BOYFRIEND CONVICTED OF BRUTAL STABBING DEATH OF GIRLFRIEND

Defendant Attempts to Hide then Burn Bloody Clothes

Atlanta- 26-year-old Antonio Taylor will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the stabbing death of his girlfriend Armanita Elly, 25. Taylor was convicted this afternoon of Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault and weapons charges. He received an immediate sentence of life plus five years in prison for his crime.

Authorities found Ms. Elly’s body behind a Richmond Drive home in Atlanta on March 23, 2008. She had been fatally stabbed in the chest. According to an eyewitness, the defendant followed the victim to the rear of the home where the two began to argue. Shortly after the argument began, the witness reported seeing Ms. Elly fall to the ground. Defendant Taylor dragged the woman’s body to another spot then fled the scene on foot leaving the bloody knife next to the victim’s head. Taylor was later seen by friends wearing blue jeans and white sneakers covered in blood. Investigators later found the defendant’s bloody clothing, which had been partially burned, discarded behind a nearby home. Defendant Taylor’s parents turned him in to police two days after the killing. On the day of the incident, Taylor was apparently upset because Ms. Elly refused to give him money for drugs.

Visiting Senior Judge Fred Bishop from Gwinnett County presided over the case.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Dalia Racine of the Major Case division led the prosecution with assistance from ADA Christina Sears and Senior DA Investigator Bernadette Hernandez. Detective M. Cooper with the Atlanta Police Department led the initial investigation.

Media Contact: Yvette Brown, 404-224-0560/404-392-8867, yvette.brown@fultoncountyga.gov