Life sentence for man who fatally beat girlfriend while her children were nearby in her Medina home

A Minneapolis man received a life sentence for fatally beating his 27-year-old girlfriend while her children were nearby in her Medina home.

Jeremiah Q. Turner of Minneapolis was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court after a judge convicted him last month of first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death on Dec. 29, 2022, of Jasmine Nelson at her residence in the 500 block of Clydesdale Circle.

The life term was mandatory for the first-degree murder conviction. Turner will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

Court records show that Turner’s criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for criminal sexual conduct and domestic assault involving a different girlfriend who was pregnant at the time.

Kari Lynn Schroeder told the Star Tribune that her daughter was a mother to daughters ages 8 and 3 at the time of her death.

“Jasmine was a beautiful soul,” Schroeder said. “She loved to laugh, and her smile was infectious. She was smart, funny [and] resilient and brave, and she never quit trying for a better life.”

According to the criminal complaint:

Police went to the home regarding a medical emergency called in by Turner and saw that a bruised Nelson was unconscious. Medical responders took her to a nearby hospital, where she died.

Turner had blood on his clothes and at first said Nelson was involved in a traffic crash. Officers saw no damage to the two cars in the garage.

Officers did see blood on the floor of the main living area, in the kitchen, in the main bedroom and elsewhere. Diluted blood was present in the shower. They also found what appeared to be a metal holder for toilet paper that was broken and bloodied.

The older of Nelson’s two daughters told officials that Turner and Nelson arrived home, and Turner ordered Nelson to her room. The daughter said Turner took Nelson’s phone during an argument and hit her with a toilet paper holder.