John Albert Taylor
John Albert Taylor | |
---|---|
aggravated murder – December 1989, Utah[1] | |
Criminal penalty | Death by firing squad |
John Albert Taylor (June 6, 1959 – January 26, 1996) was an American who was
Taylor gave up appealing his sentence after his request for retrial was rejected by the Utah Supreme Court, though he continued to maintain his innocence.[1] He became the second person to be executed by firing squad in the United States (after Gary Gilmore) since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.[4] Taylor said he chose this method of execution to embarrass the state of Utah.[5] On January 26, 1996, the day of Taylor's execution, legislation was introduced in the Utah House of Representatives to eliminate the firing squad.[6]
Background
John Albert Taylor was born in Ogden, Utah to Albert and Gaylene Taylor, who separated during his infancy. He moved several times during his youth, including a move to Colorado at the age of nine, when he was told that his father had died.[2] According to Taylor, he was raised in Florida, where he was abused as a child and became involved in drugs by his teens. Taylor stated that he did not get along with his stepfather, a Vietnam veteran, or his mother: "But she could never control me. My mother had a lot of animosity toward my father. They alienated me for a long time. I was the whipping post." At the age of 13, he stabbed his stepfather.[1][7] According to court records, he repeatedly raped and sodomized his sister Laurie during his teens, and raped, and sodomized other young girls, and was committed to a sex offender program.[7][8] In 1974, Taylor moved back to Ogden to live with his grandmother, but soon returned to Florida.[2]
In 1977, Taylor was arrested in Florida and charged with burglary and carrying a concealed weapon after he was caught with a stolen gun. He was convicted and imprisoned until December 1981, when he was released on parole. In March 1982, he was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for armed burglary, armed robbery, and sexual assault.[2][1][9] He had been diagnosed at the age of 17 as "a remorseless pedophile."[10] He was acquitted of the charges in September 1982, but was sentenced to 15 additional years in prison for parole violations. In 1989, Taylor was released and departed for Utah to be with his sisters and biological father, who he discovered was still alive.[2][1]
From all I saw, my father was a good man. But while I was growing up, I was told so many stories about him that I've come to learn were all lies. My father was being painted a villain when he really wasn't one. I've come to learn that the real villain was my mother.
Murder of Charla King
At around 3:20 p.m. on June 23, 1989, Sherron King returned from work to her apartment in
Arrest
On June 25, a tipster, who was later revealed to be Taylor's sister Laurie Galli,[7] contacted Washington Terrace Police officer Marcia Gathercole with information connected to the murder.[11] Taylor's fingerprints were found on a telephone in the King residence and matched to records provided by authorities in Fort Lauderdale. He was arrested at about 9 p.m. on June 28 at the home of his half-sister/incestuous lover Tresa Taylor in Ogden, Utah and charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree child rape, and first-degree murder the next morning. Taylor had arrived from Florida four days before the murder and had been staying with another sister in the same apartment complex.[7][12][13]
I remember telling my father that whoever they arrested for this crime was history, and that was before my arrest.
— John Albert Taylor, January 1996[1]
Sherron King moved out of the apartment complex on June 28. She was upset that the neighbors who came forward as witnesses did nothing when they heard her daughter screaming.[14]
Murder trial
On November 27, 1989, the trial commenced under District Judge David Roth after Taylor
On December 5, 1989, Judge Roth found Taylor guilty of the first-degree child rape and first-degree murder of Charla Nicole King.[17] During the penalty phase of Taylor's trial, his half-sister Leslie Beale traveled from Florida to testify about his harsh treatment under his stepfather and the three years that Taylor spent in a sex offender program at a Florida mental institution.[7] On December 19, Taylor became the first convict in 40 years to be sent to death row by a Weber County court. Roth said that the facts of the case outweighed any mitigating circumstances.[8] Taylor's father Albert attended most of his son's court proceedings until he died of heart failure on October 8, 1990. Taylor said he was not permitted to attend his father's funeral.[2]
Appeals
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/UtahCapitol.jpeg/175px-UtahCapitol.jpeg)
The case was automatically appealed to the Utah Supreme Court, which upheld Taylor's conviction and sentence in October 1991. Taylor's execution was initially scheduled for January 15, 1992.[18] The date was rescheduled to June 24 when Taylor's attorney Martin Gravis requested to withdraw from the case.[19][20] On June 17, Judge Roth granted a stay of execution after Taylor's new defense attorney Ron Yengich requested more time to prepare an appeal. At issue was a new 1992 law in Utah that established the sentence of life imprisonment without parole.[21]
While incarcerated at Utah State Prison, Taylor kept busy in an effort to overcome his claustrophobia and boredom. He earned his high school diploma and studied to be a paralegal until his educational grant money ran out.[1]
In October 1995, Taylor decided to end further appeals after the Utah Supreme Court rejected his argument that his legal counsel was ineffective.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Utah_State_Prison_Wasatch_Facility.jpg/220px-Utah_State_Prison_Wasatch_Facility.jpg)
I don't want to die alone in my cell.
— John Albert Taylor, December 1995[1]
Judge Roth ordered Taylor to choose a method of execution.[18] Taylor chose to be executed by firing squad to make the process more difficult for Utah state officials. In an interview with the Deseret News, he stated: "I didn't commit the murder, and I'm not going to submit to letting them kill me on that table." Regarding the option of lethal injection, Taylor said, "I don't want to go flipping around like a fish out of water on that table."[22]
To be strapped to a table and injected full of drugs leaves me with a feeling of helplessness; because I am innocent of the crime for which I was convicted of. Anyway, if my execution is carried out, it will be a murder. Granted, it may be legally sanctioned, but, nonetheless, murder it will be, and the firing squad is my way of showing that point; and because of the cost and the inconvenience it will cause the state because they are not really prepared for an execution by firing squad.
— John Albert Taylor, January 21, 1992[2]
Execution
For his last meal Taylor ordered a large Ambassador pizza with thin crust, onions, mushrooms, hot peppers, sausage, pepperoni, ham and extra cheese. He also asked for a Coke. When Taylor ordered a
Five police officers, who volunteered to carry out the execution, were each paid $300.
Media coverage
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Utah_State_Prison_main_complex%2C_Draper.jpg/220px-Utah_State_Prison_main_complex%2C_Draper.jpg)
Over 168 news and television crews from around the world were on hand to report the execution,[29] which was set up inside a warehouse at Utah State Prison in Draper.[28] Nine media witnesses were allowed to record the actual event. Actor and activist Mike Farrell appeared as a commentator for the American Civil Liberties Union in opposition to the death penalty.[30] Elliott King, the uncle of Charla King, was the sole member of the victim's family to arrive as a witness and expressed that he had no sympathy for Taylor.[6] Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking, wrote Taylor a letter that was delivered right before his execution.[25]
Death
Shortly before midnight, Taylor was led into the execution chamber and strapped to a chair 17 feet away from the shooters with a hood covering his head. Multiple bright lights covered Taylor.
I would like to say for my family and my friends — as the poem was written, 'Remember me, but let me go.'
—Final statement of John Albert Taylor, 12:01 a.m., January 26, 1996[25]
Aftermath
After an
If they choose the firing squad, it's one last magnificent manipulation of the system to bring attention to themselves... It's time for Utah to do away with the firing squad.
— Sheryl Allen, Utah House of Representatives, January 21, 2004[36]
See also
- Capital punishment in the United States
- Capital punishment in Utah
- List of people executed in Utah
- Opposition to capital punishment in the United States
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n DeVoy, Beverly (1996-01-26). "Taylor knew from the start he would die". Deseret News. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i DeVoy, Beverly (1992-03-16). "Stop appeals and go ahead with execution, inmate says". Deseret News. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ^ a b c Maffly, Brian (1996-01-26). "Firing Squad Executes Taylor". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-02. (subscription required)
- ^ Whittell, Giles (2010-04-24). "Utah death row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner elects to die by firing squad". The Times. London. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ a b Westcott, Kathryn (2010-06-18). "How and why Gardner was shot". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g Donaldson, Amy (1996-01-26). "Firing squad carries out execution". Deseret News. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ a b c d e DeVoy, Beverly (1989-12-19). "Taylor was a sex abuser, half-sister says convict spent 3 years in Florida program as a teen, judge told at hearing". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ a b DeVoy, Beverly (1989-12-20). "Taylor receives death sentence". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ a b Maffly, Brian (1996-01-26). "The Man: Sick or Sinister? Sick or Sinister? Taylor's Life Plagued by Demons From Within". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-02. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d Brown, Matthew (1996-01-26). "Child killer awaiting Utah firing squad". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2010-10-03.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c DeVoy, Beverly (1989-11-28). "Mother Testifies in Girl's Slaying". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Murder Hearing Delayed". Deseret News. 1989-07-27. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Florida Man Charged in Slaying of Girl, 11". Deseret News. 1989-06-29. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ a b Donaldson, Amy (1995-12-31). "I think he needs to be pitied". Deseret News. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ DeVoy, Beverly (1989-12-02). "Ogden defendant admitted killing a girl, inmate says". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ DeVoy, Beverly (1989-12-01). "Prints on phone and cord are similar, lab expert says". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ DeVoy, Beverly (1989-12-06). "Ogdenite found guilty of girl's strangulation". Deseret News. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ a b DeVoy, Beverly (1991-11-23). "Ogden murderer set to die by firing squad Jan. 15". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "June 24 execution date is set for killer of 11-year-old girl in '89". Deseret News. 1992-05-04. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Clifton, David (1992-05-29). "'Competent' counsel gives inmate new hope". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-04. (subscription required)
- ^ "Stay of Execution Given in 1989 Murder Case". Deseret News. 1992-06-17. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ a b DeVoy, Beverly (1995-12-09). "11-year-old's killer picks death by firing squad". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Schindler, Hal (1996-01-28). "Taylor's Death Was Quick . . . But Some Weren't So Lucky". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ "A look at Utah's most infamous executions". KSL-TV. 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ a b c d "Taylor Timeline: The Final Hours of John Albert Taylor". Deseret News. 1996-01-26. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ a b Liesik, Geoff (2010-04-27). "Corrections creating commemorative coin for Ronnie Lee Gardner execution". Deseret News. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ Dobner, Jennifer (2010-04-24). "Killer: 'The firing squad, please'". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ a b "Friday Execution In Utah May Be Last By Firing Squad". Orlando Sentinel. 1996-01-23. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ Smith, Josh (2010-06-17). "Journalists from around globe descend on Ronnie Lee Gardner execution". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ^ Farrell, Mike. "Mike Farrell and the Death Penalty". Mike Farrell Online. Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ "Firing Squad Executes Killer". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1996-01-27. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ Kirby, Robert (2010-06-14). "Executioners share motives, describe their roles in death by firing squad". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
- ^ Parkinson, Chip (1996-02-01). "Execution will be listed as homicide". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Utah firing squad executes US killer Ronnie Lee Gardner". BBC News. 2010-06-18. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ Dobner, Jennifer (2004-01-22). "Plan to abolish firing squad advances". Deseret News. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ Foy, Paul (2004-01-22). "Firing squad". Daily Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
External links
- 1996: John Albert Taylor at Executed Today
- January 26, 1996 – John Albert Taylor at Execution of the Day