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The murder-for-hire plot that led to Michael Turpin's death in 1986 brought the town of Lexington to a standstill. While Michael's body was recovered from a lake at Lexington's Lakeside Golf Course, the motive behind the murder was revealed to be a $60,000 insurance payout.
Michael's wife, Elizabeth Turpin, and her lover, Karen Brown, had paid their co-worker at Superior Nissan dealership, Keith Ronald Bouchard, to have him killed.
The Seduced to Slay episode showcasing the gruesome details of the 1986 murder, titled Three-Ring Murder, airs on January 15, 2024, at 10 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery. Its synopsis reads:
"After a whirlwind romance at college, Michael and Elizabeth marry. But when Michael's body is found on a local golf course, the dark truth emerges."
Five details about Michael Turpin's murder that shocked everyone
1) Michael Turpin was stabbed at least 19 times
Michael Turpin was reported missing by Elizabeth Turpin on the morning of February 3, 1986. Days later, his body was recovered from the Jacobson Park Lake in Lexington's Lakeside Golf Course. His autopsy revealed that he was stabbed at least 19 times in the face and the chest area.
Michael was wrapped in his green bathrobe and covered in two additional blankets before his body was dumped into the lake. The investigators also mentioned that rigor mortis and liver mortis had set in when they found the body.
2) Elizabeth Turpin was romantically involved with her co-worker, Karen Brown
During the investigation into Michael Turpin's murder, Elizabeth Turpin was found to be romantically involved with her co-worker at Superior Nissan dealership, Karen Brown. Karen was also a local drug dealer, and since Elizabeth abused cocaine, the friendship was fruitful to her.
According to a Kentucky.com report, Karen had confessed her feelings for Elizabeth. Elizabeth, however, did not discourage her as she did not have other friends and felt understood by Karen, especially when it came to her lifestyle choices.
3) Elizabeth and Karen paid Keith Bouchard to kill Michael Turpin for his insurance money
Elizabeth and Karen often discussed Michael's murder to get to his $60,000 insurance payout. On February 2, 1986, the duo was smoking cannabis when they found Elizabeth's car parked in a different space than where she had left it. She suspected it to be Michael's doing as he was the only one with a spare key to her vehicle. This fueled her murder plan.
Karen tried to procure a gun from her friend under the excuse of her abusive father being back in town. Upon failure, they headed to their friend Keith Bouchard's trailer at Jessamine County, where they decided upon paring knives as the choice of weapon.
Elizabeth paid Keith and gave him a spare key to her apartment while Karen took off with him to the Turpins' residence.
4) Karen Brown broke down during interrogation and deferred all blame to Elizabeth and Keith
The investigators from the Lexington Police Department received key information from Karen's roommates and obtained a search warrant for her car. After some of her roommates spotted blood in the car, Karen and Keith spent time washing her car on February 3, 1986.
Brown's car was found to be doused in bleach and Michael's blood.
As the two were called in for interrogation, Karen broke down, saying she had only served as the gateway driver in the murder scheme. Alternatively, witness statements and court documents suggest that Karen was less confident than Elizabeth in Michael's murder plan.
Karen suggested she would speak to a friend to have Michael killed only if Elizabeth were serious about her plan. Moreover, court documents showed that even though Karen had pinned down Michael during the stabbings, she was reluctant to put an end to his life.
5) Elizabeth and Karen were denied parole and ordered to serve their life in prison
Elizabeth Turpin, Karen Brown, and Keith Bouchard were convicted on charges of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Keith pleaded guilty in exchange for life in prison with no parole, and he testified against Karen and Elizabeth.
Karen and Elizabeth were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. However, the Kentucky Parole Board denied parole and ordered them to serve their lives in prison owing to the seriousness of the crime, per Lexington Herald-Leader.
