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MARTINDALE, Texas (KXAN)— A Central Texas family is frustrated, waiting for closure.
Adil Dghoughi’s brother said they just found on Tuesday the trial for the person accused of killing him has been pushed back months.
Terry Turner is facing first-degree murder charges. According to police he shot and killed Dghoughi.
Investigators said Turner shot and killed Dghoughi through his driver’s side window as he backed out of Turner’s drive way in Martindale.
Now the Dghoughi’s are questioning why it so long criminal cases like these to make it to trial.
Dghoughi’s brother Othmane shared one of the last videos he has of his brother with Reporter Jala Washington. In it, Adil is holding Othmane’s parrot, interacting with it.
Adil is remembered by his family for his gentle spirit, and big heart. And they just want some closure.
“It hurts us a lot,” Othmane said. “My family is suffering a lot…and the problem is we don’t we have any power over it.”
According to court documents, in early October 2021, Dghoughi was shot by Turner. More than a week later, Turner turned himself in, but bonded out of jail that same day.
Turner was indicted February 2022. And his first court appearance was a couple months later in April.
According to the Caldwell County District Attorney, Fred Webber, Turner switched attorneys in November 2022. That’s what Webber said delayed the case going to trial.
“We need justice for my brother, my brother is suffering in his grave,” Othmane said. “You cannot grant somebody’s freedom, and he killed somebody.”
Webber said murder cases usually take two to three years to make it through the system.
While a backlog of cases caused by the pandemic has gotten better, according to Webber—prepping for a murder trial takes more time. That’s especially true when a new lawyer gets the case a few months before trial.
It’s a message a Travis County criminal defense attorney, Jana Ortega echoed.
“If there is going to be a trial, you want it to be done the correct way and the right way, so that it doesn’t come back on appeal, and everything has to start all over again,” Ortega said.
Weber said he’s kept the Dghoughi family and their civil attorney in the loop.
“It is our hope to present this case to a jury as soon as possible while respecting the concerns and rights of all parties involved,” Weber wrote in an email to KXAN Reporter Jala Washington.
Still, the Dghoughi’s are losing faith Adil will get justice.
“We don’t believe in the justice system anymore,” Othamane said.
Ortega said more funding could help cases move through the criminal justice system faster.
Adil’s case is expected to go to trial in the Fall of 2023. That will be two years after his death.
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