TEXARKANA, Ark. - A man accused of murdering his girlfriend in Texarkana, Arkansas, hiding evidence in Texarkana, Texas, and burying the victim's body on a hunting lease in Ogden, Arkansas, has been found competent to stand trial by an outside mental health expert.
Mental health experts at the Arkansas State Hospital have repeatedly found that Tony Earl Taylor, 59, is not fit to proceed because of intellectual deficiency. Taylor is accused in the March 2017 slaying of 35-year-old Crystal Reed. Reed's body was unearthed from a makeshift grave on property in Ogden, Arkansas, by investigators after Taylor allegedly told them where to find her.
Taylor is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse and evidence tampering.
Forensic evaluation reports by state hospital doctors in 2017, 2018 and this year contain the conclusion that Taylor's mental capacity limits his ability to understand the court proceedings or to assist his lawyer with a defense, both of which are required for a finding of legal competency.
At a hearing in August, Benjamin Silber, Ph.D., of Arkansas State Hospital Forensic Services, testified that it is possible that Taylor has been faking symptoms of mental illness, noting that a social worker reported that Taylor told her he had purposely given incorrect answers. At the conclusion of the August hearing, Circuit Judge Carlton Jones granted a request from the state to have Taylor evaluated by an expert outside the state hospital setting.
Michael Simon, Ph.D., evaluated Taylor most recently and found that he is competent to stand trial. Simon's report notes that he interviewed a number of staff at the hospital who expressed the belief that Taylor is not mentally disabled. The staff who have observed Taylor on a daily basis for at least the past two years mentioned his ability to play dominoes and the card game Spades, with ease leading staff and patients to label him the "unit pro."
The report notes that while Taylor has difficulty reading, he does not appear to have an intellectual deficiency which would prevent him from assisting his lawyer with a defense.
Jones scheduled the case for a formal competency hearing in December.
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. Bail is set at $750,000.