Yorkville man charged with killing his girlfriend offered Alford Plea

Robert J. Turk

GRUNDY – A Yorkville man charged with first degree murder and aggravated arson in connection with a May 2019 killing and a house fire has been offered an Alford plea with a 25-year sentence.

Robert Turk, 45, was arrested on the charges after the body of Elizabeth Link was discovered in her home following a fire. Link was 39.

An Alford plea would allow Turk to maintain his innocence while admitting the state has enough evidence to convict.

If the plea is accepted, Turk will serve the entire 25 year sentence without the possibility of parole, according to the Grundy County State Attorney’s office.

“The evidence in this case is overwhelming, it would be odd to accept 25-years for something you didn’t do,” said Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley.

State’s Attorney Jason Helland did not comment on the reason for offering an Alford plea.

On May 14, 2019, Grundy County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residential fire and discovered Link’s body after the fire was extinguished, according to court documents.

The same documents state that an autopsy conducted by Amanda Yousman, a forensic pathologist, concluded that “there was no soot in (Link’s) airways and blood work suggested she was not breathing during the fire,” suggesting Link’s death occurred before the fire began.

Turk’s plea hearing is set for May 9 at 3 p.m.

Maribeth M. Wilson

Maribeth M. Wilson has been a reporter with Shaw Media for two years, one of those as news editor at the Morris Herald-News. She became a part of the NewsTribune staff in 2023.