A man killed his wife and then killed his ex-wife less than two weeks later, according to Schenectady County police.
Timothy Taylor, 38, pleaded guilty on July 1 to the second-degree murder of his ex-wife, Tishawn Folkes-Taylor, on May 28, 2023. Taylor is also facing a pending indictment over allegations that he murdered the woman he was married to at the time on May 13, 2023.
According to NYPD Detective Liam Crowley and Schenectady Police Department retired Investigator Chris North, Taylor confessed to killing his wife and said he then killed his ex-wife because she “deserved it” due to her animosity toward him, per Schenectady County Police.
Newsweek has contacted the Schenectady Police Department and Taylor’s lawyer via email.
Matt Rourke/AP Photo
The Context
At the time of the murder, Taylor had allegedly absconded from Schenectady, where Folkes-Taylor was living, to Brooklyn as he was facing three charges from the Schenectady City Court for Criminal Obstruction of Breathing, Criminal Contempt, and Harassment, all involving his treatment of Folkes-Taylor.
He and Folkes-Taylor had been married for over a decade. During that time, there were “multiple instances of domestic violence,” say police.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, murder at the hands of a partner is “often the culmination of prior experiences of gender-based violence, which can include psychological, sexual, and physical abuse.”
Taylor was also already being investigated at the time of Folkes-Taylor’s murder over the alleged murder of his current wife.
What To Know
Police found that Taylor arrived in Schenectady before midnight on May 27. He checked into a hotel and then went to Folkes-Taylor’s house in the early morning of May 28. There, he stabbed her to death while her three children, two of whom are shared with Taylor, were in the house.
According to police, he then left the house through a bedroom window, discarding clothes as he walked to downtown Schenectady. He then took a bus to leave the city.
Taylor was arrested in Philadelphia on June 2 and extradited to New York to face charges over Folkes-Taylor’s murder and his wife’s death.
What People Are Saying
Schenectady District Attorney Robert M. Carney stated in a press release: “People should know that Tishawn Folkes-Taylor, while facing down her killer and knowing his intent, made sure to protect her children and, after stabbing her more than 22 times, Mr. Taylor fled into the night without harming them. These children, particularly the oldest who was a high school student at the time, and their extended family, were instrumental to our office in bringing this case.
“I also commend NYPD Detective Liam Crowley and retired Schenectady Police Detective Chris North for their excellent police work in questioning Mr. Taylor. It is my hope that Mr. Taylor, after also facing the charges brought by our colleagues in Kings County, never lives in the world again as a free man.”
What Happens Next
Taylor will be sentenced on his second-degree murder charges on September 16. He is facing 22 years to life behind bars for those charges.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673, or contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) helpline via their website rainn.org.