Friends of Amanda Taylor were shocked to the core when theyread her graphic Instagram post in April 2015. They knew Amanda, 24, had beengoing through a tough time since the tragic death of her estranged husband Rex,but her chilling words were truly disturbing.
"Everything I did was for the right reasons. I stabbedmy father-in-law to death because he destroyed my husband…" she wrote."I wasn’t the perfect wife but this was one last good thing I coulddo."
It seemed unbelievable that someone would confess to abrutal murder on social media, especially as Amanda was a mum to two youngchildren. But the widow followed it up with a post on her Facebook page saying,"I proudly did this for Rex."
When police discovered Amanda’s father-in-law CharlesTaylor, 59, stabbed to death, a massive manhunt began. Amanda was on the runand threatening to end her life to be with Rex. Through social media, Amandawas about to show the world just how dark she really was.
Amanda, from Virginia, met Rex at school. She dropped outwhen she fell pregnant, the couple married and had a son, followed by adaughter. But their relationship was far from conventional. Both had afascination with violence and wrote to serial killers behind bars.
Despite their devotion to each other, Rex was battling withaddictions and depression. Amanda blamed Rex’s dad Charles for introducing hisson to prescription drugs when he was just 15.
As Rex’s addictions got worse, Amanda told him she didn’twant drugs around her children and the pair separated in April 2014. Rex movedback in with his dad – by the August he was dead. He’d hanged himself in a shedon his son’s seventh birthday.
Amanda was devastated. She’d had a tough upbringing; bothher parents had spent time in prison, but the suicide pushed her to the edgeand she decided Charles was to blame for Rex’s suicide.
Amanda and Rex were born on the same day, March 27, and ontheir joint birthday in 2015, Amanda went to Rex’s graveside and tried to takeher life. She survived and checked herself into hospital to get help – butdespite her own protests, and objection from her mum, Amanda was released onApril 1.
Three days later, Amanda went to the home of Charles withher friend Sean Ball. Charles was due to give her money for the kids for Easterbut instead, Amanda stabbed her former father-in-law to death as he sat on thesofa. She made sure it happened at exactly 3.27pm to symbolise the birthdayshe’d shared with Rex – 3/27.
Amanda and Sean fled the scene with money from Charles’wallet. Charles was a carer for his elderly father who was left vulnerableupstairs in bed. After the killing, Amanda posted a status on Instagram underher username brunette_bomber alongside a picture of a news report alertingmembers of the public that she was on the run with Sean, 32.
She wrote, "I stabbed my father-in-law to death becausehe destroyed my husband…"
She even phoned a local reporter and gave an interviewcomparing the thrill of stabbing to the first time she rode a rollercoaster.The social media updates continued.
On Facebook, Amanda said, ‘I proudly did this for Rex. Ilove my children but Charlie killed my husband."
It was clear Amanda intended to take her own life and shewrote that Sean was now dead.
She posted a goodbye message on Instagram next to a pictureof a silver revolver on her lap. "Alright… it’s about that time. I’m goingto go find my husband in Hell & finally be at peace," she wrote."I love you mom & my beautiful crazies, I know you’ll give them thelife I just couldn’t after everything… I can’t apologise ’cause I’m finallygoing to be free."
Sean was found by the side of a road with life-threateninginjuries. It’s alleged Amanda turned on her partner in crime, shot him and lefthim for dead. As he was rushed to hospital, police were able to throw spikesacross the road in front of Amanda’s moving car. It punctured her tyres and shewas arrested in North Carolina.
As Sean recovered in hospital, he was charged withsecond-degree murder. Amanda told investigators she’d used a knife because shewanted Charles to see who had killed him. She was charged with first-degreemurder. Despite multiple confessions, Amanda chose to plead not guilty.
At the trial in November 2015, the jury heard that Amandahad stabbed Charles 31 times with a bayonet-style knife and had aimed for hisface and chest. The medical examiner said 11 of the stab wounds had thepotential to be lethal on their own.
It was revealed Amanda had taken a selfie at the scene withthe bloody knife and the body of Charles behind her. It was never released tothe public.
Amanda smirked through the trial, even as the interviewshe’d given to a reporter was played admitting she’d "wanted to watch himdie." "I was excited," she was heard saying. "I know itsounds bad, but I was really excited."
The prosecution said Amanda was proud of what she’d done andhad used social media because she wanted the world to know she was a killer.
The defence didn’t deny that Amanda was the killer but saidshe’d believed the act was justified and that love is a "powerful andoverwhelming motivator".
It took less than an hour for the jury to find Amandaguilty.
Amanda’s mum took the stand and claimed her daughter was‘always angry’ growing up and that after Rex died "her eyes just wentempty". Amanda was emotionless as she received life in prison. Sean Ballawaits his own trial for murder.
Amanda’s confession by social media confirmed her guilty status to the world.
Posted by tboixy
Reviewed by Tboixy
on
January 31, 2016
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