Former Playboy Model Kelsey Turner Pleads Guilty to Killing 71-Year-Old Psychiatrist Found Rotting in Trunk of Car

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Nov 12, 2022 02:50 AM EST

Former Playboy model Kelsey Turner accused of beating a 71-year-old psychiatrist to death in Las Vegas has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

According to Clark County District Court records, Turner, 29, was arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the March 2019 death of Thomas Burchard of Salinas, California.

Court records showed that the former Playboy model submitted an Alford plea on Wednesday, which means she did not admit to committing the crime. But rather than stand trial, Turner will accept punishment as she understands there is enough evidence to convict her. She is now facing 10 to 25 years in prison.

According to Las Vegas police, Burchard drove from California to Las Vegas, where Turner was living at the time, to end their two-year relationship, during which he allegedly granted her an allowance, including paying her rent, USA Today reported.

Boyfriend, Roommate Help Kelsey Turner Murdered Psychiatrist

Thomas Burchard, a child psychiatrist, died from a blow to the head, and the manner was ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy.

Authorities said Turner and Burchard were very close and had known each other for about two years before the brutal killing and prosecutors believed that the two had an intimate relationship in the past.

People reported that Jon Logan Kennison, Turner's boyfriend at the time, and Diana Nicole Pena, Turner's roommate, were also arrested.

Reports said Kennison pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy in the case. He was handed an 18 to 45-year sentence. On the other hand, Pena pleaded guilty to accessory to commit murder.

Pena, who lived with Turner and Kennison, reportedly told a grand jury that she saw Kennison hit Burchard with a baseball bat inside a Las Vegas home after Turner got angry about pictures and messages she discovered on the victim's phone.

Pena also said in court that Turner and Kennison planned to take the psychiatrist to the hospital after he was hit with the bat. However, the former Playboy model eventually told Kennison to "knock Thomas out."

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Pena also said she saw Turner's former boyfriend covered in blood. Reports noted that Burchard's body was placed into the trunk of Turner's car after he was killed.

Motive of Former Playboy Model Kelsey Turner in Murdering the Psychiatrist

Kelsey Turner is most known for her modeling appearances in Playboy Italia and Maxim. Her Facebook page stated that she was also featured in Modelmania and Conceited Magazine.

Turner earned money by selling images of herself and her modeling work for numerous publications. She is also a mother of two kids. According to a report, Turner, Diana Pena, and Jon Kennison moved into their Las Vegas apartment in 2019.

Turner had been receiving rent and bills from Burchard for a home in California and later for the one in Las Vegas, said Judy Earp, the victim's longtime girlfriend. The $3,200 rent for March 2018 was reportedly fully paid by Burchard.

Sportskeeda reported the two broke up when Burchard stopped paying Turner's rent in 2018. As a result, Turner, her mom, and her two children had to leave their house. Burchard went on the trip so he could talk to Turner about how he would stop sending her money.

Police think he may have been killed on March 3, 2019 because that was the last time his cell phone worked. According to Las Vegas police, a man driving on Silver State Route 147 on March 7, 2019 reported a car parked close to the entrance of Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The car's shattered mirror made onlookers on the street suspicious. Officers arrived at the site and found Burchard's rotting body in the car's trunk.

After the body was found, Turner, Kennison, and Pena were eventually arrested. The former Playboy model will be sentenced on January 10, 2023.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Ex-Playboy and Maxim Model Kelsey Turner Enters Plea in Psychiatrist's Murder - From Law&Crime Network