A Jefferson County grand jury has indicted a 31-year-old Birmingham, Alabama man on capital murder in the death of a 2-year-old boy.
The grand jury issued the capital murder indictment against Sylvester Corderyl Taylor on May 6, and the records were made public Monday. In addition to capital murder, Taylor is also charged with aggravated child abuse in the slaying of Kaiden Ford.
Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies responded to the 1100 block of Florentine Circle in eastern Jefferson County at 7:09 p.m. on February 5, 2020 on a report of a child not breathing. Center Point Fire and Rescue rushed the boy to Children’s of Alabama, where he was pronounced dead at 7:59 p.m.
According to the indictment, Taylor killed Kaiden by “striking him with hands and/or a belt and/or a cord.” Taylor was Kaiden’s mother’s boyfriend. The mother was at work and Kaiden was in Taylor’s care at the time of his death.
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Taylor’s attorney, John Lentine, said his client maintains his innocence.
According to Lentine, two of the alleged witnesses for the prosecution have recanted their previous statements to police. It was after the second recantation that hearings were held, and Taylor was granted bond and released.
“It is only an assertion that that child was in Mr. Taylor’s care at the time of his death,’’ Lentine said. “The evidence at the preliminary hearing was that the child was in the care of others and Mr. Taylor was not present at the time the child died.”
Taylor served time in state prison in the August 13, 2014 death of Angela Marie McCall. McCall, 34, was killed around when a car went over a curb and hit her as she walked in the 9500 block of Parkway East. Around 12 a.m. that Wednesday, an individual was driving eastbound on Parkway East near a man in a Grand Prix who was speeding down the road.
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The witness drove behind the Grand Prix and honked the car’s horn before driving around the car. The driver of the Grand Prix – later identified as Taylor – began driving erratically, around 60 mph, the witness told investigators. The man drove around the witness’s car and up onto a curb, hitting McCall.
Taylor fled without stopping. McCall was pronounced dead on the scene. Several months later, Taylor pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released from prison in October 2019.
He was convicted of first-degree robbery in 2008 and ordered to serve two years of a 10-year prison sentence.
Taylor is out of jail on $100,000 bond.
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