Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940

Benjamin Turner Murder Case (1927)

On September 8, 1927 Benjamin Turner of Mystic, Iowa, shot James Hallen, outside Hallen’s residence in Falmouth, Maine. Witnesses Alberto Starling, a painter working on the Hallen house, and Mrs. Maud Haskell, a neighbor rushed to contain Turner to the scene of the crime. The shooter responded “Get the police, I won’t run.” Police quickly escorted Turner to the Office of Sheriff King F. Graham, where he was questioned. Turner recalled his introduction to Hallen in 1921, and the financial ruin that followed.

According to the murderer, Hallen had approached him in a jail in Mexico City while he was being held for the murder of Ramon Argielles, a man Turner believed had swindled him. Hallen posed as a lawyer that could get Turner out of jail for a fee of $1,200. Turner paid Hallen as much as he possessed, around $850, trusting this father-like figure. When Hallen left town with his money, Turner dedicated the years after his release plotting his revenge.