Former Playboy model Kelsey Turner was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years behind bars Tuesday after accepting a plea deal in Las Vegas.
Turner, 29, was given a sentence of 10 to 25 years for her role in beating psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Burchard, 71, to death in 2019, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Turner previously appeared in Playboy Italia and Maxim before she ended up in an intimate “transactional” relationship with the doctor.
Prosecutors found that Turner had instructed her boyfriend Jon “Logan” Kennison to attack Burchard while he visited them in Las Vegas after the doctor financially supported the model and her child for years, the outlet continued. After beating the doctor to death with a baseball bat, Burchard’s body was left “to rot” in the Mercedes he’d bought for Turner. Authorities discovered it in the middle of the desert, according to KLAS.
Former Playboy model #KelseyTurner was sentenced for her role in the 2019 murder of Dr. Thomas Burchard. Turner received a maximum sentence of 25 years with a minimum sentence of 10 years before she is eligible for parole. pic.twitter.com/7McBOkZ3B9
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) January 11, 2023
Turner and Kennison’s roommate Diana Pena pleaded guilty to accessory to murder, testifying in June 2019 that she helped clean up the crime scene before fleeing to Nevada with the couple, the Las Vegas Review-Journal noted. Pena helped the prosecutors build their case against Turner and Kennison, and subsequently testified against them, according to a KTNV report at the time.
Kennison received an 18 to 45-year sentence after pleading guilty in July 2022. Turner will serve her time at the Nevada Department of Corrections, KTNV reported.