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On January 7, 2026, after 30 years and 7 months of incarceration following a wrongful conviction, Dusty Turner was granted parole. On March 5, 2026, Dusty was finally released from prison. Dusty's long-overdue release marks a milestone in his fight for justice, following three decades of wrongful incarceration driven by a false narrative, ignored evidence, and decisions that prioritized finality over truth. However, parole is not freedom and is not justice for the more than 30 years taken from him. Dusty still carries the burden of the conviction for the crimes he did not commit despite a credible confession of the real perpetrator and widespread acknowledgement that he was wrongfully convicted. His release is a powerful step forward, but the fight is far from over. 

Please stand with Dusty Turner --Sign the petition and support his continued pursuit of full justice and exoneration of the crimes he did not commit.

STORY:

One fateful night in June of 1995 would change Dustin Turner's life trajectory. He witnessed his Navy SEAL "swim buddy" murder an innocent woman. It happened instantly. Tragically, Dusty was unable to save Jennifer Evans. In a moment of panic and misplaced loyalty, he helped Billy Brown cover up his crime. Unable to keep the secret, Dusty confided in his chief warrant officer. His superior officer told Dusty to "tell the police the truth". Without legal counsel, Dusty told the police exactly what happened. When Billy Brown realized Dusty broke the "SEAL code of silence", he implicated Dusty in the crime. Using the lies of the perpetrator, the district attorney created a theory to win a conviction... A Wrongful Conviction!

In 1996, Dustin "Dusty" Turner was wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile. He was sentenced to 82 years without the possibility of parole.

Eighteen months earlier, Dusty Turner completed the nation's most difficult military training: BUD/S Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL. Out of 160 young men who started the rigorous training, only 18 graduated. Dusty was 19 years old, the youngest in the nation who was ready and willing to die for his country. The Navy abandoned Dusty. The Navy did not consider Dusty's presumption of innocence. The Navy did not ask JAG to assist Dusty in his defense. Instead, they handed him over to police and ordered his platoon not to utter his name. "Turner is DEAD to you".

In 2002, after finding Jesus Christ, the actual perpetrator, Billy Brown, confessed he single handedly murdered the victim. In 2008, Brown testified in an evidentiary hearing admitting he lied to police years earlier and that he was the sole perpetrator of the crime. Dusty Turner was first person in Virginia to be granted the Writ of Actual Innocence for non-biological evidence, his convictions were vacated. However, the Attorney General appealed that decision to the full Court of Appeals. The en banc court overturned the lower court's decision based on a NEW theory of abduction by deception - an idea never argued in the original trial. The Supreme Court of Virginia affirmed the en banc decision, and the original convictions were upheld.

People who support Dusty's release:

• Judge Frederick B. Lowe deemed Billy Brown's confession "credible in his assertion that he acted alone in murdering the victim and that Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim"
• Francis Folis Jones - Retired Senior Psychiatrist with the Virginia Department of Corrections concluded after multiple interviews with Dustin Turner that he is one of only two inmates in his 23-year career that he believes to be innocent
• Retired Navy SEAL John Floyd was assigned to investigate the murder of Jennifer Evans in response to a lawsuit against the Navy by her parents. After months of conducting a thorough investigation, he concluded that Dustin had no role in Jennifer Evans murder 
• The foreman of the jury in Dustin Turner's trial, Alan Reed, said "majority of the jury felt that Dustin was innocent of participating in any way with the murder. I do support any action taken on behalf of Dustin Turner. In the hearts of the jury, I'm sure they would say that he has spent enough time in prison and justice has been served"
• Ann Marie Riggs, daughter of Albert Alberi was chief deputy prosecutor in Dustin's trial. Before his death, he confided in his daughter that he did not want to prosecute Dusty.

In 2020 a law was passed allowing those who were convicted between 1995-2000 to be parole eligible. During these years, also known as the Fishback gap, juries were not informed Virginia abolished parole. 

During his 31 years in prison, Dusty Turner became known as a model prisoner, mentor, educator, veteran advocate, restorative justice leader, dog trainer, and program creator. Long before he was ever eligible for parole, Dusty used his time to serve others. He tutored students, completed vocational training, mentored at-risk youth, supported veterans, helped launch restorative justice programs, and created programs focused on healing, accountability, and rehabilitation. Among those efforts, Dusty was asked by Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out to help develop a therapeutic horticulture program. From inside a Virginia prison, Dusty wrote an eight-part curriculum and proposal that was accepted by the warden at Soledad Correctional Training Facility and adopted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in March 2024. The program is the first incarcerated veteran therapeutic horticulture program in the nation.

Dusty’s record during incarceration reflects the same truth his supporters have long known: he is not defined by a wrongful conviction. He is defined by his character, his service, and his continued fight for justice.

In October 2025, the Virginia Parole Board, under the previous administration, voted to grant Dusty parole. The decision was formally certified after a  public hearing on January 7, 2026. During the hearing, board member Carl Phillips Ferguson, a former prosecutor with 47 years of experience, addressed Dusty directly:          

“What I do not believe is that before this murder occurred, you yourself in any way had any agreement with Billy Brown that you were going to do this and abduct her and take her somewhere and do what occurred to her. I believe it was absolutely the truth what Billy Brown said. And for that reason, I believe you have not only served the amount of time you should have served—I believe you served far more time than you should have served.”

On March 5, 2026, Dusty Turner walked out of prison after more than three decades. It was a long-overdue moment of relief, but release is not exoneration.

Dusty is home, but he is not yet fully free. He continues to fight to clear his name, overturn the wrongful convictions that still follow him, and reclaim the justice that was denied to him for 31 years.

Please do not donate through any platforms or accounts claiming to be Dusty Turner. The only official social media accounts are @freedustyturner, managed by Dusty’s advocates.