Son chases justice in mother's slaying

      For Las Vegan David Turner, the last 14 months have seemed a never-ending journey for justice.
      The overwhelming pain the 32-year-old had to endure stemmed from the mysterious Feb. 19, 1996, disappearance of his mother, Barbara Turner-Elliot. Then came the three months in which Turner and police did not know what happened to the missing woman.
      After his mother's body was found in May near the Red Rock National Conservation Area, who killed her became the question Turner resolved to answer.
      "Throughout all of this I've tried to keep my head about me the best I can," Turner said. "All I've done is prioritize what needs to happen, whether it was finding her body or finding out who did this."
      Today, the final chapter of the Barbara Turner-Elliot story continues to unfold. Turner-Elliot's husband, Clarence Elliot, is charged with murder and is expected to enter a plea before District Court Judge Donald Mosely.
      "All this means is that the hard work we've done is starting to take shape," Turner said of the grand jury indictment issued April 4 against Elliot. "I'm trying not to put a name or face (with Turner-Elliot's killer) until the evidence and the court system does it for me."
      Turner has declined to discuss specifics of his perceptions of the relationship between Elliot and his mother. Police, who have described their case against Elliot as highly circumstantial, also are remaining quiet about evidence against the former soldier.
      "We've gathered evidence and interviewed people who have said that they had quite a stormy relationship," Las Vegas police Sgt. Kevin Manning said.
      Attorney John Momot, who has been contacted by Elliot but who has not been retained as Elliot's defense attorney, said Elliot maintains he did not kill his wife.
      "This guy has maintained his innocence from day one," Momot said. "You have to remember that this is a highly circumstantial case, and he has always been around to comply with any court orders."
      Momot declined further comment and said it is possible Elliot's case may be assigned to attorneys with the Clark County public defender's office.
      Turner-Elliot, who worked in social services for University Medical Center, was last seen alive picking up a pharmacy prescription at the intersection of Rainbow Boulevard and Flamingo Road. Her car was found in the Angel Park Golf Course parking lot. Her purse and cellular phone were inside. In May, state workers found Turner-Elliot's remains.
      Turner said Elliot acted suspiciously immediately after his mother disappeared.
      "He told me it was no big deal, that your mom just didn't come home," Turner said. "We had to convince him to go to the police station and report her missing."
      Turner also said Elliot at first was uncooperative with investigators.
      "He wouldn't cooperate at all at first," Turner said. "He didn't want to answer any questions. He didn't even want to go out of the house."
      Throughout the time Turner-Elliot was missing, Elliot continued to maintain that he suspected his wife had left him. Turner said he never believed that because his mother would have contacted him if she were going to leave her husband.
      "I told him (Elliot) I wanted all her financial records (for the days previous to her disappearance)," Turner said. "They ended up showing nothing. She didn't take enough money out to go anywhere."
      During the months Turner-Elliot was missing, her son organized car washes to raise money to hire a private detective. He and friends also conducted frequent searches of undeveloped areas in the Las Vegas Valley for her body. He routinely contacted media organizations to ensure they kept his mother's disappearance in the news.
      "The journey started the day my mother disappeared, and every action after that has been aimed at getting to the bottom of who did this," Turner said.