Tippah County native sentenced to 30 years on murder charge

A local man who was involved in a fatal assault outside a Tupelo restaurant in 2022 has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to court documnets from Lee County.

Timothy Turner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday, Oct. 10, in Lee County. Turner was a resident of Lee County but is a Tippah County native.

Turner was sentenced to 40 years, with 10 years suspended, meaning he will serve 30 years in prison.

The incident occurred on April 16, 2022, in the parking lot of Steele’s Dive on West Main Street.

According to court reports at the time, Turner did not use any weapons when he assaulted KC Cooper at Steele’s Dive, contrary to social media rumors. He struck Cooper over 50 times with his fists, struck him with his feet and slammed his head into concrete. He was being held without bond in Lee County and charged with murder after Cooper died from his injuries.