Overview
- The case stems from an October incident in which 71-year-old Baltimore DOT employee Gregory Turnipseed was assaulted after a parking dispute and later died from head injuries following brain surgery.
- Authorities initially charged 49-year-old Kiannah Bonaparte with assault, but prosecutors filed second-degree murder charges after the medical examiner determined Turnipseed’s death was a homicide.
- Charging documents obtained by reporters say Bonaparte admitted on a phone call that she hit Turnipseed with a stroller and that a 15-year-old passenger stomped on his head, and Turnipseed identified Bonaparte before he died.
- Bonaparte is due back in court in July as prosecutors pursue the murder charge, and police have not yet disclosed whether the teenage passenger will face charges.
- Turnipseed’s family has publicly pressed for justice and the homicide ruling typically prompts prosecutors to reassess charges and evidence, so the coming court proceedings will determine whether additional charges are brought or the case goes to trial.