I have wondered at times if people who die in the early morning hours noticed the sunset, the stars, or nature’s beauty the night before. I wondered that about Michael Taylor, a 39-year-old maintenance supervisor for Fogelman Management Group, in Memphis, Tennessee when I read of his early morning death.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 Michael was shot twice, once in the heart and once about two inches behind the right ear, allegedly during an argument. When his wife, Pamela Taylor contacted police around 9 A.M., she advised a man had been shot in the chest. The police arrived to discover her husband deceased. They took Pamela to the station and charged her on Christmas Eve with second degree murder. On December 28, 2010, they arraigned Pamela via video.
In March of 2010 during a preliminary hearing in domestic violence court, the Judge amended the second degree murder to voluntary manslaughter charge. Pamela’s bond was set for 100000.00.
According to a nearby resident in the apartment complex the visit that fatal morning wasn’t the first time police units had been to the home. His comment has me wondering if domestic violence was an ongoing issue. I haven’t discovered anything concerning it- if that was the reason for previous police presence at the Taylor home.
The DA’s Office sent the case to the grand jury and they indicted her on premeditated first-degree murder. Missy Branham, the state prosecutor, asked for a bond increase and more restrictions to be placed on Pamela. Apparently in a few short months she’d moved several times. Pamela’s lawyer, Andre Wharton, argued that his client had kept up with the bonding agent as ordered by court and wasn’t a flight risk. Wharton allegedly stated Pamela wants her story told. Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan increased the bond to 150000.00. Pamela has to check in with court authorities three times per week and wear a GPS monitor.
This case has premeditation written all over it to me, the reason she made the decision to shoot her husband twice is a question only she can answer. But allegedly she purchased the gun the day before her husband was shot; he was shot twice, allegedly she had the gun in the sleeve of her sweatshirt and shot him. And too, I wonder why Pamela neglected to advise police that her husband had been shot in the head as well as the chest when she made the call that fateful morning.
