Woman Was Tracking Ex-Husband's Whereabouts With App When He Allegedly Broke In And Shot Her To Death

A Connecticut woman allegedly gunned down by her ex-husband on Sunday had been tracking his movements through an app on her iPad before he broke into the home she was staying in and opened fire, police say.

James Taylor, 75, is accused of gunning down Catherine Taylor, 70, at the Fairfield home of her stepson.

The couple reportedly divorced more than two decades ago but lived together until last year when James Taylor kicked her out. Three months later, they apparently reconciled and she moved back to his property but in a separate home until Friday when they had an argument over vehicles she said he'd stolen from her and her stepson. Police were called to resolve the situation, according to the Connecticut Post, and at least one vehicle was returned to her. 

At that point, she moved to her 45-year-old stepson’s house, where she was later killed.

In the days leading up to her death, police said the Catherine Taylor used the “find my phone” app on her iPad to track her ex-husband in order to locate another allegedly stolen vehicle, police said, according to the Connection Post. The former couple still shared a family cell phone plan.

By Sunday night, she saw that he was right outside her stepson’s home and asked him to call the police. Before they arrived, the stepson heard glass shatter, a gunshot go off and his mother’s body hit the floor, according to the Connecticut Post. Fairfield Police officers responded to an emergency call for a domestic disturbance soon thereafter, according to a press release.

The victim's stepson got into his own struggle with James Taylor after he tried to reload the rifle and point it at him, according to police. The son apparently pinned Taylor to the floor until police arrived, the Connecticut Post reports.

Taylor was taken to an area hospital for injuries sustained during his struggle with the stepson and later told police “I can’t understand how I got here,” according to a police report cited by the Connecticut Post.

“When it came to providing specific details about what happened, Taylor either did not recall or could not recall. He stated that he didn’t have a conceptual memory of what happened but he did remember being there. Taylor stated that ‘I think trying to justify things like this is horrible,’” the report said.

James Taylor has been charged with murder, attempted murder, home invasion, first-degree burglary, third-degree assault and illegal discharge of a firearm. His bond was set at $2 million at his arraignment, according to the Connecticut Post newspaper.

Taylor is expected back in court Feb. 19.

[Photo: Fairfield Police Department]