Hope Turner was described by her mother as a unifier and a peacemaker, bubbly and optimistic with many talents.

She worked as a lifeguard at Beech Bend Park as a teenager, was studying graphic design at Western Kentucky University and looked forward after college to a mission trip to an orphanage in Guatemala.

Turner’s life was cut short at age 22 on Jan. 3, 2021, after the Polaris RZR ATV in which she was a passenger overturned in a creek on farmland off Eden Road, trapping her underwater.

The driver, McKinley Todd Brown, acknowledged to law enforcement that he had been drinking, and subsequent blood tests showed the presence of alcohol and THC in his system.

On Tuesday, Brown, 25, of Monticello, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, having earlier pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (second offense). 

At Brown’s sentencing hearing in Warren Circuit Court, Turner’s mother, Cindy Turner, shared memories of her daughter and revealed how the death of her oldest child has impacted the family.

Cindy Turner said her daughter was shy and funny, relished a hiking trip or a beach vacation, carried a strong religious faith marked by compassion and enjoyed thrifting for clothes, turning oversized cardigan sweaters into her signature look.

Turner said she was pained at the loss that resulted from Brown’s “reckless behavior.” 

“We will never see Hope become the extraordinary woman she was destined to be — graduate, artist, wife, mother,” Turner said. “We will never hug her, kiss her and laugh with her again. You, McKinley Brown, have robbed us of those joys.”

Standing by Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Kori Beck Bumgarner, Turner showed the court pictures of Hope Turner, along with pictures of the family at Hope’s funeral.

The crash was investigated by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, which was called out to the scene in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, 2021.

Brown, who court records indicated had a prior DUI conviction stemming from a 2018 arrest in Cumberland County, reportedly claimed possession of empty beer cans that were found in the ATV and floating in the water where it crashed.

Appearing Tuesday with his attorney, Taylor Broderick, Brown gave a short statement before being sentenced by Warren Circuit Judge J.B. Hines.

“I just feel terrible about it, I feel so bad I can’t put it into words,” Brown said. “I think about it non-stop.”

As Turner spoke in court, Brown’s knees appeared to buckle and he was helped into a chair by a court security officer.

Brown was initially charged with murder and driving under the influence, but accepted a plea agreement that allowed him to plead guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter.

“We are here today to confront you face to face and to rejoice in justice being served today,” Turner said. “I didn’t want to put my children and family through a trial … we send you on your way with no more delays and wasted time.”