A Caldwell County grand jury indicted Terry Turner for the murder of Adil Dghoughi, who was killed when Turner shot him in his driveway in Martindale.
Turner, a 65-year-old Martindale man, admitted to shooting and killing Dghoughi on Oct. 11, 2021. The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office arrested him 11 days later. Rebecca Webber, an attorney for the Dghoughi family, confirmed the grand jury returned an indictment on a charge of first-degree murder for Turner.
“I asked District Attorney [Fred] Weber, for the sake of God, sake of justice, and sake of democracy, to bring justice to our beloved Adil by bringing us an indictment of first degree murder,” Adil’s mother, Fatiha Haouass, said in a statement.
In a news release following Dghoughi’s death, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office stated that deputies responded to the 100 block of Tina's Trail in Martindale for a report of a shooting where they found one man who sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound and was transported to Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle.
Officials said the shooting occurred after the homeowner confronted a vehicle parked outside the residence. Neither the shooter nor the victim were immediately identified.
Dghoughi later died from the gunshot wound.
According to an arrest affidavit, Turner told deputies that he woke up to use the bathroom and then proceeded to open his front door where he discovered a gray 2016 Audi parked in the driveway next to his pickup. Turner then ran to his bedroom, retrieved a handgun and ran back outside.
Turner told deputies the vehicle “rapidly” accelerated in reverse and he proceeded to chase the Audi. Turner struck the front driver’s side door window twice with his handgun and then fired the weapon, striking Dghoughi. He returned to his residence and called 911, where he stated “I just killed a guy.”
Turner claimed that Dghoughi, “tried to pull a gun on me, I shot,” and “he started racing away and I ran after him. He pointed a gun at me and I shot.”
Deputies, however, did not locate a firearm inside the vehicle or in Dghoughi’s possession, the affidavit stated.
After Adil's death, his brother Othmane Dghoughi took Adil’s body back to Morocco and then brought Haouass back to Texas so she could follow the investigation and support efforts to seek justice. Haouass spoke at a press conference at the Hays County Government Center in November, saying, “My Adil has been living in the United States for over 10 years during which he never has a single problem with the police because he had always known and respected the law of this country … On Oct. 11, Terry Turner chose and decided to execute my Adil. He was just lost and parked on the side to set up his GPS. The young human being he shot was a son, a brother, a husband and a friend who cared for many people who beloved him.”
Following Wednesday’s indictment, Haouass will now return to Morocco to support her other two children and her husband.
“Today, the District Attorney stood up against those who think this murder was justified and showed me and the world the honorable person he is,” she said. “I will travel home to Morocco with new trust and hope in my heart that the American system will hold Terry Turner accountable.”
Othmane Dghoughi said there are no words to describe how difficult Adil’s death has been but believes they are “one step closer to getting justice.”
“Terry Turner took my brother’s life like he was nothing. He executed my brother because Adil was lost,” Othmane said. “In my darkest moments I cried because how could I face my brother’s grave if I allowed his life to be disrespected and diminished by law enforcement who believed Turner’s lies? Now, I will take my mom home to Morocco and I can visit my brother’s grave to tell him that we are one step closer to getting justice.”
