Randy Allen Taylor trial Day 5: Taylor’s fate in jury’s hands

Both the prosecution and the defense rested their cases on May 7 in the trial of Randy Allen Taylor, 48, charged with the murder and abduction of Alexis Taylor, who was last seen with Taylor at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston on August 3. After closing arguments, during which both sides agreed on only […]

Day 4: Mystery man testifies in Randy Taylor trial

A week after 17-year-old Alexis Murphy was last seen at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston and her DNA had been found in his camper, Randy Taylor finally admitted Murphy had been at his property on August 3, the evening she disappeared, and claimed she was with a black man with cornrows who’d been driving […]

Day 3: Randy Taylor denies seeing Alexis Murphy in police interviews

Randy Allen Taylor said he’d never seen 17-year-old Alexis Murphy before. He said he wasn’t at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston on August 3, the day the Nelson County teenager disappeared. And he said she had never, ever been in his camper in two separate interviews with police, recordings of which were played in […]

Virginia Wine: Right Century, Right Season

What the Founding Fathers foundered at, 21st century Virginians are perfecting. Thomas Jefferson tried for 36 years to grow grapes suitable for winemaking. George Washington kept at it for 11. Virginia had the “soil, aspect, and climate of the best wine countries,” Jefferson contended. “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety […]

What’s coming up in Charlottesville-Albemarle the week of May 5?

Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings in the comments section. The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board meets at 1pm Monday, May 5 at the […]

Randy Taylor Trial Day Two: Alexis Murphy’s blood found, defense pushes human trafficking

On the second day of the murder trial of Randy Allen Taylor, Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony Martin’s 40-minute opening statement laid out his case against Taylor, accused of slaying 17-year-old Alexis Murphy, who was last seen on August 3 at the Liberty gas station in Lovingston. Martin detailed the physical evidence found in Taylor’s camper—Murphy’s blood, […]