Ala Supreme Court declines death penalty case

Associated Press
Published: January 2, 2009

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Supreme Court has declined
to review the capital murder conviction and death sentence that
Michael Taylor received for killing a Gadsden couple.
 
  The Supreme Court rejected the case 7-1 Wednesday. Taylor’s
conviction had been upheld previously by the Alabama Court of
Criminal Appeals.
 
  The 37-year-old death row inmate was convicted of killing Ivan
and Lucille Moore while he was absent without leave from the Navy.
According to court records, he caught a ride to his hometown of
Gadsden in November 1991 and went to visit the Moores, who were
friends. They gave him a snack. Then he beat them to death with a
medal rod and took their money and car.
 
  The chief of the attorney general’s capital litigation section,
Clay Crenshaw, said Taylor can still pursue an appeal in federal
court.