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CBS 48 Hours will delve into the strange case of Matthew Trussler and Melissa Turner, which started with a night of drinks and ended with a bloody crime scene. The synopsis for the episode, titled Melissa Turner's Closing Act, reads:
"A cosplay actor finds herself in the spotlight when she's accused of murdering her boyfriend. Can she convince a jury it was self defense?"
In February 2022, former Cosplay model Melissa Turner was found guilty of second-degree murder for savagely stabbing her boyfriend Matthew Trussler in the back at their Tampa, Florida, home.
She then called the cops, pretending to have no recollection of the incident, and eventually said during her trial that her actions were part of self-defense.
According to reports, in March, Turner was given a 20.5-year sentence and is currently serving time at the Lowell Correctional Institution, a mixed-security facility in Florida's unincorporated Marion County.
Former Florida-based cosplay model Melissa Turner claimed she stabbed boyfriend in an act of self-defense
Melissa Turner, a well-known Cosplay model, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend Matthew Trussler. Turner, however, asserted that she was the wronged party during her sentence, claiming that Trussler mistreated her and had a lot of demons.
On October 17, 2019, she alleged that he assaulted her first and that she retaliated by stabbing him in self-defense.
According to Fox 13, Melissa Turner testified at her high-profile trial, saying,
"I loved him, and I didn't want to do that to him. The last thing that he wanted, he always tried to hide his drinking, his mental health, and how depressed he was he tried to hide it from everyone the last thing that he would want for the world to know any of it."
Law & Crime reported that Turner, 29, claimed that she stabbed her 25-year-old boyfriend in self-defense. After a day and night of drinking, Trussler abruptly woke her while she was asleep, which led to an argument.
During the argument, which soon turned physical, he allegedly strangled her, flung her across the counter, and reached for a knife. Turner then took the knife off and stabbed Trussler in the back.
Turner testified in court that she believed Trussler was "going to kill me" and that she grabbed the knife when he put it on the table to strangle her again. She also discussed Trussler's drinking problems.
That night, his blood alcohol content was about five times the Florida legal limit. She also spoke about his unusual behavior, saying:
"He would stare off at some corner … and he would tell me that 'there's a demon standing right there.'"
Turner claimed she could only recall stabbing Trussler once in the back, but couldn't recall how many wounds he had all over his body.
Back in October 2019, Melissa Turner reportedly waited four hours after stabbing her boyfriend to call 911, and when she did, she informed the operator that she had found Trussler's dead body on their back patio.
Investigators soon found surveillance footage from a neighbor's CCTV camera in which a woman's voice could be heard reportedly shouting "I hate you" and "f*****g die." Turner was also captured on camera shattering a glass and screaming, "so f*****g arrogant, I hate you." They eventually got a confession out of her.
Where is Melissa Turner now?
At the end of a week-long spectacular trial in February 2022, a jury found Melissa Turner guilty, on the basis that Matthew “was gonna die; she knew it, and yet she called nobody."
On March 18, 2022, Melissa was sentenced to 20.5 years in prison and according to reports, is currently serving time at the Lowell Correctional Institution, a mixed-security facility in Florida's unincorporated Marion County. Her current release date is April 27, 2042.
