Man who sent his nephew into the street in a bed sheet and carrying a fake grenade launcher to test for terrorism preparedness is convicted of endangering the boy's life

Turley was also convicted of giving a false impression of a terrorist act

Michael David Turley filmed his nephew, 16, as he ran around an intersection in a baby blue cloth while wielding a movie prop weapon now faces five years of prison or more



Turley insist he was only trying to test the response time of local Phoenix, Arizona police in the wake of the Colorado Dark Knight shootings

Man who sent his teenage nephew into a busy intersection with a fake grenade launcher and dressed in Arab mimicking garb was convicted of endangering the boy’s life and carrying out a terrorism hoax and could face five or more years in prison.



Filmmaker Michael David Turley of Phoenix, Arizona was tried in Maricopa County Superior Court and jurors deliberated for two hours Monday before convicting the 40-year-old after prosecutors argued Turley could have gotten the boy killed because some witnesses said they even considered running him over in their vehicles.



At the time of the July stunt, Turley videotaped his nephew, whose head and body were wrapped in cloth, while he carried a fake rocket launcher as the boy pretended to be a terrorist.

Scary? Michael David Turley sent his teenaged nephew into a Phoenix intersection dressed in mock terrorist garb and carrying a fake grenade launcher in July and says it was to test the local authorities' response time

Crusader? Michael David Turley could face five years or more in jail for the stunt, but his attorney is pushing for a probation sentence

Turley told an officer who arrived at the scene that he and his 16-year-old nephew, who was wrapped in a baby blue sheet, were filming a movie. They were not arrested at that point.

Turley's video commentary makes a point of this, suggesting the officer, who told Turley to put the camera down, wasn't concerned enough about the possibility it was an actual terrorist attack.

However, after the YouTube video he posted of the stunt made the rounds online, Turley was arrested and charged with giving a false impression of a terrorist act, according to abc15.com .

In the YouTube video, Turley said he wanted to see how long it would take authorities to respond to a terrorist situation and mentioned a movie theater shooting two weeks earlier that killed 12 people in Aurora, Colo.



He was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and ‘misconduct of simulated explosive devices.’



Sentencing is set for Aug. 8. Prosecutors said Turley faces penalties ranging from probation to more than five years in prison.



Turley's attorney, Brad Rideout, said he planned to 'argue for probation' for his client unless he wants to appeal the verdict.



'We haven't discussed that with him yet,' Rideout said. 'My client is in shock.'

Slow response: Turley and his nephew walked around a Phoenix, Arizona neighborhood hoping to attract the attention of police but were disappointed no one seemed afraid

In a YouTube video that Turley made of the hoax, his young relative was dressed in a sheet, had a scarf wrapped around his head, made erratic movements while in a crosswalk and pointed the fake weapon at vehicles, prompting motorists to call 911.



Prosecutor Michael Anderson told jurors in closing arguments Monday that Turley, who was responsible for his nephew's safety that day, could have gotten his young relative killed in the hoax.



Anderson said some motorists who saw the teen with the realistic-looking fake launcher had discussions about whether they should run him over. Still, some recordings of 911 calls also showed that some witnesses assumed the weapon was a fake.

Police response: Police initially questioned Turley and his nephew but didn't seem concerned and didn't pursue it

Rideout said callers weren't terrified and instead figured they were witnessing a joke, pointing out that they could see his client filming the hoax and that his nephew did a brief dance while on the street corner.



Earlier in the trial that began June 11, Rideout told jurors that it was foolish for Turley to get his nephew involved but noted that no one was injured and no vehicles wrecked as a result of the hoax.



In testimony last week, Turley said his video of the hoax was meant to be satirical and that most passing motorists laughed at them. He told jurors he didn't think his actions endangered his nephew's life.

Suburban commando: Though police didn't pursue the issue at first, once the YouTube footage came out, they pressed charges. Turley has now been convicted of endangering his nephew and carrying out a terrorist hoax









