[FL] Manatee Co. Deputies suspected from the beginning that fellow deputy Robert Taylor killed his wife

Former Manatee County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Taylor has been arrested for the 2oo8 murder of his wife Pamela.

..."I tried to tell her to go to a shelter and she said 'I can't because he's in law enforcement'"... [Manatee County Sheriff Brad] Steube said his agency did investigate Taylor for domestic violence after a human resources employee alerted investigators after noticing bruises on Pamela Taylor when the two came in regarding retirement paperwork... Pamela Taylor blamed the injuries on a fall...

From video:
"Manatee County Deputies had their suspicions from the very beginning. They thought maybe, just maybe, one of their fellow deputies killed his wife. Now two and half years later, that deputy is charged with murder... Neighbor Ruth Mueller said Taylor repeatedly beat his wife. 'She came over here one night and she was just bloody.' But Mueller said Pamela told her she was too afraid to leave. Detectives have spent the last two and a half years building a case... Mueller: 'Relieved. She finally got some peace.'" When Pamela was found drowned in the pool she had three broken ribs and a black eye.

FORMER MANATEE COUNTY DEPUTY CHARGED IN WIFE'S DEATH
Tbo.com, News Channel 8
By Jackie Barron
February 10, 2011
[Excerpts] ...Former Manatee County Sheriff's Office Deputy Robert Taylor lived in the house with his wife, Pamela, until he drowned her in the pool on Sept. 11, 2008, sheriff's office detectives said today. Taylor, who moved last year to Missouri, has been charged with second-degree murder. In 2008, Taylor had retired after working for about 15 years as a corrections deputy at the Manatee County Jail. Neighbor Ruth Mueller remembers the couple arguing and their Chihuahua barking the night before Robert Taylor dialed 911. She said when she walked outside the next morning and saw the yellow crime scene tape, "I thought 'Oh My God' he did it. That's the first thing I said and I had to hang on to something because I was just livid." Mueller said Taylor repeatedly beat his wife. "She came over here one night and she was just bloody," Mueller said. "That's the night I tried to tell her to go to a shelter and she said 'I can't because he's in law enforcement'"... [Manatee County Sheriff Brad] Steube said his agency did investigate Taylor for domestic violence after a human resources employee alerted investigators after noticing bruises on Pamela Taylor when the two came in regarding retirement paperwork. Steube said Pamela Taylor blamed the injuries on a fall. Detectives have spent the past two years building a case against Taylor, starting the day of Pamela's drowning. That's when an arrest report said the first deputy on scene noticed Taylor's clothes were dry despite his claim he had moved his wife's body from the deep end to the steps of the pool. Detectives said Taylor kept changing his story... [Full article here]

FORMER MANATEE COUNTY DEPUTY CHARGED WITH MURDER OF HIS WIFE
10 Connects
Jennifer Stanton
February 10, 2011
[Excerpts] Manatee County, Florida - A former Manatee County Corrections Deputy is charged in the 2008 murder of his wife. Missouri State Police arrested 55-year-old Robert Taylor at his new home Tuesday in Gravois Mills, Missouri. On September 11, 2008, Manatee County Deputies responded to a report of a drowning at a residence in the 7300 block of Caladesia Dr. in south Manatee County. When EMS and deputies arrived, Taylor's wife, 63-year-old Pamela Taylor was deceased. [Former Manatee County Corrections Deputy Robert] Taylor told deputies he woke up and found her dead in the swimming pool. According to the Manatee County Sheriff's office, an autopsy showed several injuries to the victim caused by blunt force trauma. The Medical Examiner's Office initially ruled the cause of death as drowning and the manner of death as undetermined. After further investigation the Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. Detectives believe Pamela Taylor was the victim of repeated domestic violence which ultimately resulted in her death at the hands of Robert Taylor... Taylor told detectives there were no life insurance policies on his wife, but it was learned that Taylor had two policies with one of them being applied for two weeks before her death. Taylor is currently in the Morgan County, Missouri jail. He will be transported to the Manatee County sometime in the next week... [Full article here]

NEIGHBORS OF FORMER MANATEE DEPUTY CHARGED WITH MURDER SPEAK OUT
Bradenton.Com
By Paradise Afshar
Feb. 11, 2011
[Excerpts] News of former Manatee County deputy Robert Taylor’s arrest Tuesday in the death of his wife Pamela Taylor didn’t appear to send many shock waves through his old neighborhood. In fact, the news only brought relief to those who lived near him. "It was going to happen. I’m glad he is finally arrested," said neighbor Scott Mueller... Robert Taylor, a 6-foot 2-inch tall man weighing 250 pounds, according to the sheriff’s office, was known for his temper, neighbors say. A neighbor recalls Robert Taylor picking fights with neighbors on several occasions. One in particular was with another neighbor over the way his car was parked. “He went off on him and tells him he’s a sheriff and he’ll have him arrested” if he didn’t fix how his car was parked, said the 72-year-old neighbor... “She was a nice woman,” Mueller said. “But they kept to themselves.” Robert Taylor was arrested in Gravois Mills, Mo. He is being held in the Morgan County, Mo., jail. Local detectives were expecting to bring him back to Manatee some time in the next week, according to a report. [Full article here]
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