Stefen Lowe has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the tragic 2022 shooting death of Jermaine Turman, which took place during a funeral at an Indianapolis church. The plea marks the end of a chilling case that has haunted the Turman family since the day of the incident. Alongside manslaughter, Lowe also admitted guilt to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon and invasion of privacy.
The victim, Jermaine Turman, had only recently married Shannon Turman, Lowe’s ex-wife, when the shooting took place. The couple was attending the funeral for Shannon’s mother at the Oasis of Hope Church on November 5, 2022, when Lowe unexpectedly arrived. “When he came in, I was very shocked — like a deer in headlights, like, ‘What is he doing here?’ He had the weirdest smile on his face, like an evil grin,” Shannon recalled.
The confrontation quickly escalated into violence. After a heated argument between the two men, witnesses, including Shannon, rushed outside in an attempt to defuse the situation. But Lowe returned to his car, retrieved a gun — the same one, Shannon says, that he had once used to threaten her — and fatally shot Jermaine in the chest. The crime occurred in the church parking lot, in front of Jermaine’s mother, Shannon’s son, and during her mother’s funeral.
Lowe’s plea comes after months of fear and harassment endured by Shannon and her husband. According to Shannon, her ex-husband had been making threats for months, harassing her and Jermaine, and warning them that if he couldn’t have her, no one else could. “He would threaten to kill us and threaten to pop up at our events and kill us,” she said, explaining that Lowe had tried to claim 50% of her business profits. “My husband was simply trying to defend me.”
Despite the months of tension and red flags, the fatal day arrived when Lowe followed through on his threats. Shannon, now a widow, has been left with the unimaginable pain of losing her husband. Jermaine had been her friend for 15 years before their marriage, and the couple had been married for only three months. They were planning their wedding reception for later that month.
Shannon hopes her story will serve as a warning to others. “When it comes to domestic violence, don’t ignore the signs. Don’t ignore the red flags,” she urged.
Lowe’s dark past includes a history of violence. Court records reveal that in 2017, he was charged with rape and strangulation, and in 2021, with domestic battery — though these charges were later dismissed. As part of the plea deal, a murder charge was dropped, and Lowe agreed to a 40-year prison sentence, which will be finalized at a hearing on September 13.
This heartbreaking case serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of domestic violence and the importance of recognizing the warning signs before it’s too late. Shannon continues to mourn her husband, Jermaine, a man she described as having a “beautiful spirit” who never met a stranger. “I’m going to remember those things,” she said. “It just pains me deeply that he is not here. I’m a widow.”
