Clemency denied for Robert Turner

 

By ERIN SANSON
Enquirer~Democrat Reporter

Robert Turner, the man convicted of raping and killing 16-year-old Bridget Drobney in July 1985, had his petition for clemency rejected by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Turner’s petition was one of many the Illinois Prison Review Board heard over a three day period in January. His case was initially set to be heard in the summer of 2022 but was pushed back after the Drobney family said they had not received notice of the hearing.

Drobney’s family members were present at the clemency hearing, advocating against Turner’s release. Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison and former State’s Attorneys Edward Rees and Vince Moreth wrote letters to the Prison Review Board also requesting clemency be denied. There was also correspondence from online communities and a petition on change.org to deny clemency.

In a letter dated Feb. 7, it was announced Pritzker denied Turner’s request for clemency and an executive pardon. The letter stated that the board does not disclose the reasoning behind granting or denying clemency but that the petition and the offense, “including its effect upon you [sic], were thoroughly reviewed prior to making this decision.”

In an interview with CBS Chicago, Drobney’s mother and sister said that they both cried when reading the letter denying Turner’s petition for clemency.