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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 murder, 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 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. Alberi was chief deputy prosecutor in Dustin's trial. Before his death, he confided in his daughter 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. 

For more than 30 years, Dusty Turner was incarcerated in Virginia's Department of Corrections. During that time, he was a model prisoner, created and lead many progressive programs to improve the conditions inside the prison system, as well as advancing restorative justice causes. Here is a list of Dusty's achievements. Keep in mind, these accomplishments were completed BEFORE Dusty became parole eligible.

In 1997, Dusty was processed out of Virginia Beach jail and into the prison system

Buckingham Correctional Center
1997 - 2000:

• Completed a Spanish correspondence class through Indiana University
• Worked as teacher's aide, tutoring pre-GED and ESL students
• Awarded the Most Valuable Tutor award

2000 -2002:  Southhampton Correctional Center                

• Worked as teacher's aide, tutoring pre-GED and ESL students

2002 - 2006: Augusta Correctional Center

• Worked outside on recreation yard maintaining equipment

2006 - 2012: Powhatan Correctional Center

•  Granted the opportunity to learn leatherwork in Arts & Crafts and created many gifts for friends and family
• Mentored at-risk youth as an associate member of the Vietnam Veterans of Americans chapter #682 (the only incarcerated chapter in Virginia)
• Enrolled and graduated in Brick Masonry vocational course
• Volunteer work with photography project and refereed in sports
•  Enrolled in AutoCAD

February 2012 (Keen Mountain) - July 2012 (Pocahontas Correctional): Transferred TWO more times, having been in 4 institutions in one year.

2012 - 2017: Green Rock Correctional Center

• Continued with AutoCAD class
• Developed and submitted proposal "Turn Green Rock Green" for various recycling/sustainability projects, some were adopted by the institution
• Wrote and submitted an article "Religious Diversity" espousing the rehabilitative benefits of religion on correctional environment and the need for greater spiritual opportunities for incarcerated population
• Due to exemplary behavior, he was accepted into 'Honor's pod' living area
• Achieved OSHA 10 certification
• Given first recycle job to organize and implement the program.
• Created recycling posters using CAD software
• Co-created & submitted "Dogs on the ROC's" proposal to bring dogs for inmates to train, which was later adopted
• Worked as lead dog trainer for 3 years.
• Co-created and submitted "Charity Fundraiser" proposal by selling doughnuts to inmate population. Money was raised for local domestic violence shelter
• Graduated AutoCAD vocational class
• Achieved the “OSHA 10” certification
• Co-designed “Bridging the Gap,” a graphic poster with detailed description for the Crime Victims’ Rights Week Poster Challenge. 
• Launched “RJBehindTheWire,” an organization developed to help bring restorative justice programming into juvenile and adult correctional facilities
• Graduated Virginia Tech’s “Victim Advocacy” course
• Co-created “Discovering Restorative Justice: A Convocation for Community Action and Offender Accountability,” a one-day event featuring guest speakers and integrated workshops, designed to bring community members and offenders together in correctional centers. This was presented by RJBehindTheWire representatives at the VADOC headquarters in Richmond, Virginia 
• Selected to participate in the first dialogue with the Victim Services Unit regarding the Victim Impact program, Listen & Learn
• Co-developed and submitted “Bags for BARKS: Turning Waste into Cash for GROC’s Favorite Charity,” a recycling program using discarded items which generally end up in the landfill
• Developed the first revised curriculum of the “Mending Fences” program

2017- 2024  Greensville Correctional Center

• Enrolled and graduated the Horticulture program
• Obtained the position in the Horticulture Center as "teacher's aide
• Gave the commencement speech for those graduating Greensville vocational programs
• Updated the Horticulture center's climate control and irrigation system
• Developed and submitted a proposal for a water containment system
• Created the first veteran therapeutic horticulture program in the nation

2024 - 2025  Pocahontas State Correctional Center

• Accepted into the Good Living Unit 
• Selected to be a dog handler in the SCAR / Second Chance at Re-entry Dog Training Program
• President of the Veteran's Support Group
• Peer Mentor

 2025 - Transferred to Buckingham Correctional Center

 

In October 2025, the Virginia Parole Board under the previous administration voted to grant parole, though the decision was formally certified only after a public hearing on January 7, 2026.

January 7, 2026:  The votes to release Dusty on parole are certified during a public hearing of the Virginia Parole Board under the previous administration. 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."

 January 9, 2026:  Dusty was transferred to Greensville Correctional Center for re-entry programming

 March 5, 2026:  Dusty was finally released from prison on parole. 

Today, Dusty Turner is 51 years old and now can pick up the pieces and start his life over. 

He has spent almost 31 years - A LIFETIME - behind bars for crimes he did NOT commit.  Parole is not freedom and it is not justice for the more than 30 years taken from him. Dusty still carries the burden of the convictions he was wrongfully convicted of, despite a credible confession of the real perpetrator and widespread support and acknowledgement of the fact 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.

To learn more about Dusty's case, please visit Freedusty.com and watch the documentary, Target of Opportunity on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, or Tubi. You can also find him on socials only @freedustyturner: X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.