Plea Deal Follows Hung Jury In Van Buren County Murder Case

troytaylormugshot-6
troytaylormugshot-6

A mistrial and a plea deal in a Van Buren County shooting death. Troy Taylor was facing a murder charge for shooting and killing his ex-wife’s new boyfriend, Tim Henley, earlier this year. The jury was unable to reach a verdict, and Taylor decided he didn’t want to put his children through another trial. He agreed to a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter, which could send him to prison for up to seven years, and prosecutors dropped six other charges including second-degree murder. The shooting death happened when Taylor went to drop his son off at his ex-wife’s home near Gobles in June and his daughter caught the ex having sex nearby in a Jeep with Henley. In the anger that followed, police said Henley began punching the windows in Taylor’s BMW, shattering the driver’s side window. Taylor said he was defending himself and his kids when he pulled his gun and shot Henley three times, killing him. He will be sentenced February 4.