MISSING: ALEXIS MURPHY,17 - VA.

[HairOfTheDog]

Missing: Alexis Murphy

17 year old Alexis Murphy has been missing since August 3^rd.

She was last seen at a gas station in Lovingston and her car was found 3 days later in a movie theater parking lot in Charlottesville.

Yesterday, Alexis's mother made an emotional plea for anyone who knows or saw anything that could help find Alexis to come forward. Alexis is a high school senior who would have resumed school yesterday.

The FBI is involved in the case.

[HairOfTheDog]

Alexis still missing...Arrest Made.


Randy Allen Taylor, Suspect

Yesterday, the FBI announced that they arrested Randy Allen Taylor of Lovingston in connection with Alexis's disappearance.

In a public statement yesterday, an FBI spokesperson released this photo of Taylor's vehicle and asked for anyone who'd seen it or had any information about Taylor to contact authorities.




A hearing for Randy Taylor is scheduled in Nelson County Juvenile and Domestic Relations court today. The hearing was moved out of General District Court because Alexis Murphy is a minor, and juvenile court has jurisdiction over offenses involving children.

Taylor is still being held without bail in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. He will appear by video for the hearing.

The purpose of an advisement hearing is to inform Taylor of his right to be represented by an attorney. He can waive his right to a lawyer and represent himself, try to obtain a court-appointed lawyer, or hire his own lawyer to represent him.

There will be no plea or evidence heard at the hearing.

[HairOfTheDog]

Randy Allen Taylor also suspected in another missing teen case

Authorities aren't saying what led to the arrest of Taylor in Alexis's case, but turns out he was questioned and suspected in the disappearance of 19 year old Samantha Clarke 3 years ago.

Clarke was last seen in September of 2010. She left her apartment in the town of Orange and never returned home. She has not been found.


Missing: Samantha Clarke

Back then, Taylor and his attorney even sat down for an interview with the weekly Charlottesville newspaper called The Hook.

He told a reporter the police harassed him, planted evidence and illegally tracked him with a GPS attached to his truck.

Taylor admitted during an interview with The Hook that he called Samantha Clarke several times before she disappeared.

He says it was to warn her about some other people.

Taylor told the paper, "this case needs to be solved, but the way they're going about it is ridiculous."

Source: http://www.nbc12.com/story/23116059/12-i...len-taylor
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I wonder if Taylor also called or contacted Murphy before her disappearance.

Police have to have some probable cause connecting Taylor to Murphy in order to have obtained search and arrest warrants (neighbors claim his home was searched extensively yesterday).

[HairOfTheDog]

Today, Taylor was denied bond; he is charged with Murphy's abduction.

No details regarding the evidence were given during the hearing (damn it, I really wanna know).

LE commented that they will keep searching for Alexis, no matter how long it takes. Sounds like Taylor is refusing to cooperate.

His next court date isn't until January, 2014.

Sure hope Alexis is alive, but get the sense LE is looking for a body.

This is a photo of Alexis captured at the gas station; the last point she was known to be seen.



She is described as a black female with black hair and brown eyes, 5 foot 7 inches tall, 156 pounds.

Anyone who may have seen Murphy or may have information is urged to contact authorities immediately at (434) 263-7050.

[HairOfTheDog]

The FBI says agents continue to follow up on leads. There was no active search at Taylor's home Tuesday. The Sheriff's Office says Taylor was one of a handful of suspects from the start of their investigation.

The Nelson County Sheriff's Office confirmed Tuesday that Taylor was caught on the same surveillance video as Alexis at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston on Saturday, August 3. That was the last time she was seen.

http://www.nbc29.com/story/23123685/upda...nt-hearing
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Given that Taylor was suspected in the disappearance of Samantha Clarke and he was already on LE's radar, I wonder if the fact that he was at the gas station at the same time as Alexis and that cell towers ping her phone as last being active near Taylor's home was enough to get LE the arrest and search warrants. Maybe there's more evidence that is being withheld from the public as well.

Taylor's GMC was seized from his home as evidence, along with this camper.



More about Randy Allen Taylor:
Police have acknowledged the speculation that Taylor is suspected of more abductions along Route 29 and that they've ruled him out in one of them (he was in jail at the time).

Police also made a public statement that they can't rule out that Taylor had an accomplice.

I think LE suspects that Taylor is a serial killer; don't think that he ever left their radar after the Clarke disappearance.

Taylor has a long arrest record for burglary and arson and has served time.

More about Alexis Murphy:
Alexis Murphy posted some pot-smoking comments and a smoke-blowing pic on Facebook. Her grandmother made a statement that she was surprised and is now worried that Alexis was attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Alexis's father is pounding the streets with flyers and looking for his daughter, while her mother continues encouraging the public for tips. They're living a parents worst nightmare.

It was her father's white Nissan that she'd borrowed to go pick up hair products for senior class photos the day she disappeared; the one that was found at the cinema a few days later.

Alexis's phone has not been found; her mother says it was like a sixth finger on her hand. It last pinged at the Cannery Loop near Taylor's home on the night she disappeared.

Alexis is an honor roll student and captain of her varsity volley ball team.

[HairOfTheDog]

Timeline: The Search for Alexis Murphy
Updated: Aug 14, 2013 10:00 AM PST

Saturday August 03, 2013: Alexis Murphy left her home in Shipman, Virginia on Saturday evening, reportedly headed for Lynchburg. She tweeted "Burg Bound" to her twitter followers at 3:04 p.m. Saturday. Alexis was last seen at a gas station in Lovingston, Virginia. According to Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks, surveillance video shows Murphy at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. She was driving a white 2003 Nissan Maxima, license plate number WYN3706.

Sunday August 04, 2013: Nelson County Sheriff's Office began investigating Murphy's disappearance.

Monday August 05, 2013: FBI and Virginia State Police join the search for Alexis. Investigators search a property on Cannery Loop in Lovingston for Alexis' phone.

Tuesday August 06, 2013: FBI issues statewide bulletin. Alexis' car, a white 2003 Nissan Maxima, was discovered in the parking lot at the Carmike 6 Theater in Albemarle County between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Dogs traced a scent from the car to Arden Place apartments in Charlottesville.

Wednesday August 07, 2013: Search crews combed the Route 29 corridor in Albemarle County for clues and collect surveillance video. FBI holds press conference on the investigation.

Thursday August 08, 2013: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children adds Murphy details to their website. FBI issues updated statewide bulletin. A candlelight vigil is held at the Nelson County High School football field. FBI confirms Alexis' phone is not active.

Friday August 09, 2013: Neighbors confirm that the FBI searched two homes and yards on Cannery Loop on Monday. Neighbors say the FBI told them that the area is where they picked up the last ping from Alexis' cell phone. The FBI says they will be taking their search to a national level.

Saturday August 10, 2013: FBI agents canvas businesses in Angus Road area of Charlottesville, attempting to identify photos of people seen in close proximity to Murphy on other surveillance cameras. FBI releases information on the case to the national media.

Sunday August 11, 2013: An individual was taken into custody and charged with abduction in the disappearance of Alexis Murphy. Investigators were actively searching in the Cannery Loop area Sunday night. The FBI has completely blocked off a property right off of Route 29 in Lovingston.

Monday August 12, 2013: Man arrested on abduction charge associated with Alexis' disappearance is identified as 48-year-old Randy Taylor. FBI holds a news conference to discuss developments in the case.

Tuesday August 13, 2013: Randy Taylor appeared in Nelson County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for his advisement hearing on his felony abduction charge. Attorney Michael Hallahan was appointed to represent Taylor. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 9, 2014 at 10 a.m. Authorities confirmed that Taylor appears on the same surveillance video from the Liberty gas station in Lovingston that Murphy appears on the last day she was seen. The FBI also confirmed that Murphy's cell phone has not been found. Alexis' case made national news, getting spotlighted by HLN's Nancy Grace.

Wednesday August 14, 2013: Federal agents return to the home of abduction suspect Randy Taylor to search the house and the property. K-9 units also on scene searching the surrounding area.

NBC 29 has good coverage of the search and is updating the timeline as the case progresses. Updated timeline can be found here:
http://www.nbc29.com/story/23086283/alex...y-timeline

[Cynical Ninja]

Urgh.

The longer it takes you just know its a body they are going to be looking for.

If Taylor is a serial offender she had no chance.

[HairOfTheDog]

Urgh.

The longer it takes you just know its a body they are going to be looking for.

If Taylor is a serial offender she had no chance.

Yeah, I don't have as much hope as I usually do when a teen goes missing that she might be alive.

I think Taylor's the guy and that he's made girls/women disappear for good before.

Really hope to be wrong though.

[HairOfTheDog]

More evidence revealed...along with an unbelievable story by the suspect

Hallahan (Taylor's court appointed attorney) alleged that Taylor ran into the 17-year-old at a gas station Aug. 3, the day she disappeared, CBS affiliate WTVR reports, and that Taylor asked the teen if she could find him a drug dealer. It wasn't the first encounter between the two, the lawyer alleged - nearly a month before, while Taylor was working at a local carwash, he says Murphy started talking to Taylor after she noticed he was smoking marijuana.

The night Murphy vanished, Hallahan said the 17-year-old was at Taylor's camper with another man. The lawyer said Taylor bought marijuana from the man and smoked it with him, and that the two left in separate cars.

Hallahan said Taylor didn't know the man, but he was described as a black male in his early 20s, wearing cornrows and driving a 1990s sedan with 22-inch rims.

After finding a strand of Murphy's hair in Taylor's camper eight days after she was last seen, authorities arrested him on an abduction charge, Hallahan said.
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Murphy's hair found in Taylor's trailer is a major smoking gun.

How to explain it? Classic SODDI defense. Some Other Dude Did It - the other dude was the last to see Alexis; the other dude was at Taylor's house with Alexis though Taylor knew neither of them; some unknown black dude with cornrows is the real suspect.

Bullshit, imo.

[HairOfTheDog]

The man charged with Alexis's abduction, Randy Allen Taylor, was denied bond yesterday in Lovingston VA.

Taylor waived his right to a preliminary hearing; his case will go directly to the Grand Jury which is scheduled to meet on Sept. 24^th.

Still no sign of Alexis.

[HairOfTheDog]

Updates

-The FBI confirmed earlier this week that they have located Alexis's cell phone. Hoping it provides some clues to her whereabouts and what happened to her on the night of August 3^rd.

-A grand jury is scheduled to meet on September 24^th to decide whether to indict Randy Allen Taylor. He remains in custody, charged with Alexis's abduction.

[HairOfTheDog]

Nothing new to report on the investigation, but Alexis's family continues to push for awareness and answers.



Alexis's mom (Laura Murphy, left) met in Charlottesville with Gil Harrington (right) and the mothers of other missing girls from the area yesterday. They were raising funds for the "Help Save the Next Girl" organization.

Gil is the mother of Morgan Harrington, the Virginia Tech student who was abducted, killed and dumped during a visit to Charlottesville to attend a Metallica concert back in 2009. (Morgan's story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Dana_Harrington)

http://www.wsls.com/story/23433347/help-...phy-family

[HairOfTheDog]

Felony Murder Indictment Secured - Charges Upped

Haven't forgotten about Alexis. Her family is pushing so hard for her recovery and handling themselves with great dignity, IMO.

There aren't a lot of details available in the case against ultra creepy Randy Allen Taylor because documents and court hearings are sealed and there's a gag order in place.

However, earlier this week, LE did announce that a Grand Jury indicted Taylor for first degree murder and that they'd formally charged him with Alexis's murder and related charges.

For prosecutors to secure a murder indictment and then to pursue a first degree murder conviction without a body leads me to believe that authorities have very strong circumstantial evidence against Taylor.



Randy Allen Taylor, 48, was arrested Aug. 11, eight days after 17-year-old Murphy vanished. He initially was charged with one count of abduction but Nelson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony Martin announced Monday a special grand jury indicted Taylor on charges of murder, first-degree murder during the commission of abduction, and abduction with intent to defile.

The trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 1^st.

[HairOfTheDog]

GUILTY OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND ABDUCTION

Even without her body being found, prosecutors were quick to charge and try Randy Allen Taylor with the abduction and murder of Alexis Murphy based on circumstantial evidence. Relieved. Had the jury found him "not guilty" the state wouldn't have been able to try him again later if her body is recovered.

Prosecutors claim that Taylor lured Alexis from the gas station where they were both captured on surveillance cam and then killed her. Taylor maintains his innocence -- he says he sold her drugs but she was fine when he left his trailer and she was hanging out there with some other dude.

The evidence:
A strand of hair, a diamond stud, a human nail, a bloodstained t-shirt of Taylor's, and hair and eyelash extensions - all found in Taylor's small camper about a mile north of the gas station on U.S. 29.

Her smashed cell phone, which family members said she never parted with, was found within 100 feet of the camper. The phone's last known activity was traced to the immediate vicinity of the camper shortly after 7 p.m. Aug. 3.

Taylor initially told law enforcement prior to his Aug. 11 arrest he had not seen Murphy that night. After he was confronted with DNA evidence, he said she was there with a male friend named Dameon Bradley, but no harm came to her.

Investigators ruled out Bradley as a suspect and prosecutor Martin said the allegations were "absolutely ridiculous" and concocted by a proven liar. Martin said Taylor acted on sexual urges, killed Murphy and successfully disposed of her body.


On Aug. 5, two days after she disappeared, investigators placed Taylor under constant surveillance. Witnesses placed him at Applebee's in Charlottesville at 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 4 (he has a distinctive Daffy Duck tattoo on his neck, pictured above), minutes after a surveillance video captured the image of her car being parked in a nearby movie theater parking, though the driver could not be seen. A short time later, Taylor took a cab back to Nelson County.

Taylor darted out of the courtroom during the victim impact statements and sentencing recommendation phase of the trial -- he later said he was floored by the verdict and that he didn't kill anybody.

The maximum punishment Taylor faces is life in prison on each charge and a combined minimum of 40 years in prison. After deliberating for 20 minutes, the jury returned to recommend Taylor serve two life sentences. He was not present when the recommendations were read in court.

Taylor's sentencing is set for July 23 at 1:30 p.m. in Nelson County Circuit Court.

The prosecutor said he did not seek a death penalty because of the lack of a body. Trina Murphy, Alexis's great-aunt who speaks on the family's behalf, said not seeking the death penalty was a decision the family supported. She considers life in prison as a death sentence. "I really feel a needle in the arm is too good for him," she said.

Ref:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/latest...f6878.html

I think Taylor also killed Samantha Clarke -- she was with Taylor before she "disappeared" a few years back; no body has been found. If he killed and disposed of Clarke, hoping LE someday has enough evidence to charge Taylor with her murder also.

[Duchess]

Good, some satisfaction.