LAS VEGAS (Court TV) — A former Playboy model accused of killing a psychiatrist has reportedly entered an Alford plea on a second-degree murder charge, ending a high-profile case in Las Vegas.
Kelsey Turner, a former Maxim and Playboy Italia model, made national headlines when she was arrested in 2019, along with her boyfriend, Jon Logan Kennison.
The pair are accused of fatally beating 71-year-old Dr. Thomas Burchard of Salinas, California. Police reports show Turner and Burchard knew each other for about two years, and he had been helping pay her bills for much of that time.
Their relationship took a turn when police say Burchard traveled to Las Vegas in March 2019 to tell Turner he would no longer pay for her lifestyle. Investigators alleged Burchard and Turner got into an argument that escalated to murder.
Dr. Thomas Burchard (Left) Kelsey Turner (Right)
Turner and Kennison are accused of beating Burchard to death with a baseball bat, then stuffing his body in the trunk of Turner’s Mercedes. Her car was found a few days later on a desert road outside Las Vegas.
In July 2022, Kennison pleaded guilty and was given a sentence of 18 to 45 years in prison.
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Turner reportedly entered an Alford plea on Nov. 9. “An Aflord plea registers a formal admission of guilt towards charges in criminal court, while the defendant simultaneously expresses their innocence toward those same charges,” according to Cornell Law School.
KTNV in Las Vegas contributed to this story. KTNV is an E.W. Scripps Company.
