A 66-year-old man could get between four and 15 years in prison, or probation, for severely beating his wife and shooting a revolver five times in the St. Charles subdivision where they lived in May 2016.
A jury found Scott Turyna, most recently of Elburn, guilty of aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated domestic battery and reckless discharge of a firearm, all felonies. However, jurors on Friday acquitted Turyna of attempted murder, the most serious charge prosecutors tried him for, essentially deciding Turyna did beat his wife and shoot in her direction, but that there was lack of proof that he was trying to kill her.
Turyna had pleaded not guilty to the charges from May 3, 2016, in and outside the couple’s home on Hunt Club Road in St. Charles. The couple has since divorced.
The trial, which began with jury selection Jan. 29, included testimony from Turyna’s ex-wife and neighbors. Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Greg Sams led the prosecution, while attorneys Alison and Robert Motta defended Turyna.
In opening statements, Alison Motta said Turyna did fire a gun after beating his wife, but there was no evidence her client intentionally shot the gun in the direction of another person.
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Turyna’s ex-wife described a man whose drinking had worsened with life changes, including her cancer treatment and inability to work.
She was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2014, and Turyna had to take over many of the household chores she had done during their 27-year marriage, she said. Though she had a jewelry business, she didn’t have a full-time job, and Turyna had retired just a few weeks before the incident.
They fought about money that day in 2016. She took their adult daughter to the airport, then went to downtown Chicago. When she got home that afternoon, Turyna had already been drinking, she said.
For dinner, Turyna grilled chicken and made vegetables. At the table, her chicken seemed undercooked and she offered to put both plates in the microwave, she said.
Shortly after, she said Turyna snapped, yelling and threatening her. She walked away, toward the phone. Turyna hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground, she said.
He sat on her stomach, pinning her arms with his knees, hitting her in the face, and telling her it was the day she was going to die, she said.
The woman said she escaped the house when Turyna got off her to get the .38-caliber revolver from a cabinet.
Former St. Charles District 303 School Board President Steve Spurling and his wife, Diane, were out for a walk with their dog in the Turynas’ neighborhood when they heard a banging noise. On their right, they saw a garage door starting to open. A woman tumbled out. They could see blood on her face.
She ran up the driveway but tripped where it met the sidewalk and fell face-first, the Spurlings both said. Eventually Turyna’s wife started walking north with Diane Spurling. When Turyna fired the first shot, Steve Spurling was standing behind him.
Turyna’s wife ran to a house across the street as Turyna kept firing. Steve Spurling ran at Turyna, tackling him to the ground and knocking the gun from his hands as he was firing the last shot, Steve Spurling said.
Diane Spurling called 911. Steve Spurling said he “just stayed on top of him and waited for the police to come.”
Turyna is next due in court March 23, with Kane County Circuit Judge Donald M. Tegeler Jr. In addition to his sentence, Turyna is now banned from having a gun since he’s a convicted felon and had bond revoked. He remains in custody at the county jail in St. Charles.
Freelance reporter Janelle Walker contributed.
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