Bail set at $750K for man accused of stabbing girlfriend to death, burying her body

A Miller County judge set bail Friday at $750,000 for a Texarkana man accused of recently stabbing his girlfriend to death and burying her body on a hunting lease in Ogden, Ark.

Tony Taylor, 56, appeared before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom for an intial appearance Friday afternoon in a courtroom at the Miller County jail. Taylor is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of 35-year-old Crystal Reed.

"I was in fear for my life. I couldn't take it back. It happened so fast," Taylor said when Haltom asked if he had any questions.

Reed's mother reported her missing Tuesday to Texarkana, Ark., Police Department. The mother told investigators her daughter had missed work and couldn't be reached on her phone.

Texarkana, Texas, police collected moving blankets, a shovel, rubber boots and dirty gloves Wednesday 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.

Texarkana, Ark., police went to Reed's unit at the Smith Keys Apartments in Texarkana, Ark., the same day. The resident of the apartment below Reed's told officers Taylor had "threatened to kill everyone at the apartment" during a disturbance Saturday, March 4. When officers entered the apartment, they found it "very clean."

The same day, investigators found and interviewed Taylor, who allegedly confessed to stabbing Reed with a knife and burying her body in a heavily wooded area on a hunting lease in Ogden. Taylor reportedly led officers to Reed's body.

Crime scene detectives removed an industrial-sized orange bag, which was opened at a local funeral home to determine if it contained human remains. Reed was tentatively identified, and the body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for autopsy.

Haltom appointed the public defender's office to represent Taylor and scheduled him to return to court later this month.

First-degree murder is punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in an Arkansas prison.

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