11-year-old Charla King was murdered
by John Albert Taylor on 23 June 1989. Taylor was executed by the firing squadin Utah on 26 January 1996.
QUOTE 1: Elliott King, Charla King's
uncle, was the only member of the victim's family to witness the execution.
"I was glad I got to see it," King said. "I thought he died very, very quickly."
QUOTE 2: King said he didn't feel any
sympathy for Taylor.
"I think that he wasn't willing to
make any restitution towards Charla (by admitting guilt)," he said. "I feel great. I feel it's good that he's gone. . . . Sherron
(Charla's mother) won't have to keep reliving this crime."
QUOTE 3: To Sherron King, it's more like
dancing with the devil.
"How can they justify what they're
doing?" asks
King, whose daughter's killer just had his case taken on by Yengich for free. "I think they've sold their souls." [LAWYERS WHO DEFEND UTAH `KILLERS' SAY RESPECT FOR
LAW MOTIVATES THEM By Mike
Carter, Associated Press writer Published: Sunday, May 17, 1992 12:00 a.m. MDT]
QUOTE 4: None of this matters much to
Sherron King, who can't understand why anyone would come to the aid of the man
convicted of killing her daughter.
"I'm really upset about it," she said. "What if it was their child? My baby had just as much a
right to live as John Albert Taylor. I believe these kind of lawyers, when one
of their clients gets out and kills again, the blood's on their hands
too," King said. [LAWYERS
WHO DEFEND UTAH `KILLERS' SAY RESPECT FOR LAW MOTIVATES THEM By Mike Carter, Associated Press writer Published:
Sunday, May 17, 1992 12:00 a.m. MDT]
AUTHOR: Family members of Charla King - She was murdered by John Albert Taylor
on 23 June 1989. John Albert Taylor was executed by firing squad in Utah on 26
January 1996. John Albert Taylor (June 6, 1959 – January 26, 1996) was an
American who was convicted of burglary and carrying a concealed weapon in the
state of Florida, and sexual assault and murder in the state of Utah. Taylor's
own sister tipped off police in June 1989 after 11-year-old Charla King was
found raped and strangled to death in Washington Terrace, Utah. His
fingerprints were found at the crime scene, which was located in an apartment
complex where he had been staying. In December 1989, Taylor was sentenced to
death and placed on death row at Utah State Prison. Taylor gave up appealing
his sentence after his request for retrial was rejected by the Utah Supreme
Court. He became the second person to be executed by firing squad in the United
States (after Gary Gilmore) since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Taylor said he chose this method of execution to embarrass the state of Utah.
On January 26, 1996, the day of Taylor's execution, legislation was introduced in
the Utah House of Representatives to eliminate the firing squad. In 2004, the
state of Utah withdrew the firing squad as a method of execution, leaving
lethal injection as the only remaining option.
I met today the mother of charla. I also remember the crime 31 yrs ago. Charla's mother was with a friend at the hospital. She was sweet, engaging and very open. After her trauma I was drawn in as to how she has coped and willing to help others. Her loss can't be measured, her life since is at the very least a journey of a brave woman. May God bless her the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wish there was a recording of his execution. It would be oddly satisfying.
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