Man found guilty of murder in pedestrian crash that killed University of Delaware student in 2025

A man was convicted of murder and other charges for hitting and killing a University of Delaware student while driving a stolen vehicle in Newark last year, officials said. 

Gordon Turner, 23, of New Castle, was fleeing from police in a stolen U-Haul van in April 2025 when he struck and killed Marina Vasconcelos and critically injured another student on East Main Street near the school. 

He was convicted on June 5 of first-degree murder, manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment, theft of a motor vehicle and other counts, according to a statement from the Delaware Department of Justice. 

Newark police said officers approached Turner and another person in the U-Haul while they were parked in a parking lot on April 29 because the van was overdue. Turner sped away in the van, hitting a police car. The officers did not pursue the van, which then sped down East Main Street, hitting two pedestrians and striking multiple parked cars, according to police. 

"The reckless and cowardly actions of the defendant can never be undone – but this result is a critical step towards justice for those that he victimized and their families," Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in part in a statement. 

Newark Police Department Chief Mark Farrall called the conviction "an important step toward justice for the victims and their families, who have endured unimaginable loss and pain" in a statement. 

Vasconcelos, of North East, Maryland, was 24 when she died. She was pursuing a doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry. Another 24-year-old graduate student was critically injured in the crash, and others had minor injuries, police said at the time.

The crash raised concerns about pedestrian safety and speeding near the University of Delaware. Another student, freshman Noelia Gomez, was hit and killed by a motorcyclist on the first day of classes in 2024.

Turner faces a minimum mandatory sentence of life in prison for these charges. His sentencing has not been scheduled yet.