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Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts in Houston, Texas
June 11, 2007
JURY CONVICTS AIRLINE PASSENGER OF INTERFERING WITH FLIGHT
[HOUSTON, TX] – A Mexican national, whose conduct aboard a flight bound for Houston from Mexico prompted an emergency landing in Corpus Christi, has been convicted for assaulting or intimidating, or attempting to assault or intimidate a flight attendant and interfering with a flight, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.
A federal jury returned its verdict this afternoon convicting Eduardo Turnbull-Bolado, 58, of Mexico City, Mexico of the federal felony offense after an hour of deliberation. During the trial, the jury heard from a number of witnesses aboard the diverted Continental flight including the victim of the assault, passengers, the co-pilot and the pilot, and ultimately from the defendant, who testified on his own behalf.
The jury learned that on March 26, 2007 while in route aboard a Continental Airlines flight from Monterrey, Mexico to Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX, Turnbull became increasingly agitated when he did not receive the immigration forms he demanded from the victim flight attendant as quickly as he expected. Despite an order from the captain for all passengers and crew to take appropriate steps to secure themselves, luggage and other items in anticipation of impending turbulence, Turnbull ignored the order and followed the victim flight attendant to the front section of the airplane and assaulted and intimated him in the confined space of the galley.
According to the victim flight attendant and the passenger seated closest to the galley and Turnbull himself, the victim flight attendant repeatedly told Turnbull to return to his seat, but Turnbull ignored the instruction. The victim flight attendant testified that while in the galley, Turnbull pushed him against the wall, grabbed him by the shoulder, and a brief struggle ensued as the victim flight attendant and Turnbull wrestled with one another in the galley. The victim flight attendant eventually ducked under and around Turnbull to get out of the situation and was elbowed in the face during the process. Upon freeing himself, the victim flight attendant called the captain and advised him that he had just been attacked. Once notified of Turnbull’s assault on a member of his crew, the captain testified he made the decision to effect an emergency landing at the airport in Corpus Christi, TX and have the passenger removed from the plane for the safety of the plane, the crew and other passengers. The captain and co-pilot both testified that the incident warranted an emergency landing. Once on the ground, Turnbull was escorted from the plane and taken into federal custody by FBI agents.
Turnbull testified that he became increasingly stressed, although not upset, over not receiving his immigration documents when he repeatedly asked for them from the flight attendant. Turnbull admitted that he got up from his seat while under a fasten seatbelt sign to follow the attendant to the galley but claimed the victim flight attendant grabbed his arm as he reached for documents and then pushed him. Turnbull denied assaulting the flight attendant stating he merely grabbed the flight attendant’s arm in an effort to keep his balance.
However, several passengers testified to seeing activity that was consistent with some sort of wrestling or other struggle between Turnbull and the flight attendant. Due to their seating assignments none of the passengers were able to see who initiated physical contact, but none of the passengers testified that the victim flight attendant was the aggressor in the confrontation, with the exception of Turnbull wife.
United States District Judge Hayden Head, who presided over the three day trial, sentenced Turnbull immediately following the jury’s verdict to time served (73 days), imposed a $5,000 fine and ordered the defendant to serve a three year term of supervised release while in the U.S. Turnbull-Bolado, who has been in custody since his arrest in March, is expected to be released from the custody of the U. S. Marshal Service upon entry of the court’s judgment.
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