Suspect Surrenders in Killings of 7

A man suspected of gunning down seven members of a family that he might have believed kept large amounts of money at home surrendered to police Saturday night, authorities said.

A few of Desmond Turner’s relatives accompanied him as he met authorities at a downtown fast-food restaurant around 7 p.m.

“He couldn’t look at anybody,” Deputy Chief Tim Foley said. “He had his head down. He was sullen.”

The bodies of three boys, ages 5 to 11, and four adult relatives were found in a house Thursday.

Turner, 28, grew up in the area and returned in the fall upon being released from prison after a 3 1/2 -year term for drug and weapons charges.

More than 100 police officers had searched for Turner and had conducted unsuccessful raids at two houses since the slayings were discovered. He now faces seven counts of murder.

Foley said investigators put pressure on people who knew Turner to ensure that they wouldn’t take him in. “He didn’t turn himself in out of remorse. He turned himself in because he had no place to go,” Foley said.

On Friday, police arrested another suspect, James Stewart, 30, after a traffic stop. He was being held Saturday on a preliminary charge of murder, police said.

“Indianapolis can sleep a lot easier tonight,” Deputy Police Chief Clifford Myers said.

Foley said police thought the house was targeted for robbery based on exaggerated accounts of money and other valuables inside. Those accounts were “fiction,” Foley said.

Nearly 30 shell casings from an assault rifle were found at the home.

The victims were identified as Emma Valdez, 46; her husband, Alberto Covarrubias, 56; their sons, Alberto Covarrubias, 11, and David Covarrubias, 8 or 9; Valdez’s daughter, Flora Albarran, 22; Albarran’s 5-year-old son, Luis; and Albarran’s brother Magno Albarran, 29.

Maria Flores, a sister of Valdez, stood quietly as police briefed the media about Turner’s surrender.

“We are very relieved and thankful that he made the right decision,” she said.

Neighbors, friends and others left flowers, ribbons, candles, dozens of stuffed animals, and an angel statue along a sidewalk in front of the family’s house in a working-class neighborhood. Cars drove by slowly while people knelt to pray.

A memorial service was to be held in front of the family’s home this evening.

“God shall bring justice to them, celebrate the way they lived, not the way they left us,” read one note left atop seven red roses at the family’s modest tan house.

“A good family is gone, but not forgotten. Shall they all rest in peace.”