Emeryville Artist Kills Fiance in Texas

Police in Austin, Texas, say an East Bay artist stabbed an Alameda woman to death in the living room of a home where they were guests last week, then paced back and forth in the room, saying he couldn't believe he had killed her.

Joseph Karr, 53, was arrested Saturday in Austin after police say he killed Kelly Turner, 43. Turner, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines who operated out of Oakland International Airport, had brought Karr to Austin to meet her family.
Turner and Karr were staying with Michael Hammond, an acquaintance of Turner's, and his girlfriend when the couple went out Oct. 31 with Hammond and his girlfriend to a bar, according to affidavit from an Austin police detective. When they returned to the apartment that night, Hammond said he and his girlfriend went upstairs to bed, while Turner and Karr stayed in the living room.

Joseph Karr ( Austin (TX) Police Department )

About an hour later, Hammond told police, he was awakened by a woman screaming. He called 911 and grabbed a nearby handgun.
As Hammond descended the stairs, according to the affidavit, he saw Karr pacing back and forth in the living room and mumbling to himself. Karr, who had blood on his shirt, began walking up the stairs, carrying a knife, and said out loud, "I can't believe I (expletive) killed her."
Hammond pointed his gun at Karr and told him to stop walking up the stairs. Karr left the house, taking Hammond's car, but was arrested a short time later. Police said he had self-inflicted knife wounds when he was caught.
Karr, a metalworker who runs an Emeryville studio under the name "The Bohemian Blacksmith," is being held on $2 million bail in a Travis County jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 25.
Turner's sister, Barbara Shannon told television station ABC7 that she would always remember "(Kelly's) beautiful smile. When she walked into a room she just lit up the room with her smile. She always saw something good in every person."
Turner graduated from Austin's Westlake High School and the University of Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman. A statement from Southwest Airlines said that "Kelly was a wonderful person and our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time."