Husband and Friend Charged with First-Degree Murder in Killing of Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Employee

Two men, Harvey Taylor and Thomas Sanches, have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with July 20, 2022, killing of Fulton County sheriff’s office employee, Kristy Taylor. Harvey Taylor, 49, is the husband of the victim, Kristy Taylor, who was found dead in her driveway in Elizabeth, Arkansas, on July 9. Fulton County Sheriff Jake Smith announced that Taylor was arrested on Monday night, while Sanches was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Texas and will be extradited to Arkansas, as per a report by Northwest Arkansas on January 25, 2023.

Kristy Taylor was shot in the head, and her body was found by first responders. Harvey Taylor and Sanches claimed they drove up to meet with her to discuss a vehicle sale but left the same day; however, a text message from Kristy on her phone indicated otherwise, according to an arrest affidavit.

Further analysis of the two men’s cell phones revealed that they had turned them off while they made the trip to Kristy Taylor’s home and did not power them back on until they arrived in Texas again early on July 9. A witness also told investigators that Harvey Taylor had offered him $5,000 to “put a bullet in Kristy’s head and kill her dog Blue” a few weeks before her death. The affidavit also states that Kristy Taylor filed for divorce in the month before her death, and Harvey Taylor wanted his wife dead so he wouldn’t lose everything he had in the divorce.