Who was Lawrence Eric Taylor? Legal advisor in Charles Manson's 1970 trial found dead with wife in apparent murder-suicide
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: Lawrence Eric Taylor, an 81-year-old lawyer who was a legal advisor in Charles Manson's 1970 murder trial, is being accused of fatally shooting his wife, Judy Strother Taylor, 75, before turning the gun on himself.
Authorities reportedly responded to a welfare check at the couple's $3.5 million home in Naples on Wednesday, October 4, after they stopped answering their phone and front door, according to the Daily Mail,
Shortly after, the Long Beach Police Department found the pair dead inside their home, with gunshot wounds in their heads, and their deaths are being probed as an apparent murder-suicide, the outlet noted.
Lawrence Eric Taylor was a prominent attorney and former marine
Taylor was an American attorney, former Marine, and an author, who served as a public defender and criminal prosecutor in Los Angeles County before entering private practice.
Born on April 1, 1942, Taylor graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 and the UCLA School of Law in 1969.
He served as a deputy public defender and deputy district attorney in Los Angeles before turning to private practice.
Taylor was voted by his attorneys in Southern California as a 'Super Lawyer' for 11 out of 13 years of his time practicing in the state, the Daily Mail noted.
According to the Taylor & Taylor law firm, the attorney served as the trial judge’s legal advisor in People vs Charles Manson.
He was also the Supreme Court counsel in the Onion Field murder case and was retained by the Attorney General of Montana to conduct a one-year grand jury probe of governmental corruption as an independent Special Prosecutor.
Taylor reportedly set up his own legal firm after serving as the trial judge's legal advisor in Manson's trial and eventually turned to teaching.
The attorney became a faculty of Gonzaga University School of Law, where he was voted "Professor of the Year" and was invited to be Visiting Professor at Pepperdine University Law School.
Taylor was finally appointed Fulbright Professor of Law at Osaka University in Japan.
With over 44 years of experience, Taylor authored over thirty articles and 12 books, including the standard text on DUI / DWI litigation, Drunk Driving Defense, 7th edition (N.Y.: Aspen Law and Business) and California Drunk Driving Defense, 4th edition (St. Paul, MN: West Publishing), his bio in the Taylor & Taylor website mentions.
Taylor was also one of only 5 DUI attorneys in California who was Board-certified as a DUI defense specialist.
What happened to Lawrence Eric Taylor and his wife?
The Long Beach Police Department found Taylor and his wife, Judy, dead inside their $ 3.5 million Naples home on October 4 after conducting a welfare check when the pair stopped answering their phone and front door.
Cops reportedly recovered a firearm from the scene while the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Judy suffered "gunshot wounds to the head." They further revealed that Taylor also suffered a "gunshot wound" to his head.
The medical examiner's office ruled Judy's death as a murder and Taylor's a suicide, prompting officers to probe the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide case. Both Taylor and Judy were reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.
While the motive behind the shooting is currently unclear, the medical examiner's office has decided to conduct an independent investigation into the deaths.
Police are reportedly urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward and contact Homicide Detectives Ethan Shear or Eric Thai at (562) 570-7244.
Officials also mentioned that anonymous tips could be submitted through 'LA Crime Stoppers' by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the 'P3 Tips' app to smartphone, or by visiting the official LA Crime Stoppers website.