St. Charles man fit for attempted murder trial in January
A Jan. 29 trial date is set for a St. Charles man accused of shooting at his now ex-wife in May 2016 before he was disarmed by a neighbor.
Scott J. Turyna, 66, who had complained of partial amnesia, also was ruled fit to stand trial after Kane County Judge D.J. Tegeler accepted the findings Friday from a confidential Oct. 23 evaluation and report by the Kane County Diagnostic Center.
Turyna faces charges of attempted murder, reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated domestic battery and others after the episode outside his former home on Hunt Club Drive.
Then St. Charles District 303 school board President Steven Spurling and his wife were walking their dog when they saw Turyna's wife come out of the couple's garage, her face bloodied, and fall on the driveway. Spurling's wife went to comfort the woman, and the two began to walk away. Turyna emerged from the house, pulled out a gun and began firing, authorities said. No one was hit, and Spurling tackled and disarmed Turyna.
Turyna's attorneys drew Tegeler's ire in October when they asked for an evaluation on the eve of trial, saying they had a doubt their client was fit for trial because he couldn't remember the events preceding the final shot and was therefore unable to assist in his defense.
Turyna has been on GPS and alcohol monitoring since he posted $100,000 bond in summer 2016. He has not had any severe bond violations since then, but his now ex-wife has said she fears for her safety if Turyna is removed from GPS.
Because of budget woes, the county board is eliminating the GPS monitoring of some defendants.
Turyna is due in court Dec. 21 for Tegeler and attorneys to agree on a plan that would monitor Turyna without having to send him back to jail.
"I'm really not looking to detain him because he's obeyed (bond conditions) basically for a year and a half," Tegeler said.
If convicted of the most severe charges, Turyna faces a minimum prison term of 26 years.