Coronavirus News

Amid Fort Worth spike, Mayor Betsy Price tests positive for COVID-19

Good to see she's wearing a mask.

Courtesy photo

Fort Worth is seeing an alarming increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases — and now that includes its mayor.

According to a November 18 statement from the mayor's office, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price has tested positive for COVID-19.

Her husband, Tom, has also tested positive via a diagnosis earlier in the week.

A tweet from the mayor's Twitter account said that she and her husband "are in good spirits, quarantining and exhibiting mild symptoms at this time."

"Unfortunately, like so many of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors, my husband and I have tested positive for COVID-19," Mayor Price said in a statement. "While we are fortunate to be exhibiting mild symptoms, we are closely monitoring our health and consulting with our physicians."

Price had a scare back in April when she came into contact with a coworker who had tested positive. Price self-quarantined and subsequently tested negative.

COVID-19 cases have been rising dramatically in Fort Worth, as well as Texas and across the country, prompting warnings from lawmakers and health officials to double back down on anti-virus practices, particularly with the looming Thanksgiving holiday. Small gatherings are considered to be among the most problematic in terms of spreading the virus.

Tarrant County's number of cases has been breaking records nearly daily, including a record 2,112 new COVID-19 cases on November 18.

"As we head into the holiday season, we continue to ask everyone to remain vigilant and prioritize the health and safety of our community by wearing a mask and social distancing," Price said. "We appreciate everyone’s prayers for a speedy recovery."

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.

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Death Penalty

Tarrant County man gets death for murder of convenience store owner

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office

Christopher Turner

A man received the death penalty for his 2020 cold-blooded execution of a convenience store owner.

According to a release from the office of Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells, a Tarrant County jury sentenced Christopher Karon Turner, 48, to death on November 20 for executing convenience store owner Anwar Ali during a robbery. Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Charles Boulware and Allenna Bangs represented the state.

On March 27, 2020, at around 6:15 am, Turner, a convicted felon, wore a surgical mask and a glove and entered the Super Big Country Mart in an unincorporated area of Tarrant County south of Fort Worth. There, he held a gun to the back of Anwar Ali, the 62-year-old store owner, and walked him through the store.

Ali did everything Turner demanded, including opening the cash register to give him money. And yet Turner forced Ali into the bathroom and onto his knees, and shot him in the neck. Ali was discovered, dead in the bathroom, about an hour later.

Turner fled the store in Ali's Toyota minivan with the money from the register and Ali's wallet. In the van, he found more than $50,000 cash in a black bag. Over the next few days, Turner went on a shopping spree, buying cars, jewelry, drugs, clothes, and more. He and others used cash and a credit card that belonged to Ali.

Turner fled to Colorado where U.S. Marshals arrested him. On his body they found a firearm which was determined to be the murder weapon.

"This was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder," Boulware told the jury. "From the moment he was charged with this crime, he has tried to escape responsibility."

Bangs noted that before this trial began, Turner obtained the names of jurors and their telephone numbers, and gave them to an inmate charged with murder. At the trial on November 20, as Bangs addressed the jury, Turner tried to hold up a sign to the jury but was handcuffed by Sheriff's deputies who removed him from the courtroom, while he yelled out "she lied."

Ali came to the United States from Pakistan decades ago to pursue the American dream. Ali's son, Hussein, spoke in the courtroom after the death penalty was announced. "Thank you for giving us justice," Ali said. "I hope there are no more devils like this person."