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Anthony Cloud

Staff Writer

After being postponed for a week due to several different activities, the William Taylor murder trail continued on Monday. A key witnesses for the commonwealth was Lucas Maiden.

Lucas Maiden, a convicted felon, is related to Candy Maiden by marriage and had a relationship with Shana Mason, who testified two weeks ago.

Lucas Maiden testified to seeing Brain Hatfield and Jeremy Evans on the day of the alleged assault on Taylor. He said the two individuals came to his house, stayed a little while and left. When they returned, they had Debbie Partin with them.

Lucas Maiden testified Partin mentioned borrowing money from Taylor that night. He also testified Partin washed her and Evans’ clothes that night.

Lucas Maiden said he went to bed around 10:30 p.m. As he was going to bed he saw Evans’ truck leave, according to his testimony.

Lucas Maiden said he woke up once early in the morning because he heard noise coming from his door. When he went to go check, Partin was coming from outside and laid down on the couch, according to his testimony.

Lucas Maiden testified he was awakened a second time when his father called. At that time, Hatfield and Evans came to his house and asked him to haul off a load of scrap.

Lucas Maiden also testified he gave two separate statements to the police. He went back a second time because he feared he got something wrong the first time, according to testimony.

During cross-examination, Lucas Maiden testified to Sam Cox (Candy Maiden’s attorney) that Mason found checks on the couch Partin was sleeping on the morning after the alleged assault on Taylor.

Cox also pointed out that Lucas Maiden was charged in a case involving the burglary of Taylor’s house. The burglary took place prior to Taylor’s alleged assault. Lucas Maiden was charged with receiving stolen property in that case, according to the testimony of Kentucky State Police Trooper Keith Baker.

Lucas Maiden testified during cross-examination he never showed Mason the evidence against him for the receiving stolen property case.

According to his testimony, Lucas Maiden said Mason said she helped plan the robbery. Mason was in jail at the time of the Taylor assault.

He also testified Evans’ allegedly confessed to the murder in a letter to Mason. During re-direct, Lucas Maiden testified he never saw the letter to Mason.

The trial is scheduled to continue for half a day on Tuesday.

It is alleged Taylor was brutally beaten during the robbery at his home in the early morning hours of Jan. 15, 2008.

After the robbers fled, Taylor walked more than 100 yards to the nearest neighbor’s house for help.

Taylor was sent to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he was initially admitted to Intensive Care. Taylor’s condition was briefly upgraded to stable before being downgraded. He died approximately one week after the attack.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-248-1010, ext. 208, acloud@civitasmedia.com