A grand jury has finally decided to indict Terry Duane Turner, a 65-year old who killed Moroccan citizen Adil Dghoughi in October 2021 in Texas. Turner is accused of murder in the first degree.
The jury’s indictment on Wednesday came five months after the murder, which Turner claimed to be a case of “self-defense.”
The family of Adil Dghoughi lashed out at US law enforcement for the lack of justice to the victim’s plight.
Fatiha Haouass, Dghoughi’s mother, said she could not believe “something like this could happen in America.”
The family is now fighting to emphasize that their son is a victim, not a “criminal.”
The family said that Adil Dghoughi is being treated like a “criminal in this case.”
KVUE investigative reporter Tani Varma said that law enforcement issued five search warrants against Dghoughi following the murder, while only one search warrant was filed against Turner.
“Officials also performed a toxicology report on Dghoughi but not the shooter,” KVUE added.
The killer was not arrested until 11 days after the fatal shooting after he received an arrest warrant and turned himself in.
The family of Dghoughi was shocked to see him released from jail hours after the arrest.
In his statement to the police, Turner attempted to present the murder as a case of “self-defense.”
He claimed he noticed a vehicle parked next to his pickup in front of his house.
He claimed that he ran to his bedroom to take his handgun and checked whether Dghoughi’s car was still there.
Turner claimed that Dghoughi’s car began to rapidly accelerate in reverse,” and Turner chased after it.
He also claimed that he struck the driver’s side front door twice with the handgun and fired a bullet.
He claimed he then returned to his house to call 911 where he claimed Dghoughi “tried to pull a gun” on him and he shot.”
Adil Dghoughi family, however, emphasized that their beloved relative was lost and pulled over for directions.
Police could not find any evidence that Dghoughi was carrying a gun with him. The police did not find a gun in his vehicle.
“We want people to know that this wasn’t self-defense. It doesn’t have anything to do with self-defense. Some people use self-defense law to justify their racist killing,” said Adil Dghoughi’s brother Othmane Dghoughi,
The brother also explained how Adil Dgoughi was a peaceful person so caring that he couldn’t even kill a small animal.
“He was a great guy. He loved animals, doing outdoor stuff, especially kayaking and swimming. He loved animals. Sometimes he would take ants from the way so that people wouldn’t kill them,” he said.
Read Also: Stand Your Ground Laws: A Legal Excuse for Racist Killings in the US
