BOISE, Idaho — A Kuna man accused in 2021 of physical abuse that left his infant son with severe injuries, including a broken leg and internal injuries, must serve at least three years in prison, an Ada County judge ordered Monday afternoon.
Before hearing his sentence, Zachary Turner, now 30 years old, thanked the court for allowing him to see his son through video calls, a privilege granted to him when the court modified a no-contact order. He also expressed remorse for causing the injuries to his son, and said he would give “every ounce of devotion, energy and effort” to make sure his son and wife are protected and provided for, “even if that means not by me.”
Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Turner to an aggregate sentence of 20 years under the supervision of the Idaho Department of Correction. Turner will be eligible for possible parole after serving a fixed three-year prison sentence.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office had asked for a 25-year sentence with at least seven years in prison.
Turner’s defense asked that he receive probation, not prison, or at least be placed on retained jurisdiction, in which the judge would allow him to serve his sentence on probation once he successfully completed treatment and programming while in custody of IDOC.
Turner’s family needs to be healed, his defense attorney said, “and locking Zach up for close to a decade is not going to do that.”
Turner pleaded guilty on April 17 to a felony charge of injury to a child with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. Court records show that a trial scheduled to begin in late March 2022 was twice postponed before it was rescheduled for May 2023, then vacated due to Turner’s guilty plea.
Turner was 28 years old when he was arrested in July 2021 as part of an investigation in which the Ada County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about the seven-week-old baby’s condition. According to the sheriff’s office, a medical examination at St. Luke’s indicated that the baby had a broken tibia, numerous rib fractures, bruises on his arms and hemorrhaging in his eyes, a condition associated with head or brain trauma in infants.
The boy survived and "is alive and well and has recovered," the baby's mother, also Turner's wife, testified at the sentencing hearing.
Turner posted bond after his arrest and had been on pretrial release for much of the time since then. His defense attorney and his wife said that he has done more than was required of him in terms of counseling, and that after he lost his job because of the charges against him, he started a cleaning business that allowed him to provide for his family and to help the four people he hired provide for their families. The defense and prosecution both said that a presentencing investigation has found that he is very unlikely to reoffend.
Still, Judge Hippler said, a sentence that did not include incarceration would depreciate the seriousness of what happened.
“This is one of those crimes where the community needs to understand if you hurt a child, if you hurt your child, there will be consequences,” he said.
Hippler also issued a 20-year no-contact order that does allow Turner to have contact with his son by video, by telephone, or while he is in custody of IDOC.
The maximum penalty for injury to a child is 10 years in prison under Idaho law, but the state authorizes an extension of 20 years in cases where a person is found to have inflicted “great bodily injury” either intentionally or through a reckless disregard for the safety of another person.
To report child abuse or neglect, dial 2-1-1 to be connected to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Care Line. The Idaho Children’s Trust Fund also has resources for parents and others in the community.
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