Stepfather Of Murdered EMU Student Found Not Guilty In Child Porn Case

ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - The stepfather of a murdered Eastern Michigan University student, who is also a person of interest in her 2012 death, has been found not guilty of child porn charges.

It took a jury on Monday less than an hour to acquit James Turnquist of possessing sexually abusive material involving a child.

The charge came about earlier this year amid an ongoing investigation into the death of EMU sophomore Julia Niswender. Nearly two years after the 23-year-old was found drowned in the bathtub of her off campus apartment, investigators searched Turnquist's laptop for possible evidence in the case. What they found was at least 30 pornographic images of underage women.

"At trial, nobody could prove that these young women in the images were under the age of 18," said WWJ Legal Analyst Charlie Langton. "In fact, other people had access to Turnquist's computer and some of those images could have been downloaded without anyone realizing it. But, the bottom line is he was found not guilty and now that Turnquist is a free man, the investigation into the murder of his stepdaughter remains ongoing."

Turnquist has not been charged in connection with Niswender's murder, but police say he's been considered a person of interest from the start.

Niswender was found strangled in her bathtub at the Peninsular Place Apartments on Huron River Drive, located across the street from the campus police station, on December 11, 2012. A medical examiner ruled the official cause of death as asphyxiation associated with drowning. Authorities said there was no forced entry into the apartment, which was found in disarray with the door locked.

Investigators have said they don't believe Niswender's murder was random and a suspect has never been named.