A 26-year-old Texas woman who is charged with murder had her bond revoked after she failed to appear in court Monday.
Amesty Healy Smith is charged in connection with the 2019 stabbing death of Gerald Taylor in Port Arthur. She was set to appear before Judge John Stevens Monday morning to possibly begin her trial, but she did not show up.
Smith was arrested Monday night. She is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
The deadly stabbing took place on October 12, 2019. Port Arthur Police responded to the 4100 block of Jimmy Johnson Boulevard shortly after 7 a.m. after receiving a call about a “man down” in front of the Pebble Creek Apartment complex.
Officers arrived and found Taylor, who was later pronounced dead. Medical professionals found Taylor had suffered a single stab wound to the left part of his chest, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A witness told police they saw Taylor fall out of the trunk of a “brown or tan” Ford Taurus that was driving out of the complex. The witness stated Taylor stumbled his way near the sidewalk and collapsed.
The witness told police a young woman was driving the Ford at the time. That woman was later identified as Smith, according to the affidavit.
Smith and Taylor lived together at the apartment complex court records show.
A witness that also lived at the complex told police around 6 a.m., they were woken up by Smith and Taylor having an intense argument. The witness told police as far as they could tell, Smith and Taylor were in good health when they left the apartment at around 6:40 a.m.
Security video from the complex showed that Smith backed out of the complex around 6:46 a.m. and drove a short distance. The video then showed the car stop for about eight minutes while still inside the complex.
After the shortstop, the car goes toward the front gate area. Police believe Taylor’s legs can be seen hanging out the trunk of the car at that point of the video, according to the affidavit.
The car then drives toward the gate out of view of the camera. Around 6:55 a.m. Taylor is seen walking from the vehicle.
During an interview, Smith told police she and Taylor left the apartment together. She stated the two got into an argument and then Taylor assaulted her while they were in the car, according to the affidavit.
Smith told police Taylor left the car after the assault while still in the complex, but the video shows that he left the car near the front gate where he was found dead.
Smith had scratches on the right side of her face and blood on her shirt near her right rib area, according to the affidavit. Smith denied ever hurting Taylor.
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas. Call 833-TIPS (8477).
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