Less than a year after the incident, on March 10, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kimberly C. McBride sentenced 27-year-old Unique Thorn to 35 years of incarceration for her role in a homicide that the prosecution described as an act of “street justice.”
On March 18, 2025, Shy’Keema Turner, 31, was found on the 700 block of E. Preston Street with a gunshot wound to her back. She was later pronounced dead. That same day, detectives identified Thorn as a suspect and brought her in for questioning. During her interview, Thorn admitted to shooting Turner but added that she did so in response to the victim stabbing her after the two engaged in a physical altercation earlier that morning.
Area surveillance footage shows Thorn firing at Turner as the victim fled down the street. Members of Thorn’s family also recorded the incident as it unfolded. In a clip later uploaded to multiple social media platforms, the family can be heard saying, “Yeah, shoot her.”
Last October, Thorn accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to second-degree murder and use of a firearm in a felony violent crime. She initially faced a charge of first-degree murder, which prosecutors reduced in exchange for Thorn’s guilty plea.
“I can’t get my baby back. I can’t go see her,” Turner’s mother expressed in her victim impact statement. Turner leaves behind two children, one of whom also addressed the court. The prosecution requested the judge impose a 40-year sentence consistent with the state’s maximum guideline.
Defense attorney John M. Hassett recommended a 30-year sentence, noting that Thorn’s family had called the police before the shooting occurred. He argued that, as the situation escalated, Thorn made a split-second decision in what she believed was self-defense.
“I want to publicly apologize to the family for my actions,” Thorn said as she asked the victim’s family for forgiveness.
Judge McBride ultimately sentenced Thorn to 35 years for second-degree murder and a concurrent 20 years for using a firearm to carry out the crime. Thorn will also be required to participate in the Maryland Gun Offender Registry upon release.
