A Florida couple accused of killing four people in two different states may have other victims, and police are asking law enforcement in the Southeastern U.S. to be aware of any “sadistic” unsolved crimes.
NBC News 8 reports that Christopher Taylor (pictured left), 30, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of 47-year-old Douglas John Bowling, who was found beaten to death and strangled, then thrown in an orang grover close to Ft. Meade. Two other suspects, 36-year-old Kristina Sluss and 21-year-old Gary Taylor (pictured right), were also arrested and charged with accessory to murder and tampering with evidence.
According to Sheriff Grady Judd, Gary Taylor said, “another one bites the dust” upon his arrest. Judd indicated that the comment led him to believe that there were more victims. After a reported jailhouse confession from Sluss, authorities connected her and Christopher Taylor to three additional murders in South Carolina.
“She admitted she watched while Christopher viciously and brutally murdered three innocent people. He used a hatchet,” said Judd.
On Friday, both Sluss and Christopher Taylor were charged with three counts of murder. The South Carolina murders are believed to have happened on January 20 and involved a “lethal cutting weapon.” South Carolina’s NBC7 reports that authorities identified the victims as Francis Richards, 59; Fred “Junior” Richards, 59; and Nathan Poffenberger, 23.
Spartanburg County investigators indicated that the couple gave full confessions on the murders, but Judd said that there may be more victims, given the gruesome “sadistic” details of the crimes, which involved cutting off body parts.
“We need to know if you have any murders in the southeast United States, where the person was dismembered or partially dismembered. Do you have a vicious, outrageous crime scene? And the victims are victims for no apparent reason. If there is another victim who – maybe they have disappeared, no one has heard from them, but one of these two individuals has been in your community. In law enforcement, we call that a clue.”
Authorities said the couple has been linked not only with South Carolina and Florida, but also Tennessee and Florida.
The story is still developing. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Christopher Taylor, Gary Taylor, and Kristina Sluss/Police Handout]
