Dark details emerge about murder of doctor Thomas Burchard who was funding IG model Kelsey Turner's

April 2024 ยท 3 minute read

GRISLY new details have emerged about the murder of a child psychiatrist who was funding the lavish lifestyle of an Instagram model before he was killed.

Dr. Thomas Burchard's body was found dumped in the trunk of the car, in the Nevada desert in 2019.

The 71-year-old had been funding Instagram model Kelsey Turner's lavish lifestyle and gifting her more than $300,000, reports say.

Turner's boyfriend at the time, Jon Kennison, bludgeoned Burchard to death with a baseball bat, and both have been charged and sentenced over the murder.

Turner was arrested in California and sentenced in January 2023 and will spend 10 to 25 years in prison.

ABC's 20/20 with Chris Connelly will reveal more details when he interviews a woman who claims she witnessed the crime firsthand at 9pm on February 24.

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Thomas was paying for the couple's luxury Las Vegas apartment when he abruptly stopped in 2019, claiming he couldn't keep paying for their lifestyle.

According to authorities, Kelsey then made false accusations against Thomas, claiming that he had pornographic images of minors on his phone.

The row led to a physical altercation on a rural desert road - that culminated in the doctor's death, prosecutors said.

Thomas' body was found in the trunk of Kelsey's blue Mercedes-Benz C300 on March 7, 2019.

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An autopsy determined that he died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

When authorities searched the couple's home, they found a door broken in half, cleaning supplies, blood, and items with Jon's name on them, prosecutors said.

There were also bath towels that matched the ones discovered with Burchard's body, according to police.

Kelsey and Jon's fingerprints were allegedly found in the car where his body was abandoned alongside a baseball bat.

Both of them were quickly tracked down and arrested in the wake of the horror discovery of Thomas' body.

Jon initially denied any involvement in the murder, saying in a jailhouse interview with Access Hollywood: "We're not monsters, we didn't do it."

However, after over a year of proclaiming his innocence, Jon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy.

He was sentenced to 18 to 45 years in prison in July 2022.

Turner, 29, is an American fashion model who was born in Norfolk, Virginia and grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

After completing her studies at Arkansas State University, she began posing for lingerie and swimsuit shoots.

She went on to work with esteemed magazines such as Maxim, Playboy, Players Magazine, Fire and Ice, and Modelmania.

Kelsey also bagged covers with publications such as OneTen, Conceited, and Dream Victims.

Her popularity saw her make appearances in the 2011 movie The Promise as well as Wally got Wasted in 2018.

ABC's 20/20 will be exploring Turner's case on February 24, 2023.

"An Instagram model and a beloved child psychiatrist - both missing," 20/20 wrote on Twitter.

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"Now, for the first time, the exclusive 20/20 interview with the woman who witnessed it all."

Friday's episode will air at 9/8 C on ABC and can be streamed later on Hulu.

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