Valley airman acquitted of killing

The Warren man still faces punishment on theft charges.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An airman from Warren was acquitted Wednesday of killing a U.S. servicewoman, who was beaten and stabbed at a military base in Iceland, to keep her from testifying against him in a theft case.
Airman Calvin Eugene Hill exhaled heavily as the verdict was announced at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. A military jury also found Hill innocent of obstruction of justice.
Hill, 21, of Warren, Ohio, had faced the death penalty if convicted in the death of Airman 1st Class Ashley Turner.
Turner, 20, of Frederick, Md., was found beaten and stabbed in a dormitory lounge at the Naval Air Station in Keflavik, Iceland, on Aug. 14, 2005.
Prosecutors argued that Hill killed Turner because she was set to testify against him eight days later at a court-martial on larceny charges.
Accused in theft
Hill was accused of stealing about 2,700 from Turner by making ATM withdrawals using her card and personal identification number.
Hill's lawyers suggested the killing could have been carried out by others, including Turner's boyfriend. He was facing a court-martial on drug charges, and she knew of his drug use, they said.
A jury of 14 Air Force officers and enlisted personnel deliberated for more than five hours Wednesday. Testimony in Hill's court-martial lasted nearly three weeks. Hill has pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft and still faces punishment for those charges.
Turner's father, Larry Turner, was visibly dismayed as he gathered with his family outside the courtroom.
"We're really disappointed," Larry Turner said. "I'm afraid for society. There's a killer out there. My daughter's dead, and someone did it."
The court-martial was held at Bolling because the Keflavik base closed in September.
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