On December 15, 1978, 12-year-old white female Patti Huling was murdered in her family's home near Clearwater, Minnesota. Patti was one of four children living with her mother, Alice Huling, in a rural residence in Stearns County. In the early morning hours, an intruder entered the home and carried out a brutal attack that claimed the lives of Alice and three of her children: Susan Wayne and Patti.
The only survivor was 11-year-old Billy Huling, who managed to escape by pretending to be dead after the assailant fired two shots at him and missed.
According to Billy's testimony, he was awakened around 4:00 a.m. by noises from the kitchen. He heard muffled sounds and a gunshot before a man entered the upstairs bedroom he shared with Wayne. The intruder, described as of medium build and wearing a stocking cap, shot Wayne with a shotgun. He then proceeded to the bedrooms of Susan and Patti, shooting each girl in the head. Both died instantly. The gunman returned to Billy's room and fired twice more, missing both times, before fleeing the scene. Billy waited several minutes before running to a neighbor's house for help.
Four days later, on December 19, Wright County authorities arrested a man named Joseph Donald Ture Jr. at the Clearwater Travel Plaza after he was reported for harassing waitresses. Ture was found driving a stolen vehicle, and a search of the car revealed a metal bar, a ski mask, and a toy Batmobile. The metal bar was later linked to a bruise found on the body of 38-year-old white female Alice Huling. The toy car resembled one that Billy said had gone missing from the house. Although Ture was initially arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, he was interviewed by investigators regarding the murders but released without charges.
Over the years, Ture remained a suspect. In 1981, while incarcerated, he allegedly confessed to fellow inmate Toby Krominga, who claimed Ture dictated a written confession detailing the murders. Ture denied the confession, stating he had signed blank pages. In 1998, another inmate, Randall Ferguson, reported that Ture had again confessed, boasting about the psychological impact on Billy and referencing the toy car. These statements led to a grand jury indictment in 1999.
In 2000, Joseph Ture was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder for the killings of 38-year-old white female Alice Huling, 16-year-old white female Susan Huling, 13-year-old white male Wayne Huling, and 12-year-old white female Patti Huling. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms. Ture, who had a history of violent crimes including rape and murder, continued to deny involvement in the Huling case, claiming he was framed. Nonetheless, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 2001.
