A Texarkana man accused of burying his girlfriend in a shallow grave after stabbing her to death pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Tuesday at a hearing in Miller County.
Tony Earl Taylor, 57, is facing charges of murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in the March death of 35-year-old Crystal Reed. He appeared for arraignment Tuesday morning before Circuit Judge Carlton Jones.
Managing Public Defender Jason Mitchell said that while he has not been able to meet with Taylor at length about the case, he has determined the accused is unable to hire legal representation. Jones appointed the Public Defender's Office to handle Taylor's defense. Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Black is managing the case for the state.
Taylor allegedly led Texarkana, Ark., detectives to Reed's makeshift grave on a hunting lease in Ogden, Ark., after confessing to stabbing her to death in the apartment she and Taylor shared in the Smith Keys Apartments, according to a probable cause affidavit. Since Reed's disappearance, crime scene investigators have collected a number of pieces of evidence from unit 127 of Smith Keys, including flooring, furniture, door knobs and knives.
Court documents charging Taylor allege Reed was murdered March 6, the day before her mother reported her missing. The mother told police her daughter had uncharacteristically missed work and wasn't answering her phone. Texarkana, Texas, Police officers assisted in the investigation March 8 when they collected moving blankets, a shovel, rubber boots and dirty gloves from a backyard on Pine Street after receiving a report that Taylor had left the items there.
The blankets appeared to be stained with blood.
Jones scheduled pretrial hearing for July 11.
Taylor faces 10 to 40 years or life in prison if convicted of murder. If found guilty of abuse of a corpse, he faces three to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. If convicted of tampering with physical evidence, Taylor faces up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
Taylor remains in the Miller County jail. His bail is $750,000.