The residents of Riverhead, New York, were terrified that a sexual killer was among them when Curtisha Morning’s body was found five weeks after her disappearance in 1996. Before the murderer dumped Curtisha’s body close to a field and covered it with twigs and leaves, the school’s homecoming queen had been stabbed 96 times.
The neighbourhood was shocked to learn that Kalila Taylor was charged with Curtisha’s murder. The prosecution said that Taylor’s motivations were love and jealousy, with her being upset that her child’s father, Carl Brown, now had feelings only for Curtisha.
Kalila Taylor was given a 25-year to life sentence for second-degree murder after two trials.
Although Kalila Taylor is eligible for parole, it’s not apparent if she has applied to release.
Kalila Taylor was given a minimum 25-year jail sentence by a New York court in August of 2012. Permitted to speak, Taylor remained silent.
Taylor insisted she was innocent, according to her sister Katisha. “Since the beginning, she has maintained her innocence,” Katisha said to CBS News. ” Let’s hope for another appeal.
John Loturco, Taylor’s lawyer, informed the outlet that he would challenge the conviction and punishment, although he did not provide any specific justification. John stated, “We are aware of the overwhelming amount of evidence that points to her innocence,” yet she maintains her innocence.
The punishment was hailed by Curtisha’s sister, Patrina Morning, who declared that justice had been done. All I have to say is that. Patrina declared, “Justice has been served.” “Curtisha is able to rest in peace right now.” Taylor would be eligible for parole eight years after her sentencing, and she would receive credit for time served.
According to records, Taylor has been eligible for release since May 31, 2022, and is currently jailed at Albion Correctional Facility. It is unknown, though, if she has submitted a parole application. It’s unclear what Kalila Taylor is up to in prison.
Good behaviour is one need for parole. Taylor had a history of assaults prior to her incarceration on murder charges. She cut one woman’s face and stabbed another in the hand in 1992. She broke her probation and stabbed a second woman two years later.
Taylor stabbed Carl Brown in the month before to Curtisha going missing during a fight. She got into a pub fight in March 1997, and a month later she shot a gun in the vicinity of a gathering. “We think she’s a very aggressive and wild girl,” former Suffolk County District Attorney Christopher Powers stated to The New York Times.
It is improbable that Taylor will be granted parole if she continues to exhibit violent tendencies. Taylor was given mental health treatment while incarcerated before to her second trial in 2012. The court decided she was ready for trial after she finished her prescribed medicines and therapy. It’s unknown what Taylor’s mental state is right now.
Taylor’s initial conviction was reversed because the trial judge made an error.
Prosecutors have sufficient scientific evidence to get a conviction, District Attorney James M. Catterson stated in 1997, even in the absence of eyewitness testimony.
Without direct eyewitnesses to the incident, this is an extremely challenging type of case to prove. However, a lot of the time, the evidence that has been left behind is stronger than the testimony of an eyewitness, whose memory might or might not be hazy due to time.
Taylor was found guilty, but the New York Appellate Division reversed the decision, stating that the jury had received incorrect instructions. The jury was incorrectly instructed by Judge Arthur Pitts to view DNA evidence as direct evidence rather than circumstantial evidence, the court found.
It is impossible to conclude that this error was harmless given the facts of the case,” the ruling stated.
According to the Riverhead News-Review, Kalila Taylor turned down two plea agreements that would have lowered her mandatory term to eighteen years. The family of Curtisha travelled to Riverhead, New York, via plane to see Taylor’s retrial. They had left Riverhead, struggling to deal with Curtisha’s murder.
The Riverhead News-Review was informed by Suffolk County district attorney Janet Albertson, “I’m very pleased that the jury was able to deliver a verdict with such confidence so quickly” following Taylor’s second conviction. The [Morning] family is incredibly relieved.
