A Charlottesville man faces the death penalty in Buckingham County for charges stemming from the March 9 shooting of Clarence Maurice Austin, whose body was dumped along a rural road off Route 20. Two other men face life in prison for abduction, robbery and murder charges.
Theodore Calvin Timberlake of Charlottesville, Claude Lorenzo Booker of Palmyra and Ryan Martez Turner of Charlottesville were seen riding with Austin in a black Crown Victoria along Route 20 in Buckingham County, when the three got out and shot Austin, according to published police accounts. Austin’s body was found along a stretch of road a short distance from the scene.
 Police allege that Ryan Martez Turner, 18, killed a man and dumped his body off Route 20 in Buckingham County. |
All three men fled—Timberlake and Booker turned themselves in to authorities after 10 days, fingering Turner as the shooter. Turner was on the lam for two months before being picked up by U.S. Marshals in Wilmington, Delaware. The area where Turner was found is known for gang activity, U.S. Marshals confirmed. Buckingham sheriffs could not be reached for comment, but have not said whether Turner is a member of the Bloods or any national gang.
A grand jury hearing on June 12 upheld all prosecutor’s charges, according to Buckingham Clerk of Court Malcolm Booker. Turner’s attorneys filed a motion for stay until September 12. The three men’s cases will be heard separately.
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