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Life Sentence for Brutal Murder at Terre Haute Federal Prison
TERRE HAUTE— Lawrence Taylor, 44, formerly of Akron, Ohio, and current inmate of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, has been sentenced to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
According to court documents, Taylor and Jan Stevens were inmates at the Federal Correctional Complex, in Terre Haute, Indiana, and housed within the Special Housing Unit (SHU). Taylor and Stevens were cellmates in the SHU for just three days prior to January 12, 2019.
On January 12, 2019, at approximately 1:25 a.m., a SHU staff member walked by Taylor’s and Stevens’s cell and observed Stevens lying on the lower bunk, partially covered with a sheet, with his head at the foot of the bed. Taylor was also inside the cell, standing in front of the door window. Upon a second glance, the staff member saw a laceration to Stevens’s neck, along with blood spattered against the wall and pooling on the floor.
The next day, a forensic pathologist conducted an autopsy of Stevens and found his cause of death to be 43 stab wounds to his body, most significantly to the neck area, leading him to bleed out. During an interview with FBI agents, Taylor admitted to killing Stevens with a weapon he had possessed for the previous three months.
At the time of the murder, Taylor was serving a 284-month sentence for a series of bank robberies in 2009. Prior to the murder of Stevens, Taylor was projected to be released from the Bureau of Prisons in September 2031.
‘This murder extends beyond the taking of a life – it shatters the lives of those closest to the victim. Taylor’s act was heinous; well justifying the imposition of a life sentence,’ said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
‘This life sentence reflects the FBI’s commitment to justice for all victims including those who are incarcerated in federal correctional facilities. The brutality of this violent murder deserves the maximum penalty allowed under the law,’ said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton.
‘Today’s sentencing sends a clear message – those who threaten or harm others will be held accountable,’ said a Federal Bureau of Prisons Spokesperson.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayson W. McGrath and former Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted this case.
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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