Ion Turnagiu

Ion Cristian Turnagiu (12 February 1975 – 30 June 2020) was a Romanian serial killer. Initially convicted of murdering 4 people during robberies in 1993, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, but later paroled.

His release became the subject of intense controversy in 2020, after he was arrested for attempting to burn a 17-year-old girl alive after dousing her with gasoline. Turnagiu was arrested again, but died from complications resulting from a suicide attempt just a month later.

Early life Turnagiu was born in Vânju Mare on 12 February 1975. He was adopted by his mother's boyfriend as a baby, with the family living a seemingly normal life. This all changed around 1986, when Turnagiu's mother abandoned the family and committed suicide shortly afterwards.

He was then placed in the care of his maternal grandparents, but was unable to adapt. Turnagiu eventually dropped out of school and fled from home, wandering across the country and surviving by committing petty thefts. He would then use the stolen money on alcohol or slot machines, finding shelter in train station waiting rooms.

Release On 10 May 2019, the Mehedinți County Court ruled to grant Turnagiu conditional release, justifying the decision on the grounds that he actively participated in productive activities during his incarceration and outwardly appeared ready to readapt to society. His release was possible due to a sentence-reduction mechanism promoted by Tudorel Toader, the Minister of Justice serving under Viorica Dăncilă. When he returned to Romania, he resided at a friend's house in Dârvari, Mehedinți County, where he lived unofficially for some time. Later on, facing pressure from the parole authorities, he registered the residence as his legal domicile.

Attempted murder, arrest, and suicide About a year after his release, in early June 2020, Turnagiu attacked a 17-year-old girl in Dârvari, whom he raped and beat up. The victim – identified in the media only by her first name, Măriuca – reported the incident to the local police. Turnagiu learned of this and decided to take revenge on her, posting several cryptic messages and a video on Facebook.

In late June, Turnagiu attempted suicide in police custody by hanging himself with a T-shirt. He initially survived the attempt and was rushed to the nearest hospital in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, but remained in a coma. She later returned to Romania and resumed her studies, sharing in a media interview that she wanted to become a trauma therapist.

Public outcry and investigations As the attempted murder case caused widespread shock and outrage across the country, local and national authorities started an investigation into how and why a violent criminal like Turnagiu was released early. Both Lăpuște and Ridichie later successfully appealed the dismissals and were reinstated. Three years later, Lăpuște applied for early retirement on the grounds of being sick with an unspecified illness, which was granted.

The case also led to changes in the Criminal Code regarding parole for violent offenders and the handling of rape cases. The most notable of these was the unanimous adoption of a bill proposed by Florin Roman, which stipulates that convicts convicted of crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery would no longer be eligible for early release.