Danny Turner was convicted of first-degree murder in 1992 for the 1991 poisoning death of his Checotah High School classmate, Jerry Don Hurst.

Turner was convicted and sentenced by a McIntosh County jury to life with the possibility of parole.

Co-defendant Quincy Scott pleaded guilty to second-degree murder days after Turner’s conviction.

Scott spent 18 years in prison until his release in March, 2010.

According to court documents, in August 1991, Danny Turner stole potassium cyanide from a school chemistry lab, later mixed it into a drink and gave it to 19-yearold Jerry Don Hurst during the second week of Hurst’s senior year of high school. Hurst died as a result.

For more than 30 years, Hurst’s sister, Delicia Hurst, has opposed Turner’s parole at each eligibility date. Turner was most recently denied Phase I parole in November 2024. Believing she would not face another hearing until 2027, Delicia anticipated a three-year reprieve. Instead, Turner applied for commutation in 2025 and was advanced to a Phase II hearing scheduled for March 9–10 before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board in Oklahoma City.

A commutation reduces the severity of a sentence and is intended to address punishments considered unjust or excessive, not to function as an early release mechanism.

Hurst maintains the sentence was just and fair and says she will again attend the hearing to deliver a victim impact statement and oppose any reduction.

“While I must write protest emails and speak at hearings to oppose Turner’s parole — and now his commutation — doing so forces me to relive the horrific details of my brother’s death each time,” Delicia said. “A first-degree murder conviction and a life sentence with the possibility of parole is not the end for victims’ families. It is the beginning of a long, arduous, and emotionally devastating journey. As painful as it is to revisit the past, in order to fight Turner’s release, I do it to honor my brother’s memory, uphold justice, and protect the community from a dangerous man.”