COLUMBUS - The man accused of killing two people and wounding two others near Absarokee pleaded not guilty to all charges Thursday in Stillwater County District Court in Columbus.
See the Absarokee community comment after Tyler Allen Turney's court appearance:
Tyler Allen Turney, 23, appeared in court by video call from the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, where he has been held since his arrest Monday morning while fleeing the scene.
He appeared in a wheelchair, showing injuries he apparently suffered when his pickup truck rolled off the road and into the river following the shooting.
Judge Matthew Wald ordered Turney be held without bail. He was charged with two counts of deliberate homicide and two counts of attempted deliberate homicide.
Turney is accused of shooting and killing his estranged girlfriend, Nila Dawson, and her mother, Justine Dawson, at the home on Stillwater River Road, between Absarokee and Nye. Prosecutors said he also shot and wounded Nila Dawson's father, Greg Dawson, and her friend, Matthew Cale Osgood.
Prosecutors stated in charging documents that Turney drove from Texas to Montana in an attempt to reconcile with Nila Dawson, a student at Rocky Mountain College. Instead, prosecutors allege, he raped Nila Dawson at her campus apartment and tracked her to her parents' home, where he shot and killed both mother and daughter.
Turney shot Greg Dawson in the back when he investigated the early morning commotion in the garage, then shot Osgood as he approached the residence to help, according to charging documents.
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The Absarokee community is in mourning. Nila Dawson graduated from Absarokee High School in 2022 and was involved in athletics, FFA and other activities. The district described her on social media as "an incredibly kind, vibrant person who was taken from her friends, family, and community far too soon."
Justine Dawson was a longtime school board member who will be remembered as being "giving, fair, and incredibly supportive of all the students and staff in our district," district staff wrote.
"It just feels like (Absarokee is) so much smaller, and so I feel like we feel it a lot deeper," said Nicki Reissig, the public school's guidance counselor.
Before Nila and Justine's passing, Reissig had personal connections to both victims due to their involvement in the community. She said the Dawson family served as a strong foundation in the tight-knit community, making Nila and Justine's loss even more profound for residents who are now working together to heal and move forward.
"Justine was a nurse at our clinic here for a very long time... Very, very kind, caring, compassionate person," Reissig told MTN Thursday after Turney's arraignment. "Justine was mom goals, like watching how fiercely she loved her daughter... She was so kind and so mellow and just so empathetic."
Reissig was Nila's former English teacher, volleyball coach and guidance counselor at Absarokee High School.
"I mean, (Nila) was a friend to so many people, and she was so kind, and so funny, and so goofy, and just all around a sweet and kind person," she said.
Reissig said that the loss has been particularly difficult for both students and staff at the high school. So, school administrators are compiling a list of community resources that includes counselors and therapists to post on the school's website.
"Our seniors would have overlapped with her a little bit, and there were definitely some emotions and small reactions... So far, our biggest need that I would say (here) has been with staff," said Reissig.
Reissig said in order for the community to progress past the tragedy, connection and collaboration is vital.
"I think the beautiful thing about Absarokee is, we're pretty good at leaning on each other. I think really leaning on each other for support is going to be so, so important," she said.
For Stillwater County community members needing extra support and resources, Reissig said she can be reached at reissign@absarokee.k12.mt.us.
"I want to help however I can, whenever I can," she said.
Turney will appear in court next on Feb. 19, and his trial is set to begin on May 18.
