stepped in after Turner disrespected their mother. The altercation was brief but intense, with Darius admitting to putting Turner in a chokehold before his brother, Therreus, told him to let go. The fight then ceased. What happened next became the central point of contention. The prosecution and the victims' mother stated that after the fight ended, Turner went to his upstairs room, retrieved a handgun, and returned with a murderous intent. He then shot Darius in the back as he was walking away. As Darius fled the house, Turner turned his attention to Therreus, shooting him. A witness reported that Turner stood over Therreus and shot him a second time as he lay face down on the floor. Therreus Lindsey was pronounced dead at the scene, while his brother was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
Preslin Turner, who also called 911 claiming he had been assaulted, was taken into custody at the home, where police recovered a gun from him. His account of the events differed significantly. He claimed the Lindsey brothers had jumped him and that he had been choked to the point of nearly losing consciousness. Turner's defense argued that he acted in self-defense, a right protected under Pennsylvania's stand-your-ground law. He testified that he already had his gun on him during the physical altercation and fired after breaking free from the chokehold because he was in fear for his life. He claimed that after shooting Darius once, Therreus ran at him with a silver object, prompting him to fire twice more. A screwdriver was later found under Therreus Lindsey's body by investigators.
Turner was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person. During his trial in March 2026, the prosecution argued that this was not a case of self-defense but a deliberate act of murder. The deputy district attorney emphasized that the fight was over when Turner chose to use deadly force, shooting both unarmed men in the back. The act of shooting Therreus a second time as he was already down was described as an execution. On March 11, 2026, a jury rejected the self-defense claim and found Preslin Turner guilty of first-degree murder. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
