INDIANAPOLIS — Stefen Lowe has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 2022 shooting death of Jermaine Turman during a funeral at an Indianapolis church.
Lowe also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon and invasion of privacy.
Turman had recently married Shannon Turman, who was Lowe's ex-wife. The couple was attending the funeral for Shannon's mother, when Lowe showed up.
"When he came in, I was very shocked — like a deer in headlights, like 'What is he doing here?' He had the weirdest smile on his face, like an evil grin," Shannon said.
As part of his guilty plea, a murder charge against Lowe was dismissed, and he agreed to a 40-year prison sentence. On Aug. 22, a judge accepted the plea agreement, but Lowe won't be formally sentenced until a hearing on Sept. 13.
A fight turns deadly
According to court documents, Jermaine and Lowe began to argue after Lowe appeared at Oasis of Hope church on Nov. 5, 2022.
Shannon said everyone ran outside to help pull the two men apart, but when Lowe went back to his car, things quickly turned deadly.
"(He) pulled up, pulled his gun out, same gun he used and put to my head, that we have a protective order about, and shot my husband in the chest," Shannon said.
Shannon and Jermaine had only been married for three months but had been friends for 15 years. They were planning on having their wedding reception that month.
"When he found out I was married and I have my own business now, he wanted in on it. He wanted 50% of my profits, and my husband was simply trying to defend me and say, 'Hey, just leave my wife alone,'" Shannon said.
According to Shannon, she and her husband were under constant threats.
For months, she said she and her new husband, Jermaine, lived in fear of her ex-husband. Shannon said Lowe been harassing them and threatening to kill them.
"He had that anger in him that, 'If I can't have you, nobody can have you' kind of attitude. He actually told me and Jermaine that he owned me," Shannon said.
"He would threaten to kill us and threaten to pop up at our events and kill us. It was several altercations that he had done that," Shannon said.
On Nov. 5, 2022, Shannon said Lowe made good on his threats, starting a fight with Jermaine and shooting him in the church parking lot.
"He did this in front of my son, in front of Jermaine's mother, and at my mother's funeral. Like those three things alone are like, 'What mind are you in to go to a funeral and kill someone?'" Shannon said. "(Jermaine) was such a beautiful spirit. He never met a stranger. I'm going to remember those things. It just pains me deeply that he is not here. I'm a widow."
Shannon hopes her tragedy will save another family from experiencing heartache.
"When it comes to domestic violence, don't ignore the signs. Don't ignore the red flags," Shannon said.
Court records show Lowe was charged with rape and strangulation in 2017 and domestic battery in 2021. Those cases were dismissed.
(NOTE: the video at the top of this story is from an interview with Jermaine Turman's mother in 2022 after he had been killed.)