Ex-Playboy model enters plea deal after doctor’s body allegedly found in trunk
11/11/2022 2:25 pm PST
LAS VEGAS (TCD) -- An ex-Playboy model accused of fatally beating her boyfriend with a baseball bat and shoving his body in a trunk has reportedly entered a plea deal.
According to KSNV-TV, the body of 71-year-old Thomas Kirk Burchard, a California psychiatrist, was found near Lake Mead in March 2019. A baseball bat was also found in the trunk of an abandoned Mercedes-Benz C300, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
The victim had reportedly traveled to Las Vegas to visit Kelsey Turner, 29. The two allegedly had an intimate relationship, and Burchard paid for Turner’s rent in Las Vegas and California.
The victim was planning to end the relationship with Turner and confront her about no longer funding her lifestyle, KTNV-TV reports.
Turner and her then-boyfriend, Jon Logan Kennison, allegedly fatally beat the victim with a baseball bat prior to placing his body in the trunk.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kennison pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder. In July, he was sentenced to a maximum of 45 years in prison.
Diana Pena, who was roommates with Kennison and Turner at the time, reportedly pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in June 2019 in connection with the case. In court, she said she witnessed Kennison swing a bat at Burchard in their home, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Pena allegedly said Turner was upset with the victim after finding suspicious images on his phone.
Turner and Kennison were reportedly planning to bring the victim to the hospital after initially striking him with the bat, but Turner later ordered Kennison to "knock Thomas out."
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Turner made an Alford plea with the District Attorney’s Office, KTNV reports. An Alford plea means Turner will likely be found guilty of second-degree murder but maintains her innocence.
According to KSNV, she faces 10 to 25 years in prison.
Turner remains held in the Clark County Jail and is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on Jan. 10, 2023, records show.
Before the incident, Turner reportedly worked as a model and appeared in magazines such as Playboy Italia and Maxim.
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