An innocent Florida man, who was wrongfully released from prison after serving a 33-year sentence, is behind bars for attempted murder, officials said.
Edward Clayton Taylor, 57, was left in tears and joy last month after a judge dismissed his sentence for raping a 4-year-old girl in 1986 after fighting for the sentence for more than a decade.
But now he faces the prospect of another long prison sentence after police said he shot a man during a brawl this week.
Taylor’s heartbroken mother said he quickly returned to risky unions after his release.
“Bap re dad. I’m so numb, I’m just numb,” she told the Florida Times Union. “I don’t know what to say. I fought for so long to get him home, something he didn’t do and he came out and apparently spent this time with the wrong people. ,
The Jacksonville Beach incident was caught on camera and police found bullets in his car while attempting to question Taylor about the shooting.
Police said the video showed Taylor walking towards the victim and stabbing her in the chest.
As he tried to escape, several people took out their guns and started firing at his car. Police said the damage to Taylor’s vehicle was consistent with what happened in the video.
Police said Taylor denied being the gunman in the incident and requested a lawyer.
The lifelong Florida resident was originally granted parole in 2019, before his sentence was quashed in its entirety last month.
The conviction review unit of the Florida State Attorney’s Office stood by Taylor’s advocacy in the child rape case this week following Taylor’s arrest.
“In the three years since his release, the CIR thoroughly investigated the case and found evidence that was not disclosed in Taylor’s defense,” the agency said in a statement. “This failure, in conjunction with other errors and victim’s renunciation, informed the state’s decision to consent to Taylor’s subsequent motion of sentencing. We stand with the CIR’s work in that case, which is detailed here.” can be seen.”
Taylor was arrested at the age of 21 after a neighbor’s 4-year-old child tested positive for gonorrhea and later indicated that he had abused her during her sleep.
But the Innocence Project lobbied for her release in 2010, claiming that the confused child was unclear in her allegations and that there was no DNA evidence linking her to Taylor.
He is now being held in the Duval County Jail on a $1.1 million bond and his court date is July 18.
