Michael Blaine Turner Jr.
A man and a now-dead murder suspect allegedly shot and killed a landlord, causing his disappearance. The late Hunter McGuire, 26, apparently died by suicide after a vehicle pursuit earlier this month, according to deputies in Mohave County, Arizona. That leaves Michael Blaine Turner Jr., 31, the sole surviving suspect who allegedly murdered Joshua William-James Blake, 42.
“During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Michael Turner Jr. and Hunter McGuire, 26 of Golden Valley, had both allegedly shot and killed Joshua Blake,” deputies claim. “Blake’s body was then buried on an abandoned property located a short distance from where McGuire was living.”
Authorities said Turner lived at Blake’s home in the 6200 bock of Kingman Trail. Deputies described a rocky relationship.
“Just days before Blake’s disappearance, there had been an argument between the two over non-payment of rent and possible eviction,” authorities said. “Blake had also allegedly taken the blame for Turner Jr. shooting a subject at the property on June 8th, 2022 and threatened to go to the police to report Turner Jr. being the actual shooter.”
Blake was last seen or heard from about Aug. 3, deputies said. Family reported him missing on Aug. 31. The sheriff’s office said Turner tried to take over the missing man’s home by attempting to notarize a bill of sale.
Authorities said Turner was arrested back on Sept. 1 in Blake’s car. He was taken in for illegal possession of a firearm and drug possession.
“On Wednesday (10/26), Detectives had identified the possible burial site of the victim on a property located in the area of S. Sacramento Rd. and W. Geronimo Dr. A search warrant was obtained and executed on the property,” deputies wrote. “Detectives dug around the burial site and located human remains that had been buried approximately three feet down. On Thursday (10/27), the remains were positively identified as Joshua Blake. The current decomposition stage of the body was consistent with the time frame of when Blake had gone missing. An autopsy will be conducted by the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office, who will release the official cause of death.”
Turner is now charged with murder in the first degree for Blake’s death.
McGuire was found dead with his girlfriend Samantha Branek after a brief chase, authorities said.
Hunter McGuire
Deputies said they learned from Las Vegas, Nevada, cops that McGuire was a suspect in a murder. Branek pawned evidence of that killing, investigators claimed. On top of that, McGuire was allegedly in Vegas hiding out as the suspect in a double murder that happened in Kingman, Arizona. The victims were Retta Atkins and Darren VanHouten.
[Image via Mohave County Sheriff’s Office]
