A 20-year-old Memphis man who held victims at gunpoint during a series of violent carjackings has been sentenced to more than two decades in federal prison.
Derrion Turner appeared in federal court on November 17, where U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced him to 246 months of imprisonment. The sentence follows a string of armed robberies in late 2023 that only ended when a targeted driver physically subdued Turner until police arrived.
According to court records, the violence began on August 25, 2023. Turner approached a victim in the parking lot of a Circle K on Highway 64, aiming a handgun at the person’s chest. After demanding a wallet and keys, he stole the victim’s 2016 Ford Mustang.
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Less than a week later, on August 31, Turner struck again at an apartment complex near Steel Manor Drive. During that incident, he snatched a woman’s iPhone from her hand and pressed a firearm against her head, ordering her to step away from her 2018 Nissan Rogue before driving off with the vehicle.
The spree came to a chaotic end on September 3, 2023. Turner cornered a man at a service station on Third Street, demanding his 2022 Dodge Charger at gunpoint. However, the encounter took a turn when Turner momentarily looked away. The vehicle owner seized the opportunity to fight for the weapon.
During the struggle, the gun discharged, but the victim managed to wrestle the firearm away and pin Turner down until law enforcement arrived. Turner later confessed to the crimes and pleaded guilty earlier this year.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Norris ordered three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
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U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, who announced the sentence, emphasized that law enforcement is aggressively targeting these types of crimes.
“Our office is continuing to coordinate with our federal and local law enforcement partners to prioritize and target carjacking cases for aggressive federal prosecution,” Dunavant said. “This 20-year sentence confirms that there is a significant consequence for sowing lawlessness and violence in our communities, and Turner will now reap a long prison sentence for his brazen and dangerous behavior that victimized innocent citizens.”
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