With prosecutors alleging Scott Turyna opened fire on his wife last year during a domestic dispute in St. Charles, his attorney has asked Kane County Judge D.J. Tegeler to allow Turyna to shoot a gun as part of the defense’s preparations for trial in the attempted murder case, according to a recently filed motion.
Turyna, 66, who now lives in Elburn, is charged with beating his then-wife during a May 2016 attack inside their home and then firing at least five gunshots in her direction after she fled into the streets of their St. Charles subdivision.
Turyna, accused of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery, is free on $1 million bail. Tegeler scheduled a June 5 hearing to consider the gun request, which would require him to modify Turyna’s bond.
A June trial had been scheduled, however it was postponed after a late April hearing at which attorney Robert Motta and Tegeler verbally tussled over Motta’s readiness for trial. Motta said at the time he was seeking an expert to assess Turyna, but ran into complications because of funding issues tied to Turyna’s money being frozen as part of his divorce case.
Recent court documents indicate Motta is still sorting out the expert issue.
Earlier this month, Tegeler sided with the defense in rejecting a prosecution request to present details of uncharged, decades-old domestic abuse allegations against Turyna made by his first wife. The judge did agree to allow the state to present details of the 911 call made after the 2016 shooting, which includes unspecified statements by Turyna’s now-ex-wife and a second woman who was in the vicinity of the gunshots, court documents state.
Turyna’s wife of 26 years filed for divorce shortly after the shooting. A judge granted the divorce in February, but the couple has been back in court amid a dispute over the status of some of Scott Turyna’s belongings, records show.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.