Man sentenced to death for execution-style murder of North Texas convenience store owner
FORT WORTH – A man who executed a North Texas convenience store owner while wearing a surgical mask and gloves during a March 2020 robbery has been sentenced to death row.
A Tarrant County jury on Wednesday handed 48-year-old Christopher Turner a death sentence for the murder of Anwar Ali.
Ali was killed at the Super Big Country Mart in the 4500 block of East FM 1187 – south of Fort Worth – at about 6:15 a.m. on March 27, 2020.
Prosecutors described Ali as a good person who came from Pakistan in pursuit of the American dream.
According to authorities, Turner, a convicted felon, entered the Super Big Country Mart, held a gun to Ali's back, compelled him to open the cash register, and then coerced him to his knees before executing him in the bathroom, despite Ali complying with all demands.
Turner fled in Ali's minivan, discovering over $50,000 in cash inside. He then embarked on a shopping spree, purchasing cars, jewelry, drugs, clothes, and more, using Ali's cash and credit card.
Turner was eventually arrested by U.S. Marshals in Colorado, with the murder weapon in his possession.
"This was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder," said Assistant District Attorney Charles Boulware, when quoted in a news release. "From the moment he was charged with this crime, he has tried to escape responsibility."
On Wednesday, as Assistant District Attorney Allenna Bangs urged the jury to deliver justice, Turner tried to display a sign. Sheriff's deputies promptly stepped in, handcuffing Turner and escorting him from the courtroom as he yelled, "She lied."
According to Bangs, Turner had garnered the names of jurors and their telephone numbers before the trial kicked off and shared them with an inmate charged with murder.
Justice was long overdue for the Ali family, Bangs told jurors.
"He was a good person," said Bangs, when quoted in the news release. "On March 27, 2020, at the age of 62, he was wiped away in an instant ... for greed, for absolute lack of respect for human life."