JOLIET, Ill. (WIFR/WAND) – Prosecutors file court papers to keep a man and woman behind bars. The duo is accused of dismembering 38-year-old Dalewayne Turner and dumping parts of his body in a central Illinois lake.
James Adams, 26, and Robin Turner, 62, of Plainfield, are charged with concealment of a homicide and dismembering a human body. Will County court documents identified James as Dalewayne Turner’s half-brother and Robin as Dalewayne’s wife.
On June 28, boaters found part of a human arm in Lake Mattoon. Investigators identified the body through distinctive tattoos and jewelry.
On Monday, June 29, the day after part of Dalewayne’s arm was found in the lake by boaters, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources found more human remains in trash bags and plastic totes in the surrounding area. Charging documents obtained by WAND claim weights were placed in the bags to try to sink them to the bottom of the lake.
As part of the investigation, detectives used license plate readers and security footage from home improvement stores around the state and claim those videos helped them identify James and Robin as suspects.
Around 9 p.m. June 30, Dalewayne’s brother, Steven Turner, called Joliet police claiming James and Robin admitted to killing and dismembering Dalewayne, and stashing his body in a freezer.
Court documents said attempts to interview James were largely unsuccessful; however, they claim he added, “The one thing I will say is that I did it, but I did it out of self-defense. I will tell you guys that.”
When police interviewed Robin on June 30, she claimed that sometime during the morning of June 21, James and Dalewayne got into a fight over sports cards. Robin said she left the house to visit her mother. She claimed James called her to say Dalewayne was unhappy and left to stay with a friend in Kankakee. She said when she came home, she smelled the faint odor of bleach. Robin told investigators that on June 30 she learned from James that during he and Dalewayne’s fight, the victim fell or was pushed down the stairs after being stabbed. Robin said she believed the body was still in the freezer she had recently purchased.
On July 1, investigators searched the Plainfield home shared by Dalewayne, Robin and James. Authorities said they found more remains belonging to Dalewayne locked in a freezer in the basement. Prosecutors said detectives also found evidence of someone trying to cover up a crime by using bleach, repainting parts of the home, removing wood paneling and carpeting and burning materials in a fire pit.
Police got permission to search Robin’s phone, where they reportedly found a text exchange between her and James discussing equipment to lift something heavy and bleach to cover up smells. Police also checked Robin’s search history which they say showed several searches regarding overdoses of certain substances, freezer questions and whether a body needs to be embalmed.
Will County online court records show detention hearings for Robin Turner and James Adams are scheduled for July 9 and 10, respectively. Both remain in custody and Illinois State Police said additional charges are expected.
WIFR’s sister station, WAND, spoke to Dalewayne’s cousin who said the family was horrified to hear how he died.
“It’s hard to fathom that a person, in general, could even do that to another human being. Let alone someone that you once loved and cared about, and were currently married to, or was your brother,” said Dalewayne’s cousin, Chrystal Mann.
Mann told WAND News that Robin had shared with their family that Dalewayne was in rehab and did not want to be contacted while he recovered.
Mann said their family was shocked to learn Robin and James were arrested. She hopes people remember Dalewayne for his generosity and funny personality. Family has established a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.