Matthew Turner's Parents Release 'Cry for Justice' Video

The parents of Matthew Turner--the Highland Park teen who was found guilty last summer of a 2008 murder on Marmion Way--have released a video accusing the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney of misconduct in their effort to secure a conviction of their son.

The Turner family maintains that a Los Angeles Superior Court jury falsely convicted Matthew Turner of the 2008 murder of Adrian Betancor in a verdict that was handed down in August of 2010.

In the video, Matthew's mother, Mina Turner, says conduct displayed by the LAPD and the District Attorney during the course of the trial was "criminal."

As , the Turner family has appealed Matthew Turner's 2010 conviction and is seeking a new trial.

According to police reports, Betancor was killed in the 5700 block of Marmion Way in a drive-by style shooting. Witnesses said the driver of the vehicle pulled up to Betancor and 19-year-old Joey Chavez and asked them "where they were from." The driver proceeded to fire on the two teens, killing Betancor and hospitalizing Chavez.

In a complaint filed on Friday, July 15, by Turner's attorney Christopher Darden to the Superior Court, Darden argues that prosecuting attorney Andrea Pott withheld information about the payment and relocation of two of the prosecution's witnesses during the trial.

Further, Turner claims that LAPD Detective Lisa Governo declined to tell the court that a key witness told her that he had "never seen Matthew Turner" before and that he was "the wrong guy."

When brought before the defense during the request for retrial, Governo admitted under oath to withholding the witness' misgivings from the court.

Judge's Bias in Question

Turner also told Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch that the judge who presided over his son's case was biased against the younger Turner due to his affiliation with a local gang.

The Turner case took an interesting turn in November of 2010 when, following Turner's conviction, LAPD Officer Gabriel Morales resigned after facing allegations that he illegally mined department databases in search of witness information on behalf of the Turner family.

Morales had been dating Turner's sister for several years.

Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch was made several calls to the Los Angeles Police Department on this issue and is still awaiting comment.