2015-08-17 Taylor

Capital Murder Indictment – Allen Taylor in Death of Pregnant Wife Joyce Taylor

Allen Taylor, 44, of Amarillo, has been indicted on charges of capital murder of multiple persons in the death of his wife, Joyce Taylor, 26, and the unborn child she was carrying. The indictment came down on May 18, 2016, in the 47th District Court in Randall County following autopsy evidence that showed Joyce Taylor had been suffocated and her body hidden inside the bedroom of their home. She was found by police on August 17, 2015.^[1]

Discovery of the Body

Police were initially called to the Taylor's apartment on the 4200 block of Austin Street after Joyce Taylor's mother told them her daughter hadn't contacted them for several days.^[2]

"She would talk and text and keep in touch with the family," said her brother, Johnny Mcintire. "Then all of a sudden she just quit, which was unusual for her. My mother went over to the apartment, couldn't find her and Allen was acting real weird, so she called the police who found her body (in the bedroom)."^[3]

The body was discovered when the victim's mother came to visit and detected a foul odor. Investigators say it appears the body had been hidden in the room for several days and was badly decomposed.

Initially, police could not identify the cause of death due to the decomposition of the body, but an autopsy showed Taylor to have been suffocated and that she was pregnant.

The Victim

"She was close to four months pregnant," Johnny Mcintire said. "They had already done the sonogram and saw the heart beat. It was a little boy."

Joyce Taylor was brought into the Mcintire family as a foster child at the age of 8, gaining three brothers and three sisters. Joyce's mother, Sue Mcintire, said that they adopted Joyce at the age of 18, but that she wanted to prove her independence and lived homeless for a period.

Johnny Mcintire said that his sister's dream was to be a wife and to start a family. She had been working at a nearby Walmart on Canyon Drive but had resigned to focus on motherhood.

"Joyce was a very happy person. She loved camping, fishing, the outdoors. She loved her family," Mcintire said. "That was her life, it was to start and raise her own family."

Joyce and Allen Taylor were married in June 2014. Sue Mcintire said Joyce and Allen met at the Pavilion at Northwest Texas Hospital, a mental health facility. She also described Allen as controlling.

"She and Allen were married and would stay in an apartment, then get evicted, then go into the homeless community again," Sue Mcintire said. "She had a couple of different jobs and Allen would come in and sit and watch her work."

Neighbors and staff at the apartment complex described Joyce Taylor as a sweet person, but that the married couple were quiet when they were together.

"When she was out, she would wave and say 'Hi', but he never spoke," said Jamie Carpenter, who lived next door to the Taylors. "I never saw him get mean."

On Joyce Allen's Facebook page she explained, "My name is Joyce I have a wonderful husband a beautiful little boy the best parents anyone could ever have I have some disabilities and I try not to let the disabilities get in the way of my life but sometimes I don't have control of what happens with my disabilities my life is srounded (sic) by the love of GOD and my loving husband and mom and dad."

"She loved life and would do anything to help anybody," Sue Mcintire said.

Charges and Indictments

The Randall County District Attorney's office is not seeking the death penalty in this case but continues to pursue tampering with evidence charges along with the capital murder of multiple persons.

Allen Taylor was indicted on tampering with evidence charges on February 3, 2016, for concealing his wife's body. This was the second indictment for Allen Taylor.

"There were a number of factors that gave us the cause of death," said Robert Love, Randall County assistant criminal district attorney. "Witness interviews, scene photographs and the autopsy as well was part of the decision that led us to believe what the cause of death was."

"Review of the scene and several photographs were all extremely important in our continuing investigation on the homicide aspect of the case," Love said. "It was a conglomeration of things that when added together, put us in a position that we were able to go forward on the homicide aspect of the case."

Love would not say when Joyce Taylor was killed, stating that the time of death and location in the bedroom where she was hidden were critical facts in the investigation.

Potential Insanity Plea

The court has found that there is evidence to support a potential finding of insanity by virtue of mental illness in the case. Allen Taylor has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation by a local psychiatrist.

"Just because a defendant claims to be insane, doesn't make it so," Love said. "You need expert testimony to come into the courtroom and say they were insane and why."

Love said that in his 22 years as a prosecutor, he has not seen an insanity plea used in the courtroom.

Motive and Bond

The motive behind the crime would not be released, Love said, because it is an ongoing investigation, but he said the motive wasn't out of the ordinary for the crime.

"Motive is not an element that the state needs to prove in a case. Everyone wants to know why, including the juries," Love said. "I didn't see this case as any different or difficult to ascertain a motive than any other relationship-type homicide. When two people know each other, the motives are generally right out there."

Allen Taylor is being held on $100,000 bond on the capital murder charge. He also has a $50,000 bond on the original charge of tampering with evidence with the intention of hampering an investigation.

Since it is a capital murder case, Taylor could be facing the death penalty, but the D.A.'s office says they will not seek that punishment. He could, however, be facing up to life in prison without parole.

Case Timeline

• June 2014: Joyce and Allen Taylor married
• August 17, 2015: Joyce Taylor's body discovered in bedroom of their apartment
• February 3, 2016: Allen Taylor indicted on tampering with evidence charges
• May 18, 2016: Allen Taylor indicted on capital murder charges in the deaths of Joyce Taylor and unborn child