Exonerated After Spending 33 Years In Prison, Edward Taylor Is Back In Jail For Attempted Murder

A man from Florida was exonerated and freed from prison after serving 33 years for a crime he didn’t commit. He is now back in custody for attempted murder.

57-year-old Edward Clayton Taylor was overjoyed last month after a judge threw out his conviction for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl in 1986. For more than 10 years, his lawyers fought the conviction.

Police say that now, Taylor may receive another prison sentence after shooting a man during a dispute this week.

“Oh, my God. I’m so numb. I don’t know what to say. I fought so long to get him home, something he did not do. He came out and obviously spent time with the wrong people,” his mother stated.

The shooting happened in Jacksonville Beach and was captured on camera. Police discovered bullet holes in Taylor’s vehicle while trying to question him about the shooting.

Authorities say that the camera recording shows Taylor approaching the victim and shooting him in the chest.

As he tried to run away, multiple males took out their guns and started shooting at his vehicle. Police say that damage to Taylor’s car aligned with what they saw in the recording.

Taylor stated that he wasn’t the assailant in the recording and asked for a lawyer.

In 2019, he was granted parole before his conviction was totally wiped out last month.

After Taylor’s apprehension this week, the Florida State Attorney’s Office conviction review unit still stood by their support of Taylor in the child rape case.

At 21, Taylor was apprehended after a neighbor’s 4-year-old daughter tested positive for gonorrhea. The child later indicated that Taylor had sexually assaulted her as a sleepover took place.

However, in 2010, the Innocence Project began advocating for Taylor’s release. They stated that the child was not descriptive and wasn’t clear. They added that no DNA evidence connected Taylor to the girl, either.

Taylor is now in custody in the Duval County Jail on a $1.1 million bond. He is set to appear in court again on July 18.