An Indiana inmate will serve the rest of his life in prison after authorities say he brutally murdered his cellmate.
Lawrence Taylor, 44, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, according to a news release issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana on February 20.
Taylor’s attorney contact information was not available.
On January 12, 2019, a member of the Special Housing Unit at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute walked past Taylor’s cell and noticed something unusual.
The employee observed Taylor’s cellmate, Jan Stevens, “lying on the lower bunk, partially covered with a sheet,” according to officials. The employee then noticed Stevens’ neck laceration, as well as blood on the wall and floor.
Taylor was inside the cell and standing in front of the door, according to officials.
The next day, an autopsy on Stevens revealed that he had been stabbed 43 times, according to prosecutors.
Taylor and Stevens were in the same cell for three days before the fatal stabbing, according to officials.
Taylor told FBI agents that he killed Stevens with a weapon he’d had for three months, according to prosecutors.
“This murder goes beyond taking a life; it destroys the lives of those closest to the victim. Taylor’s actions were heinous and warranted a life sentence, according to John E. Childress, acting United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Taylor was serving a 23-year sentence “for a series of bank robberies in 2009.” He was scheduled for release in 2031.
Terre Haute is about 75 miles southwest of Indianapolis.