The murder of Lajoya Mccoy by her former boyfriend, Jose Turner, has resurfaced in the public sphere after being spotlighted in a Dateline NBC episode, titled ‘The Dead of Night’, which aired on December 28, 2023. The horrific incident took place in June 2015 and the subsequent investigation and trial have been the focus of public curiosity.
Lajoya Mccoy, from West Olive Avenue, was last seen alive on June 9, 2015, and was later found strangled in her car, a mile from her residence, a week later. The autopsy report confirmed the cause of her death to be strangulation, evident from the marks on her neck. She and Turner were parents to two children and despite ending their romantic relationship before getting married, the duo continued to co-parent until their affiliation terminated in April 2013.
The case has once again gained media attention due to its feature on NBC’s Dateline. Before her tragic death, Mccoy was reportedly stalked and plotted against by Turner. Her abandoned car, which became her death location, was discovered on the 200 block of West Cypress Avenue.
The relationship between Mccoy and Turner began in the early 2000s when she was just 20, and it lasted for about a decade. While they shared two children, the relationship turned abusive and ended in 2013. Turner, an aspiring actor and screenwriter, expressed his resentment towards Mccoy’s interactions with other men in his journal, even documenting his intention to harm her.
On August 27, 2015, Turner was arrested in connection with Mccoy’s murder. He was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder on June 16, 2015. Currently, Turner is serving a 26-year prison sentence at the North Kern State Prison in Los Angeles, as per the California Department of Corrections.
The murder case has been re-illuminated after its appearance on NBC’s Dateline. The community was deeply disturbed by the murder, leading to swift action from law enforcement. In addition to this, the true-crime series ‘Fatal Attraction’ aired an episode in 2020 that dramatised the murder case of LaJoya McCoy. This spotlight on her case has revitalised public interest, leading to a renewed demand for more information on the circumstances surrounding her untimely and tragic death.
