Anthony Cloud
Staff Writer
A man pleaded guilty late Monday for his involvement in the murder of an elderly Frakes man.
Jeremiah (Jeremy) Evans pleaded guilty earlier this week to criminal facilitation to commit murder and to being a persistent felony offender in the murder case of William Taylor.
According to the plea agreement, the typical penalty for the criminal facilitation charge is one to five years in the penitentiary and a $1,000 to $10,000 fine. The penalty for being a persistent felony offender would be five to 10 years in the penitentiary and a $1,000 to $10,000 fine.
According to the agreement, Commonwealth Attorney Karen Greene Blondell did not have a recommendation on the sentence at the time the plea was entered.
The agreement states that on the day of the murder, Evans, acting with knowledge that the other suspects in the case committed or intended to commit a crime, engaged in conduct which knowingly provided all three people with the opportunity to commit murder and in fact aided by transporting them to and from Taylor’s home.
Evans was the first suspect to be arrested in connection with the Taylor murder.
The murder trial, which was set to begin on Tuesday, was continued until Jan. 15. At that time Candy Maiden, Brian Hatfield and Deborah Partin will be tried for murder. Each of the suspects have entered not guilty pleas.
Taylor was brutally beaten during the robbery at his home in the early morning hours of Jan. 15, 2008. After the robbers fled, Taylor walked more than 100 yards to the nearest neighbor’s house for help.
Taylor was sent to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he was initially admitted to the Intensive Care unit. Taylor’s condition was briefly upgraded to stable before being downgraded. His injuries claimed his life approximately one week after the attack.
Anthony Cloud is a staff writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted via email at acloud@heartlandpublications.com or by phone at 606-248-1010, ext. 208.
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