What to Know
- In a fit of rage, Mark Turner is accused of using his steel-tipped work boots and fists to beat Rachel Yeager to death.
- “It is not easy to kill somebody with just your fists and feet,” Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said.
- Turner is jailed without bail as he awaits a preliminary hearing on first- and third-degree murder charges.
A jealous handyman used his fists and steel-tipped work boots to beat his girlfriend to death inside their Chester County home earlier this month, authorities said.
Mark Turner is accused of attacking Rachel Yeager after returning to his East Pikeland Township home after a night out at some bars after work on Nov. 1, a criminal complaint said. He had gone up to sleep in bed but went downstairs to confront Yeager, who was wearing a robe and long shirt, because he suspected she was cheating on him.
After waiving his Miranda Rights, Turner told police he repeatedly punched Yeager in the head and used his steel toe boots to repeatedly kick her in the crotch, police said.
“It is not easy to kill somebody with just your fists and feet,” Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said while announcing murder charges against Turner Wednesday. “But the defendant was determined to kill the victim. This is the ugly face of domestic violence.”
Police arrived after receiving a 9-1-1 call about the domestic incident. Turner who led the responding officer to an unresponsive Yeager on the sofa, police said. She died at the hospital the next day.
The coroner ruled Yeager’s death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to her head.
"The defendant does not appear to understand that his girlfriend was not his property," Hogan said. "She was a human being, free to make her own choices, but the defendant destroyed her."
Turner remained jailed without bail on first- and third-degree murder charges Wednesday. It was unclear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
