WEST CHESTER, PA — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced that a jury has found 57-year-old Mark Turner of Phoenixville guilty of murdering his 45-year-old live-in girlfriend, Rachel Yeager, by punching and kicking her during a domestic dispute in 2018. Turner was convicted of third-degree murder. He will be sentenced later.
“Rachel Yeager died a painful and horrific death at the hands of Mark Turner,” said Deb Ryan, Chester County District Attorney. “This act of domestic violence was particularly brutal given the violent nature of his relentless beatings. My deepest sympathy goes out to her loved ones, and while this verdict doesn’t bring Rachel back, it hopefully will serve as justice and ease their pain.”
East Pikeland Township Police responded to a domestic disturbance on Ridge Road in Phoenixville on Nov. 1, 2018, where they found Turner, who told them he had argued with the victim and hit her. Inside the house, police found the unresponsive victim lying on the couch.
Efforts were made to resuscitate the victim before she was taken by West End Ambulance to Phoenixville Hospital, where she was transferred to the trauma unit at Paoli Hospital. Doctors pronounced the victim dead on Nov. 2.
The investigation showed Turner had drinks after work before returning to the home he shared with the victim. The defendant went to bed, leaving the victim sitting on the couch in the living room. Turner claimed to investigators that he became enraged when he suspected the victim of cheating on him and beat her by repeatedly punching the victim in the jaw and kicking her multiple times in the vaginal area with his steel-toed work boots.
An autopsy showed the victim died of blunt-impact head injury.
Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan commended the East Pikeland Township Police and Chester County Detectives for their work in the investigation. Ryan thanked Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei and Assistant District Attorney Justin Roberts who prosecuted the case.
Feel unsafe? Contact the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County at 888-711-6270 or 610-431-1430 or 911 if you are in immediate danger.
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