Ashley McArthur, 41, from Pensacola, Florida, killed Taylor Wright, 33, in 2017 Sentenced to life in prison after discovery McArthur had shot her in back of head Prosecution lawyer. 1,642 people like this 1,725 people follow this Community Photos See all Page transparency See all Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. You may also read: Solving The Carol Murphy Murder: Ex-Husband Kevin Elmarr Found Guilty. The 2017 murder is featured on the April 23 episode of 'Dateline.' By Shannon Raphael Apr. | Powered by Artimization. Florida Department of CorrectionsLowell Correctional Institution. On the day that she disappeared, Taylor had confronted McArthur after she failed to give the money back. The prosecutor, however, argued that cellphone data and security footage that will be introduced during the trial will link Ashley Britt McArthur to the 2017 death of Taylor Wright. "She knew what she did, and the whole entire time, she was pretending to be my friend. Watch on. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Jensen argued thatMcArthur told Wright she would put a $32,000 cashier's check into a safety deposit box. "Taylor was 110 percentabsolutely bothered by the fact that she didn't have custody of her son," Waller recalled. There was security footage that placed McArthur at a Home Depot the very next day on September 9, 2017. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison,. Arrest made after body of missing private investigator Taylor Wright is found, Suspect in PI murder also accused of starting fire to avoid confronting fraud allegations, Former crime scene tech found guilty of killing private investigator. She also argued that statements she made to investigators and cell phone records should not have been admitted into evidence. They also discovered that McArthur had a gun in her home with a bullet missing, and that she had deposited $34,000 into her own bank account. McArthur appealed her guilty verdict to the First District Court of Appeal in the State of Florida but on April 16, 2021, her judgment and sentencing were upheld by the court. Ashley McArthur SENTENCED |Killed a Private Investigator 3,717 views Nov 28, 2021 Sentences 811 subscribers 20 Dislike Share 2017 Murder of Taylor Wright by a friend Ashley McArthur was. Florida woman Ashley Britt McArthur, 42, stands trial in Pensacola, Florida for first-degree murder in the death of private investigator Taylor Wright, 33.If convicted, she is expected to get an automatic life sentence without parole. Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680. murder trial of a former crime scene technician accused of killing a private investigator in 2017, was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in the death of 33-year-old Taylor Wright, Arrest made after body of missing private investigator Taylor Wright is found, Suspect in PI murder also accused of starting fire to avoid confronting fraud allegations, found in October 2017 witha bullet hole in the back of her head, Murder trial starts for woman accused of killing private investigator, Woman accused in Pensacola PI murder remains free on bond, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. Detectives had a line-up of suspects to investigate includingher ex-husband from whom Taylor stole $100,000, her new live-in girlfriend Casandra, and her best friend Ashley McArthur, the last person to see Taylor alive. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. McArthur was convicted offirst-degree premeditated murder in Wright's deathin 2019. A cashier cheque in Taylors name worth $34,000 had been deposited in the culprits bank account. Prosecutors say McArthur fatally shot Wright over $34,000 before burying her remains under concrete at a family farm outside Pensacola. Ashley McArthur was convicted of shooting and killing private investigator and former police officer Taylor Wright over $34,000. Theres An Online Form For That. Each hour-long episode of Oxygens Buried in the Backyard focuses on those crimes where the body is found in rather unexpected places. Taylor Wright's story is the ninth in the series. Steve Webb replies, 'A waste of licence payers' money!' Jim Allen Elementary Names Students Of The Month, Blue Wahoos, Biscuits Suspended By Rain In Montgomery, Alabama Woman Killed, Three Injured In Beulah Intersection Crash, Navy Secretary Commits To Further NAS Pensacola Museum Access, William Taylor on On September 8, 2017, McArthur and Taylor had plans to go to the bank to get the money, but McArthur called and said they would ride horses in east Milton instead. Apart from this, he also brought up Taylors alleged drug use and examined the victims mental state. Follow Jennifer on Twitter @JenniferTintner. "I never saw it coming, and that's what's scary," Waller recalled. Florida Department of Corrections/Facebook 'She's always come across as being tough. However, McArthur did not return the money when Taylor asked for it. "My gut told me at that point that it was going to be Taylor," Bridgette Jensen, a lead prosecutor in Wrights case, told producers. So when the cops followed up on this lead, they found Taylors body concealed in another farm owned by McArthurs family on Britt Road in North Pensacola. Mike Wood, thePPD Public Information Officer, said,We believe she left on her own accord at this point. Authorities then called McArthur back to the police station on October 19, 2017, and interrogated her while they served a search warrant at the family farm, court documents show. Upon her arrest, McArthur was charged with first-degree premeditated murder. Taylor entrusted $32,000 to her friend, Ashley, for safe keeping - with no knowledge that her friend was facing money troubles of her own. The two were communicating via text until 11:20 am, but after that, the victim stopped responding. She contacted Ashley, who said that Taylor had been stressed and crying throughout the day and needed time to herself. How Did She Die? The authorities focused on speaking with the last person who had seen Wright alive: Ashley McArthur. On September 8, 2017, the pair met so Taylor could obtain her money and Taylor andher girlfriend, Cassandra, communicated back and forth via text until about 11:20 am. On Sept. 8, 2017, Taylor Wright, a 33-year-old recently-divorced private investigator, was enjoying life with her girlfriend, Casandra Waller. Ashley McArthur was charged with murdering her friend Taylor Wright for financial gain and burying her body under concrete. In Florida this month, Ashley MacArthur was tried and convicted for first degree murder. Audrey Warne, who is a local bartender and also one of McArthurs friends, testified, She said she was going to put it [cocaine] in Taylors beer. Facebook/Florida Department of Corrections, Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. Within them,they discoveredthat Ashley's story of where she and Taylor had been on the day she vanished did not match up withwhere the phone records placed them. Using PowerPoint slides, she displayed phone and banking records that she said clearly demonstrated McArthur killed Wright for financial gain. McArthur was sentenced to first-degree premeditated murder on August 30, 2019, and received a sentence of life in prison. She also, however, revealed new information: Weeks earlier, Taylor had taken $34,000 out of a joint account that she shared with her ex-husband and had given it to Ashley to keep safe during the divorce proceedings. He also argued that the type of bullet that killed Wright could not be exactly matched to any of the firearms entered into evidence by the prosecution. I dont believe Taylors been harmed, she said. glendale dmv driving test route selects academy at bishop kearney tuition where is ashley mcarthur now; 29. In their judgment, the appeals court wrote that the trial court did not make an error in allowing those pieces of evidence to be heard and also added that the shotgun photo wasnt so prejudicial as to vitiate the entire trial. It explained that additional testimony during the trial showed McArthur owning and holding firearms and dressed in camouflage. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! pic.twitter.com/okuFR8TNJN, Law & Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) August 28, 2019. Wright's remains were eventually found on that farm property. 33-year-old Taylor Wright's body was discovered on a 30-acre tract of land owned by the Defendant's family. I think Taylor is doing what Taylor does, but I dont know, you know. She was a former crime scene technician. While weekspassed and Taylor failed to appear, a break in the case was not made until investigators were finally granted access to Taylor's phone records. After Waller attempted to contact her girlfriend, she reached out to McArthur. McArthur appealed her guilty verdict to the First District Court of Appeal in the State of Florida, but the court upheld her judgment and sentencing on April 16, 2021. Ashley McArthur, 40, was arrested Thursday after police found the body of 33-year-old Taylor Wright in a wooded area in Cantonment, Florida. With Jordan Calon, Chase Dittrich, Kate Duffy, Frank Edward. Taylor, the 33-year-old private investigator, and former police officer, was going through a divorce. Still, the pain caused by Ashley's actions was immeasurable. Sam Jacobs MBA, Chartered FCSI'S Post Sam Jacobs MBA, Chartered FCSI 1w Also in her closing argument, Jensen presented cellphone tower data showing that Sept. 9 the day after Wright's disappearance the dead woman's cellphone pinged off a tower in Alabama. It was hard, it was emotional," Waller told producers. For an optimal experience visit our site on another . She said this world would be better if Taylor wasnt here and she wasnt a good person, once that she was too small to hurt anybody so shed just shoot them.. Ashley took somebody that I loved.". The 2017 murder of a Pensacola private investigator and a former police officer will be the focus of an episode of NBC's Dateline set to air Friday night. Authorities zeroed in onAshley and began searching her and her husband's bank and phone records. on In the police interview, Ashley was heard saying: 'I don't believe Taylor's been harmed, I think Taylor is doing what Taylor does, but I don't know, you know. She fatally shot the victim, and buried the body in concrete and potting soil, prosecutors said. It was there that Ashley shot her friend in the back of the head, prosecutors claimed, and then buried her body underneath potting soil and concrete. Jenson was intent on playing the full six hours of Ashley's police interrogation to the Jury, explaining that her 'change in demeanor' was an important piece of evidence. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says, Taylor Wright Was Murdered, Buried Under Concrete by Close Friend After $34K Theft, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. #McArthurTrial At 1:07pm on Sept. 9. Copyright 2023 by Vizaca. Photos showed concrete bags in a trailer. But John Berose, McArthurs lawyer, said that his client had no financial issues. , Podcast. Still, Ashley picked up Taylor under the guise of going to the bank, but she likely made up a story about needing to stop by the farm, where Taylors body would later be found. Wright, 33, was found in October 2017 witha bullet hole in the back of her head. New Crime+Investigation series Murder Masterminds, delves into the case, and shows prosecution lawyer Bridgette Jenson explain howAshley was 'playful' while speaking to police and lying about her friends whereabouts. Cell phone records then showed that she was back in the area of her familys farm, CourtTV reported. "We got the verdict we had been waiting for for two years. She is currently serving a life sentence in prison. The 2017 disappearance of Taylor Wright is the subject of the April 23 episode of the investigative series. Star Brian Ross See production, box office & company info Watch on A&E Go to aetv.com More watch options Add to Watchlist Videos 1 Trailer 2:58 Watch Killer Cases: Murder on the Gulf Coast Photos Top cast Wright was a private investigator and worked for the Jacksonville PD on two separate occasions for a total of nearly . In the next few days, Waller grew increasingly concerned and reported the missing person to the police. 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The 43-year-old is currently serving her sentence at the Lowell Correctional Institution, also known as the Lowell Annex, public records show. Around a month after her disappearance, Taylor hadfinally been found, and Ashley, who still denied any wrongdoing, was arrested for first-degree premeditated murder. He will also describe all that happened once she went disappeared. Taylor Wright (left) and Ashley McArthur (right). She then used Taylor's phone to send messages to people in order to make it look as if Taylor was still alive. A locked cell phone held the clues. All Rights Reserved. Earlier this year,. Where is she today? April 19th, 2021 10:07 am. The Annex is a womens prison with a 1,500-inmate capacity located in Ocala, Florida, northwest of Orlando. Ashley McArthur was arrested in October of 2017. When Wright's body was found, she was arrested for her murder. 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We want to hear from her, to let us know shes OK.. In her initial interview, the former crime scene technician had told the cops that Taylor and she drove to various locations before heading to her familys farm to ride horses. He then issued astartling warning, telling Waller that Taylor may get angry with her for involving the police in her business and that she should be careful. All Rights Reserved. They initially turned up empty-handed, and investigators were forced to release Ashley. Detective Richard Ghigliotty questions Ashley McArthur about her timeline of the day that Taylor Wright went missing. The Circumstantial Case (Ashley McArthur Trial) Court Junkie. Wright was a private investigator and former cop. In March 2018, while she was out on bail before her trial for Wrights murder, McArthur was carried with arson, racketeering, and fraud for separate incidents that took place before Wrights murder, CourtTV reported. Authorities soon discovered that McArthur was the last person to see Wright before she disappeared and they also found that she had deposited a $34,000 cheque made out to Wright into her personal checking account and spent the money, court documents show. A former police officer, Taylor Wright worked as a private investigator. Taylors girlfriend, Cassandra Waller, became concerned and texted Taylor but did not receive a response until 7 p.m. when Taylor said she needed time to think and organize her life. McArthur, a crime scene investigator, became friends with Wright about a year before Wrights murder, authorities learned, according to CourtTV. For decades, Dateline has featured some of the most heinous and heartbreaking crimes that have happened in the United States. Ashley McArthur killed her friend Taylor Wright over a $34,000 debt. Shes always come across as being tough, and never made it anything other thanShes always carrying weapons whether its knives, or guns, or whatever. Have a tip or story idea? Weve added captions: pic.twitter.com/vFWMkQqQWB, Have a tip we should know? Many suspect that Wright had confronted McArthur about the money on the day of her murder. Law enforcement officials interrogated McArthur on September 15, 2017, and prosecutors described her first interview as flirty, maybe a little playful, according to the Daily Mail. Guilty: Former crime scene tech found guilty of killing private investigator McArthur was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in Wright's death in 2019. The 2017 murder is featured on the April 23 episode of 'Dateline.'. She was found a month later with Scott Fulmer on LinkedIn: Former crime scene tech Ashley McArthur found guilty of killing private McArthur was sentenced to first-degree premeditated murder on August 30, 2019, and got a life sentence in prison. April 19th, 2021 8:59 pm, Tee bug on She's not an easy target. Ashley McArthur. Femme Fatale: Directed by Erik Weigel. By Posted sevier county septic records In patton state hospital rn salary On October 19, 2017, the same day Wrights remains were found on McArthurs family farm, McArthur was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. schneider funeral home mt vernon in obituaries where is ashley mcarthur now. Ashley argued that the jury was unfairly prejudiced when a photo of herself holding and pointing a shotgun was accidentally shown. 'My skin was so bad I stopped going out': Expert reveals his 3 top skincare tips as women tell how an Kate and William's tribute to Aberfan: Solemn royals pay their respects in poignant visit 57 years after the Kate the climber! If you didn't know, McArthur was the victim's best friend. Ashley worked as a crime scene technician and was reportedly the best friend of a murder victim. One local bar tender and friend of Ashely, Audrey Warne, alleged in court that she had told her plans to overdose Taylor on cocaine. Wrights remains were found on McArthurs familys property under potting soil and cement. Taylor, the 33-year-old private investigator and a former police officer, was going through a divorce. For Taylor's loved ones, the news that she hadbeen found dead and that Ashley a dear friend had been arrested for her murder was devastating. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Of that, Wright entrusted $32,000 to her friend, McArthur, for safe keeping. Ashley's husband, Zach McArthur, said he had no idea where Taylor had gone, and an initial search of the house yielded nothing strange. However the story Ashley was spreading to her friends and boyfriend was very different, with trial witnesses claiming Ashley was bragging of her plans to kill Taylor. In an interview with the police, McArthur said that both the victim and she had gone to her familys property to ride horses. The outlet reported that McArthur told investigators, I dont believe Taylors been harmed, I think Taylor is doing what Taylor does, but I dont know, you know. "Ladies and gentlemen, Ashley McArthur had a motive, Ashley McArthur had the opportunity, Ashley McArthur murdered Taylor Wright and then she tried to cover it up with lies, concrete and potting soil," Jensen told the jury. The Pensacola Police Department opened a missing persons report but did not suspect foul play, as Public Information Officer Mike Wood told Pensacola News Journal at the time, We believe she left on her own accord at this point. According to attorneys, She is pictured depositing the stolen money, Taylor had been shot in the back of her head, buried on the edge of property and covered with concrete and potting soil. A private memorial service honoring his life will take pl Police investigated and became suspicious of McArthur after checking her text messages and location. McArthurs lawyer, however, refuted the allegations and stated that his client was in no need of money. Emailus. They have nothing.". Waller eventually reported Taylor Wright missing. FL v. McARTHUR (2019) Former crime scene investigator 42-year-old Ashley McArthur is on trial for the 2017 murder of 33-year-old Taylor Wright. Shes not an easy target., #McArthurTrial EARLIER: McArthur tells detectives she doesnt believe Wright has been harmed and says shes not an easy target. All Rights Reserved. She withdrew USD 100 000 from a joint account with her then-husband Jeff Wright. She had been shot once in the back of the head. Eventually, a jury found the defendant guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. Then, she gave McArthur upwards of $30,000 to safeguard.