Richland woman dies after being pulled from burning home

A lifelong Tri-City resident pulled from her burning Richland home Monday evening died Friday morning at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.

Martha (Dunakey) Turner, 74, died after suffering extensive burns in the fire at her longtime home at 200 Adams St., according to her daughter, Christine Dunakey Kline.

Turner was taken first to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and then to Seattle. The King County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed it was notified of her death, but had no additional information. It was unclear Friday if there would be an autopsy.

The Richland Fire Department continues to investigate the fire, but Chief Tom Huntington said it did not appear to be suspicious.

Turner, however, was the victim of a violent crime shortly before Christmas, when she was allegedly assaulted in her home by Jared W. Pruitt, 26, described as a friend of her grandson.

Pruitt went to Turner’s Adams Street home on Dec. 20, seeking a place to stay for the night after being released from jail. Turner declined, but offered him food. He left 30 minutes later without eating.

He returned the following day and Turner allowed him inside to sit on a chair in her hall while she painted. When she walked past him en route to the bathroom, Pruitt allegedly grabbed her, threw her to the floor and placed his hands around her neck and squeezed.

Turner told police she thought she was going to die.

Pruitt was charged with second-degree assault on a vulnerable victim. Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom found him incompetent to stand trial in February based on a psychological evaluation at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Proceedings were stayed for 90 days and the judge extended that to another 90 days this month. The prosecutor’s office said it has not had a chance to review the case to determine how it will be affected by the victim’s death. However, it said it expects to be able to proceed based on evidence.

Fatal house fires are rare in Benton County, with fewer than one per year, said Benton County Coroner John Hansens. His office is not involved in the case because Turner died in Seattle.

Turner’s family moved to the Tri-Cities in the 1940s, and she graduated from Kennewick High School in 1961. She and her then-husband, Arthur Dunakey, purchased the Adams Street home in 1968.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Richland woman dies after being pulled from burning home."