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Connecticut Man Bloodied, Bandaged In Mugshot After Allegedly Busting Into Ex-Wife’s Home And Gunning Her Down
James C. Taylor “forced entry into the home with a firearm and shot the victim,” before scuffling with her adult son, according to Fairfield Police.
A Connecticut man is accused of busting into his ex-wife’s Fairfield home and gunning her down Sunday, then appeared bloodied and bandaged in his mugshot.
Fairfield Police officers responded to an emergency call for a domestic disturbance, according to a press release.
“Officers arrived on the scene to find a serious domestic assault had occurred inside the home and the suspect was quickly taken into custody,” the department wrote. “During the initial investigation officers located a female victim deceased on the scene.”
The suspect was eventually identified as 75-year-old James Taylor, of Catamount Road, who police said “forced entry into the home with a firearm and shot the victim.” The victim was 70-year-old Catherine Taylor, Capt. Robert Kalamaras told Oxygen.com in an email Monday afternoon.
Her adult son was inside the house at the time and got into his own struggle with the suspect, according to police. It's not clear if that's when James Taylor sustained the injuries obvious in his mugshot.
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.
Karen Jarmoc, the executive director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said that the murder was the first death related to domestic violence that was reported this year, the Post reports, adding that it was Fairfield’s third such incident since 2000.
“What we know is that serious domestic violence incidents are predictable and preventable,” Jarmoc told the paper. “The most dangerous time is when one of the partners is leaving a relationship.”
Jarmoc also told the Post that domestic violence deaths in Connecticut rose from eight in 2017 to 18 last year.
Meanwhile, an anonymous neighbor told the paper that they were stunned by the news.
“It’s very sad someone is dead,” they told the paper. “[Catherine Taylor] was a lovely person, very sweet, she was a gardener and did beautiful work.”
Taylor is expected back in court Feb. 19, according to the Post.
[Photo: Fairfield Police Department]
