WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge Analisa Sondergaard this week sentenced Mark Turner, 57, of Phoenixville, to 20-40 years in prison for the murder of his 45-year-old live-in girlfriend, Rachel Yeager, in 2018, announced Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan. A jury convicted the defendant of third-degree murder in May 2022.
“This case is a heartbreaking example of domestic violence at its worst. Mark Turner inflicted brutal, painful, and horrific injuries on Rachel Yaeger’s body, which resulted in her tragic death,” said Ryan. “Hopefully, this sentence gives a sense of justice to all those who loved Rachel. We are grateful to all the law enforcement agencies who assisted in this investigation.”
According to information presented to the Court, East Pikeland Township Police responded to a domestic disturbance on Ridge Road in Phoenixville on Nov. 1, 2018, where they found the defendant, who told them he had argued with the victim & hit her. Inside the house, police found the victim unresponsive 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. Police determined he beat her by repeatedly punching the victim in the head 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 trauma.
Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan commended the East Pikeland Township Police and Chester County Detectives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mark Turner. Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei and Deputy District Attorney Justin Roberts prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.