Fond du Lac’s “Halloween Killer” again tries to get released from secure facility

A new status hearing will take place Wednesday, March 12, 2025, for a Fond du Lac man known as the Halloween Killer for a sexual assault and murder he committed in the 70s.

Gerald Turner, now 75, was convicted in 1975 for the 1973 murder of 9-year-old Lisa French while she was trick or treating in her Rose Avenue neighborhood.

Turner was released from prison after completing his sentence in 2003, but was sentenced to another 15 years in prison after violating probation terms when hundreds of pornographic photos were found on his computer.

Turner became eligible for release again in 2018 but prosecutors claimed Turner was still a threat to society after a psychologist retained by the Department of Corrections stated he suffered from conditions that could affect his emotional capacity and make him predisposed to engage in sexually violent acts.

Turner has been held at a secure mental health facility in Mauston, Wisconsin ever since.

In February of 2022, Turner had appealed to be released but the state department of justice and a Fond du Lac judge at that time ruled he would remain at the secure facility.

Turner and his attorney have requested todays hearing, claiming there is no probable cause currently that Turner is a sexually violent person.