Key dates in ‘Halloween Killer’ sentence
Oct. 31, 1973
Lisa Ann French, 9, is assaulted and murdered by a neighbor, Gerald M. Turner Jr., when she went to his door while trick-or-treating in Fond du Lac.
Nov. 3, 1973
Searchers recover Lisa’s body from a wooded area along McCabe Road.
Nov. 6, 1973
Lisa’s funeral. “We are here ... the entire city in spirit is here ... to share your sorrow,” said Fond du Lac city manager Myron Medin Jr.
Aug. 8, 1974
Turner is arrested in Lisa’s sexual assault and brutal murder. He confesses to police but would later recant.
Feb. 3, 1975
Turner is convicted of homicide and sexual assault by a Fond du Lac County jury. A judge sentences him to 38 years in prison. He is 26 years old.
1992
Turner receives parole from prison after serving 17 years of his 38-year sentence, because he was credited for good behavior behind bars.
November 1993
Turner is ordered back to prison when a civil lawsuit filed by angry citizens led to an appeals court decision that the state erred in the way it calculated his mandatory release date.
January 1998
A jury finds that Turner does not meet Wisconsin’s definition of a violent sex offender required to be held in a secure treatment center after his prison sentence expires.
July 1998
Turner waves a knife and shouts at a caseworker in a Madison group home. His parole is not revoked.
1999
Turner reaches a settlement with Waste Management of Madison for an undisclosed amount after Waste Management refused to hire him because of his criminal record.
2003
Authorities find pornographic images, videos and magazines in Turner’s possession in his Madison halfway house. He is sentenced to serve another 15 in prison for the parole violation.
October 2017
Lisa’s mother, Maryann Gehring, creates a petition calling on the state to keep Turner locked up.
Feb. 7, 2018
Turner is scheduled to be released from prison. He will be 68 years old.