Emmett Taylor III – Black, age 44



Sentenced in Sussex County, Delaware



By a judge upon jury recommendation (11-1)



Date of crime: August 14, 2007



Prosecution’s case/defense response:  Taylor bludgeoned to death Stephanie V. Mumford (age 44), his fiancée at the time, days before their planned wedding.  Prosecutors say Mumford was severely beaten with a frying pan and assaulted throughout the condominium she shared with Taylor.  Taylor was convicted of aggravated assault in Mississippi several years earlier, which qualified him for the death penalty.  Taylor’s defense argued the trial judge improperly prevented them from seeking a verdict of guilty but mentally ill over Taylor’s objections.   

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Sources: News Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 11/6/09 AP Alert - DE 21:45:59, News Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 3/13/20 (2010 WLNR 5294056).