John Wesley Ewell: The 2010 Home-Invasion Murders
Background
John Wesley Ewell was an American serial killer responsible for four murders committed during home-invasion robberies in Los Angeles County, California, in 2010. His attacks took place within approximately one month and targeted people inside their own homes. The victims were restrained, assaulted or strangled while Ewell searched their residences for money, jewelry, bank cards and other valuables.
Before the murders, Ewell had accumulated a long criminal record. His earlier offenses included robbery, burglary, theft and forgery. He had two serious felony convictions that counted as strikes under California's three-strikes law. Ewell later became a public opponent of that law, arguing that another conviction could cause him to spend the rest of his life in prison. Despite this public image, he continued committing crimes and was free on bail when the 2010 killings occurred.
The Murder of Hanna Morcos
Ewell's first known murder occurred on September 24, 2010, at the home of 80-year-old Hanna Morcos in Hawthorne. Morcos was attacked during a home-invasion robbery in the 4100 block of West 137th Street. His hands were restrained behind his back with a window cord, and he was beaten with fists and a blunt object. The violent assault caused Morcos to suffer a fatal heart attack.
A family member found Morcos lying face down inside the residence at approximately 8:30 that evening. His wife was reportedly inside the home during the attack but was not physically injured. Investigators later determined that the fatal heart attack was caused by the stress and injuries of the assault, making his death a homicide.
The Murder of Denice Roberts
On October 13, 2010, Ewell entered the home of 53-year-old Denice Jocquelynn Roberts in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles. The residence was in the 12600 block of South Hoover Street. Roberts was restrained, bound and gagged. Evidence showed bruising around her neck, and authorities determined that she had been strangled during the robbery.
As in the Morcos attack, Ewell searched the residence and stole property before leaving his victim behind. The use of restraints, the attack inside a private home and the theft of valuables established a pattern that investigators later connected to the other murders.
The Murders of Leamon and Robyn Turnage
Ewell's final two victims were married couple Leamon Carrol Turnage and Robyn Elaine Turnage. The couple had recently returned from a trip when Ewell gained entry to their Hawthorne home in the 4100 block of West 142nd Street. He reportedly presented himself as a utility worker or repairman, allowing him to approach the residence without immediately causing suspicion.
Inside the home, Ewell restrained the couple and strangled them. He then searched the residence and stole jewelry, bank cards and other property. Leamon and Robyn Turnage were found by Hawthorne police officers conducting a welfare check on October 22, 2010. Both victims were pronounced dead at the residence.
The stolen property provided investigators with important evidence. Robyn Turnage's bank card was used after the killings, and surveillance cameras recorded a man attempting to withdraw money. On October 23, Ewell was captured on camera while trying to use the card at an automated teller machine near a service station in Gardena. He made little effort to conceal his face, allowing law-enforcement officers to identify him.
Verified Victim Information
- Hanna Morcos, 80: Died on September 24, 2010, during a home-invasion robbery in the 4100 block of West 137th Street in Hawthorne, California. He was restrained and beaten, causing a fatal heart attack.
- Denice Jocquelynn Roberts, 53: Died on October 13, 2010, in the 12600 block of South Hoover Street in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles, California. She was found bound and gagged and had been strangled.
- Leamon Carrol Turnage, 69: Died on October 22, 2010, at his home in the 4100 block of West 142nd Street in Hawthorne, California. He was restrained and strangled during a residential robbery.
- Robyn Elaine Turnage, 57: Died on October 22, 2010, at the same West 142nd Street residence in Hawthorne, California. She was restrained and strangled, and her bank card and other property were stolen.
Arrest and Investigation
Ewell was arrested on October 23, 2010, after investigators connected him to the use of the Turnages' stolen bank card. Surveillance images clearly showed his face. Detectives also examined the similarities among the four deaths, including the invasion of occupied homes, the restraint of victims, attacks involving the neck or upper body and the theft of personal property.
Authorities charged Ewell with the murders of Morcos, Roberts and the Turnages. Prosecutors alleged that each killing occurred during a residential robbery, making Ewell eligible for the death penalty. The case also attracted attention because Ewell had repeatedly received sentences shorter than the possible maximum for earlier crimes. Had he received a life sentence under the three-strikes law before 2010, he would have been imprisoned when the murders occurred.
Conviction and Sentence
For years, Ewell denied responsibility and pleaded not guilty. In January 2013, a grand jury indicted him on four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of residential robbery. The case remained unresolved until May 15, 2019, when Ewell accepted a negotiated agreement and pleaded no contest to all four murders and the related robberies. He also admitted the special circumstance that the killings had been committed during residential robberies.
On July 19, 2019, Ewell was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The agreement removed the possibility of a death sentence but ensured that he would never be released. His crimes remain a disturbing example of predatory home-invasion violence in which ordinary residents were attacked in places where they should have been safest.
