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The man convicted of the 2015 murder of a pregnant Indianapolis pastor’s wife has lost his argument on appeal that inadmissible statements to law enforcement undercut his convictions of murder and other charges.
Appellant-defendant Larry Jo Taylor Jr. raised the admissibility argument in Larry Jo Taylor, Jr. v. State of Indiana, 22A-CR-2615.
Taylor was convicted of felony murder, three counts of Level 4 felony burglary, three counts of Level 6 felony theft, one count of Level 3 felony criminal confinement, one count of Level 6 felony auto theft and one count of Class A misdemeanor carrying a handgun without a license following the November 2015 fatal shooting of Amanda Blackburn. Blackburn was 12 weeks pregnant with her second child when she was killed.
Blackburn’s killing was part of a string of armed robberies throughout the north side of Indianapolis that Taylor, Diano Gordon and Jalen Watson committed on Nov. 10, 2015. Her husband, David, a local pastor, had been at the gym at the time of the shooting but found her when he returned home around 8 a.m.
The three men had used Blackburn’s debit card to withdraw $400, and a banking alert on her phone eventually led police to them. Detective Thomas Lehn interviewed Taylor, and before he was read his Miranda rights, Taylor confirmed that a cellphone believed to be tied to the murder belonged to him.
Taylor was subsequently charged, and he moved to suppress his statements regarding the cellphone. The Marion Superior Court denied the motion to suppress.
He was convicted in September 2022 at his third trial after the previous two ended in mistrials. The trial court sentenced him to 86 years.
Rejecting Taylor’s admissibility argument on appeal, the Court of Appeals wrote, “The State did not admit evidence that Taylor identified the phone as his when he was located … . Rather, the State only admitted evidence that the … Phone was tracked to the residence and that it was seized by law enforcement.
“Further, at trial, Detective Lehn testified that, before advising Taylor of his Miranda rights, Detective Lehn asked Taylor for preliminary identifying information, including his cell phone number,” the court continued. “The State, however, did not seek to admit Taylor’s response to the question into evidence. The trial court could not have abused its discretion because Taylor’s statements were never admitted into evidence.”
Additionally, the appellate court determined that had the admission been error, it would have been harmless given the “overwhelming evidence” connecting the phone to Taylor and the three burglaries. Also, law enforcement was aware of Taylor’s connection to the phone before his statements.
Judge Elizabeth Tavitas wrote the opinion, with Judges Rudolph Pyle and Peter Foley concurring.
Both Gordon and Watson accepted plea deals in the case on the condition that they would cooperate in Taylor’s prosecution, according to The Associated Press.
Watson pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary and was sentenced to an aggregate of 29 years. Gordon pleaded guilty to robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and burglary and was sentenced to 30 years, with five years suspended.
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