Stepfather vows to find son's killer 25 years after his murder

BERKELEY COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - Monday marked the 25th anniversary of Berkeley County's longest unsolved murder.

The victim, Justin Turner was five years old when his strangled body was found in a camper on his family's property on Horseshoe Road in Moncks Corner.

Turner's stepfather was married to his birth mother until she died in 2004.

Russell Pace has never forgotten his stepson.

"I woke up the other morning, March third and saw a picture on an office wall of Justin, and all the memories came flooding back," Pace said.

On March 3, 1989, the kindergarten student disappeared from his home.

"Turned out to be a whirlwind of a day. I was at work, my wife was at work and we got the phone call that he was missing," Pace recalled.

Two days later, the news got worse.

The five year old's father Victor Turner found Justin dead inside a camper on the family's property. An autopsy revealed he had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

"It was just two days of hell actually till they found him," said Pace.

Investigators focused on the victim's stepmother, Pamela Turner.

After a coroner's inquest, a jury recommended Turner be charged with murder. Berkeley County deputies arrested her, but she was eventually released due to a lack of evidence.

For Pace it means there's been no closure.

"It's hard to believe the person who did it can live their life for 25 years and knowing and thinking they got away with it. It's mind boggling," he said.

Today, the property where Turner's body was found is a vacant lot.

But Pace says his stepson's memory will live on forever and he won't give up until his killer is caught and convicted.

"I promised my wife before she passed away that I would continue the battle. She told me not to give up, keep it in the news, just fight the battle for her. That was one of her last requests," Pace said.

The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office says Pamela Turner is still a person of interest. She reportedly moved to the upstate and changed her name.

Officials say the case is still actively being investigated.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 554-1111.

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