Taylor is guilty of manslaughter
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – A jury has reached a verdict in the Stephen A. Taylor murder trial. He was found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree in the shooting death of his father, Gerald Taylor in January 2021.
Taylor, 48, was found not guilty of assault charges stemming from the same incident as well as not guilty for second-degree murder. Instead, jurors decided he was guilty of second-degree manslaughter of a family member with a firearm.
“Stephen Taylor has no criminal history so the standard range sentence for manslaughter second-degree is 21-27 months and three years is added to the standard range because a firearm was used,” Walla Walla County Prosecutor Jim Nagle said.
Nagle added there is no early release time applied due to the firearm enhancement. The Washington State Department of Corrections has been ordered to conduct a pre-sentencing investigation report.
“Sentencing may be scheduled for late June,” Nagle added.
According to court documents, Stephen Taylor’s parents wanted him out of the residence and there was an argument regarding this prior to the incident on Jan. 8, 2021. The argument led to Stephen and Patrick Taylor having a physical altercation. Stephen produced a handgun and Patrick began struggling over the handgun. Gerald came down the stairs to intervene and Stephen shot Patrick in the hip and then shot Gerald. Police said Stephen admitted to shooting the handgun, however, he stated it was in self-defense after reporting being in a physical altercation with his brother.
Gerald Taylor was a former Walla Walla High School instructor and worked as the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps enlisted instructor and rifle marksmanship team coach for more than 20 years. He joined the U.S. Army in 1966 and served during the Vietnam War, earning several Purple Hearts and many other awards during his miliary service.
