Lakeland man sentenced to life for 2016 home invasion robbery/murder in Morriston, FL
On January 5, 2022, Johnny Tadree Turner, 27. of Lakeland, Florida entered an open plea of guilty to the Honorable Judge William Davis, of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, who imposed the sentence of life with the Florida Department of Corrections, on charges of first degree murder and home invasion robbery with a firearm
The trial is the result of a May 2, 2016 home invasion robbery in Morriston, Florida that was investigated by detectives with the Levy County Sheriff's Office. The robbery turned violent and took the life of 31 year-old Francisco De Jesus Soto.
Mr. Turner was identified as the suspect through forensic evidence collected at the scene. He was arrested and booked into the Levy County Detention Bureau on the charges, November 18, 2016, where he's been held without bond since that time.
According to LCSO Lt. Scot Tummond, "This case had numerous aggravating factors which led Judge Davis to impose the sentence of life in prison in the Florida Department of Corrections."
"The decision Turner made to enter his guilty plea was, in part, due to the excellent and exhaustive work my deputies and detectives did during this investigation," said Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum. "The sheer volume of evidence identifying Turner as the murderer was undeniable. The open plea of guilty saved countless hours and the huge expense of a jury trial. We hope that the family of Mr. Soto can now be comforted, knowing that justice has been served."