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Why were prior charges against Bowen Turner dropped? Alleged serial rapist gets only 5 years probation

Between 2018 and 2019, Turner allegedly raped three girls in Calhoun, Bamberg, and Orangeburg counties respectively

With the shocking verdict in the case of alleged serial rapist Bowen Turner on Friday, April 8, many are wondering why previous allegations against the teenager were dismissed.

Orangeburg County Judge Markley Dennis sentenced 19-year-old Bowen Turner to just five years of probation despite charges on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct for separate assaults in recent years. Furthermore, the perp will not have to register as a sex offender after serving probation. Chloe Bess, the victim of the June 2019 assault, said she was "extremely disappointed" by the sentence. Dallas Stoller, another alleged victim of Turner's, killed herself in November. 

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Why were charges against Bowen Turner dropped?

Between 2018 and 2019, Turner allegedly raped three girls in Calhoun, Bamberg, and Orangeburg counties respectively. He faced charges in two of their cases until last week. Stoller, who was assaulted in 2018, died in November last year from an accidental, self-inflicted wound at age 20. According to court documents, Turner attacked her just six months after he was accused of raping another girl.

However, prosecutor David Miller dismissed the sexual assault charge in Stoller's case despite the availability of physical evidence, witness testimony, and a sworn affidavit from Stoller herself. According to FITS News, Miller allegedly cited her death as a reason for dropping the case and told her family that he didn't want to waste his or 12 jurors' time on a case "he couldn't win." Devastated father Kirk Stoller told the court, “Dallas attended a party in Bamberg County. She was brought home from the party heavily intoxicated and would ultimately be found to be sexually assaulted later that night.” He said she “made the difficult decision to move forward with the case, all the while knowing because of who her alleged attacker was, she would be a target of personal attacks and insults in the community.”

Turner was out on bond in Stoller's case when he was accused of assaulting another girl Chloe Bess. The allegation came just 41 days after his lawyers successfully argued to have his ankle monitor removed. Court documents state Bess was at a party on June 2, 2019, and went outside to call a friend in the middle of the night. That's when Turner allegedly pulled her behind a truck, pushed her to the ground, took her clothes off, and "forced himself sexually on her." Bess, who was 16 at the time, told police, “I just remember being so petrified, like, I was frozen. I honestly just remember sitting there looking at the stars just praying for it to be done, waiting for it to be over with, so I could run away. … There’s not a day since this happened that I haven’t woken up and thought about it.”

Turner was arrested in the Bess case in June 2019. He was 16 when he was accused of the sexual assaults, but was charged with first-degree criminal sexual misconduct as an adult in both cases. He was later sentenced as a youthful offender. That said, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division also investigated a third sexual assault accusation made against Turner, but the agency did not file any charges ultimately. While details of that case weren't made public, the incident was reported in April 2018 in Calhoun County. However, it's unclear when the sexual assault was alleged to have taken place.