Diana Pena pleads guilty to accessory to murder of Monterey doctor

A former roommate has admitted to helping Kelsey Turner and Turner’s boyfriend Jon Logan Kennison avoid arrest after the murder of a Monterey doctor.

Diana Pena pleaded guilty Tuesday to accessory to murder after the slaying. She told a judge in Las Vegas that she knew at the time that Turner and Kennison had killed 71-year-old Dr. Thomas Burchard. Her cooperation with prosecutors could get her probation.

Turner and Kennison are due in court Thursday on murder and conspiracy charges. Attorneys say they are expected to plead not guilty.

Pena’s attorney insists that she had nothing to do with Burchard’s death.

“The plea that she accepted today is basically saying that she shouldn’t gone to the authorities quicker,” defense attorney Jess Matsuda told reporters.

Burchard’s body was found in the trunk of Turner’s car in the desert outside Las Vegas on March 7.

KION spoke with Burchard’s longtime girlfriend Judy Earp, Tuesday. We asked her about what she thinks Pena’s plea deal means for the case moving forward.

“If that’s (the prosecutors’) opinion that this will help bring justice for Tom, then I back them,” Earp said.