Women Behind Bars NEW EPISODES: Tuesday, May 4

Angela Turner


Inmate Name: Angela Turner Charge: murder Sentence: life in prison Prison: Montgomery Women’s Facility, Alabama Angela Turner was born an only child in Southern Alabama in 1978. Angela’s mother remarried several times and her grandparents helped to raise her. Relatives said she had a fun loving nature but the popular teen’s wild streak led to under age drinking. Tragedy struck Angela when her high school boyfriend was killed in a car accident. Grief stricken, the 17-year-old dropped out of high school. Looking for comfort, she rushed into a marriage two months later and soon gave birth to her daughter, Celeste. The marriage lasted only 16 months and the young mom worked in bars to make ends meet. Dating a string of boyfriends, she gave birth to a second daughter, Myranda, in 1999. That Christmas Eve, she lost another love when her current boyfriend died in a house fire. Grief stricken, the single mother spiraled into alcohol binges and self-destructive behavior brought on by severe mood swings. At age 25, Angela attempted suicide. She was prescribed medication for depression but continued to abuse alcohol on a daily basis. Her behavior became increasingly erratic. After a second suicide attempt, she checked herself in to the Behavioral Medicine Unit at Southeast Alabama Medical Center. It was there that Angela met 18-year-old Antoinette Jobson who went by the name of Toni. The two women struck up a friendship. Toni suffered from depression and sought help at the Medical Center. When Angela was released after three days, she invited Toni to live with her. The two girls stayed together in the home of Angela’s grandfather. According to Toni’s parents, Toni wanted to help Angela and her two little girls. But the one-month-old friendship became strained over Angela’s drinking problem. On Christmas Eve of 2004 Angela and Toni drove to Wicksburg to visit Angela’s friends Rocky McLin and his son, Shane. The day brought back memories of the death of her boyfriend five years earlier, and caused Angela to become depressed. At the McLin’s, the girls sat across from each other, and according to the two men in the room, were arguing about who should drive. Toni wanted to drive because Angela had been drinking too much. Unexpectedly, Angela grabbed a knife that was on the wall of the shed and stabbed Toni in the chest. It happened so quickly that Toni didn’t have time to put her hands up in front of the knife. Angela ran out, and Shane caught up with her and held her down. Angela claims she was running to get help. Toni died en route to the emergency room. In January 2006, Angela went to trial. She was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Angela thinks about what happened every day, and wishes she could do everything all over again.