On October 29, 1987, the body of Annette Ernest, a 26-year-old Black woman, was discovered along the dirt shoulder near Grand Avenue and 106th Street in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally from Louisiana, she was living in Gardena at the time of her death. Her body was found partially nude, and investigators determined that she had been raped and strangled.
The crime scene suggested a violent assault, and the nature of her injuries pointed to a pattern consistent with other unsolved homicides in the area.
Annette Ernest’s murder remained unsolved for many years. However, in the early 2000s, advancements in forensic technology led to a breakthrough. DNA evidence collected from the crime scene was matched to Chester Dewayne Turner, a man who had been incarcerated for an unrelated rape in 2002. Turner, born in 1966, had a history of criminal behavior and had spent time in various homeless shelters and missions throughout Los Angeles. His DNA was entered into California’s Combined DNA Index System which ultimately linked him to multiple unsolved murders, including that of Annette Ernest.
Turner was identified as a serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least 14 women and one unborn child between 1987 and 1998. The victims, including Annette Ernest, were predominantly Black women, many of whom were found in South Los Angeles. Turner’s modus operandi involved sexual assault followed by strangulation, often leaving the victims partially nude in secluded or abandoned areas. The investigation revealed that Turner had operated within a specific corridor in Los Angeles, and his crimes went undetected for over a decade due to the transient nature of his lifestyle and the marginalized status of many of his victims.
In 2007, Chester Dewayne Turner was convicted of ten murders, including that of 26-year-old Black woman Annette Ernest, and sentenced to death. Subsequent investigations linked him to additional killings, and in 2014, he received another death sentence for four more murders. Turner’s conviction also led to the exoneration of David Allen Jones, a mentally disabled man who had previously been wrongfully convicted for three of the murders now attributed to Turner. Jones had served 11 years in prison before DNA evidence cleared him of the charges.
The case of Annette Ernest stands as a tragic example of a young Black woman whose life was taken by a serial predator. Her death, once a cold case, became a pivotal piece in exposing one of Los Angeles’ most prolific serial killers.
