In February 2019, while awaiting trial for molesting a male student, Deonte Taylor, 36, conspired with his boyfriend Michael Johnson, 66, to pay a hitman to kill the 10 year old male and his family in an effort to silence them.
What We Know:
- In 2015, Deonte Taylor worked as a Teacher’s Assistant at Lusher Elementary in Missouri. According to KSDK , he was accused of engaging in oral sex with a seven year old male student. The parents of the student reported the incident but no charges were filed at that time.
- Three years later in November 2018, Taylor was working as a certified fifth grade teacher at Walnut Elementary when he was arrested on the 2015 allegations due to a DNA match.
- Taylor was charged with 3 counts of first degree statutory sodomy.
- The hitman Taylor and Johnson paid turned out to be a police confidant and revealed the plan to authorities. Taylor and Johnson are now also charged with 2 counts of attempting to tamper with a victim in a felony prosecution and 2 counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
- Evidence also reveals that Taylor is currently and was HIV positive at the time of the 2015 incident. Now, he is also being charged with knowingly exposing the male student to the HIV virus.
After appearing in court, both Taylor and Johnson plead not guilty to all charges on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. They are both currently being held without bond while the case is pending.
