U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Bree Kuhn will not face any additional military discipline action after she was found guilty last week of murder.
Kuhn, who was stationed onboard NAS Pensacola, was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder Friday for locking her husband, Collin Turner , in the family garage and then shooting him four times in the back while he was on a recorded phone call with 911.
In an emailed response to the News Journal's questions, an NAS Pensacola spokesperson said, "Chief Bree Kuhn is in the process of being separated from the U.S. Navy and will no longer be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. As such, she will not undergo military disciplinary action."
NAS Pensacola says Kuhn received a general discharge, also known as an "under honorable conditions" discharge.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a general discharge "is appropriate when the service member's service has been honest and faithful, and when the positive aspects of their conduct or performance of duty outweigh the negative aspects of such conduct or performance."
Although a general discharge is a "lesser character of service" than honorable discharge, the recipient is still entitled to all rights and benefits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, a federal law that protects the rights of military members and veterans, according to the Department of Labor.
Following Kuhn's guilty verdict, Circuit Judge James Duncan sentenced her to life in Florida's Department of Correction without the possibility of parole.
What happened between Bree Kuhn and Collin Turner on Sept. 8, 2021?
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office received a 911 phone call from Kuhn at 12:53 p.m. after she and Turner got into a heated argument regarding their three children.
Deputies went to the home, but left after finding no evidence of a physical altercation.
SRSO dispatchers then received a second call at 5 p.m., this time from Turner, but when deputies arrived and found no evidence of physical abuse, they again left the premises.
Turner placed the final 911 call that night at 6:22 p.m., which was played during the trial, telling the dispatcher that Kuhn had locked him in their garage. Turner told dispatchers that his wife "tried to break his arm when he tried to get back in the residence."
A bang was heard during the call followed by Turner yelling, "Ow!"
"What was that?" the dispatcher asked.
"She just shot me!" Turner said. The call then picks up three additional shots followed by silence.
All three of their children were home during the shooting. According to statement made during the trial, the oldest daughter currently lives with her natural father, and the remaining two children live with Turner's parents.
Bree Kuhn's attorneys claim Collin Turner's abuse led to the shooting
Randy Etheridge , Kuhn's attorney alongside James Barnes, told the jury that Kuhn alleges her husband had been abusive since his medical discharge from the Marine Corps, citing his 100% disability status due to traumatic brain injury.
"He had issues with his brain, and you're going to hear Bree say, 'You're unstable. You're a danger to the kids,'" Etheridge said. "We're not talking about a normal person here."
The defense claims that Kuhn suffered mental, physical and even sexual abuse at the hands of Turner that began well before the defendant was stationed at NAS Pensacola.
Hoping to rely on battered spouse syndrome, the defense planned to have Kuhn and psychologist Dr. Julie Harper testify Wednesday, but a quick change in plans led to Kuhn not wanting to testify, leading the defense to not call the doctor to the stand.
Kuhn's older brother, Eric, did testify on her behalf, saying he heard his sister talk about Turner's abuse and heard the shooting over the phone.
"I heard a lot of discourse − Collin screaming, things being hit, at one point he was on the phone with police," Eric Kuhn said on the stand. "I did hear his voice raised a few times, yes, and I heard children crying."
Eric Kuhn testified in open court he knew his sister had a gun during the argument the day of the shooting, but prosecutor Mark Alderman brought up a contradiction during cross examination.
While Eric Kuhn testified to knowing his sister had a gun to defend herself and her kids from Turner, Alderman argued the witness had never made those statements during his police interview in 2021, nor in his Zoom deposition in June 2024.
When asked about the difference in his testimonies, Eric Kuhn said he told investigators about the gun before they began recording his interview, but then he made no mention of it again as not to be "redundant."
Eric Kuhn also testified that technology issues with Zoom arose during his 2024 deposition that caused only his testimony about the gun to be unheard, nothing else.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: NAS Pensacola Chief Bree Kuhn won't face military discipline following murder conviction
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