The Rape of Delaware County

$10 paperback / $.99 Kindle

When I was first contacted by Edwin Turlington in the summer of 2018 I was told as story that literally seemed stranger than fiction.

A veteran of the U.S. Army was telling me that he was facing a 10-year prison sentence for shooting a felon on his property who had threatened him.

Mr. Turlington asked me if I could write an article to help get his story out to the public, being a sucker for a good story I agreed to do it.

The story revealed that the corruption in Edwin Turlington’s case, extended throughout the county and included “snitches” given free passes to break the law, a county jail system so corrupt that local property taxes had to be raised to settle the lawsuits of former female inmates, and a local lawyer who made international headlines for his involvement in a murder for hire plot.

As the article began to gain attention, Mr. Turlington urged me to write a book about the events, thinking it could be a vital tool to prove his innocence.

It was during this time I noticed another side of Edwin Turlington. During my investigation I found that he had a previous charge for threatening an individual. When I brought this up, he became defensive telling me that the previous incident had no bearing on his case whatsoever.

He did offer an explanation, stating that he had found the man on a relative’s property, confronted him and an argument ensued. Mr. Turlington stated that when the confrontation was over, he went about his day normally, not knowing the other party had went to the police.

Often times Edwin would say little things that I found odd, like “They [the police and the prosecutor] didn’t know who I am.” As if somehow being from an established family made him exempt from investigation.

Then there was the book itself. From the beginning I made it clear that the book would be released through my publishing company but as the process continued, he tried to steer me towards using a publishing company in his area that he had connections with. Despite telling him numerous times that I was going to publish through my company, and a well-known distributor, he would make the occasional attempt to convince me to do otherwise.

Often, it appeared to me, that he was trying to take control of the project. Through my communications with him, I got the impression he has the potential to be a controlling man and has many eccentricities. I believe in Turlington’s innocence but I also believe he sometimes reacts rashly in certain situations. Perhaps if he didn’t, his life would be easier but then again maybe not. The corruption in Delaware County, Oklahoma supersedes anything I have ever investigated. It permeates every facet of society.

In the late 19th century, the border area of Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas was a “no man’s land”, a refuge for outlaws, it still is. The only difference is that in the 21’st century some outlaws wear badges and others have law degrees hanging on their wall.

This is the stranger than fiction, real life story of Edwin Turlington and Delaware County, Oklahoma.

Available now from Foothills Media $10 paperback, $.99 for Kindle (145 pages)