In “Buried in the Backyard,” a collection of actual crimes presented by Oxygen, bodies have been found in a variety of odd locations. The series explores the horrible events and what caused them, as well as the attempts that investigators make to hold the perpetrators accountable. In one episode, there was also discussion of Taylor Wright’s murder; in this article, we look more closely at the perpetrator.
Who is Ashley Britt McArthur?
According to reports, Ashley, a crime scene technician, was best friends with the murder victim. The 33-year-old ex-police officer and private investigator Taylor was going through a divorce. She took $100,000 out of the joint account she shared with her ex-husband Jeff Wright. She then handed McArthur more than $30,000 to act as her agent in protecting.
Taylor was initially only thought to be missing. She even admitted to police that she hadn’t seen her lover since September 8, 2017, according to Casandra, her live-in girlfriend at the time. Taylor had been responding to their texts up until 11:20 a.m. Around 8 o’clock in the evening, Casandra got a text from Taylor’s phone saying that she needed some time to get her life together again. It was observed by authorities that McArthur had texted her cousin to inquire as to whether he would be on the farm that day. (He was absent attending a funeral).
McArthur claimed during a police interview that she and the victim had both gone to her family’s ranch to ride horses. They returned to McArthur’s home after an hour, where Taylor allegedly took an Uber to a pub. Taylor hasn’t been injured, the former technician continued. Although I believe Taylor is acting in accordance with her usual behaviour, you know. She has always presented herself as tough and has never concealed the fact that she always carries weapons, be they knives, firearms, or other contraband. She’s not a simple mark.
Records from cell phones, however, suggested the opposite. Therefore, when the police followed up on this tip, they found Taylor’s remains buried in a different farm on Britt Road in North Pensacola that was owned by McArthur’s family. She was buried beneath concrete and potted soil after being shot in the back of the skull. The picture was precisely depicted in McArthur’s bank records as well. Taylor’s name was on a $34,000 cashier’s cheque that was deposited into the offender’s account. The funds were then used, and McArthur is said to have even purchased a boat for Brandon Beaty, with whom she had an affair.
The last time the victim was mentioned, according to the prosecution, was when Taylor questioned McArthur about the money. The former crime scene technician was also captured on camera on September 9, 2017, purchasing potting soil and concrete from a Home Depot. McArthur changed her behaviour in two separate police interviews, and prosecutor Bridgette Jenson noted the significance of this change: “If you look at the first interview she was friendly, maybe a touch fun with law enforcement. She behaved differently in the second interview. I believe she was aware of her capture.
Witnesses testified throughout the trial that McArthur had mentioned killing Taylor on previous occasions as well. One of McArthur’s pals and local barmaid Audrey Warne testified in court: “She stated she was going to put it [cocaine] in Taylor’s beer. She claimed that Taylor wasn’t a decent person, that she was too small to harm anyone, and that she would simply shoot them if they got in her way of improving the world.
But McArthur’s attorney, John Berose, insisted that his client had no money problems. “There will be no physical evidence introduced in this trial to show you that Ashley McArthur had any involvement with the death of Taylor Wright,” he said in his opening statement. He contended that the lack of a connection between the type of bullet that killed Taylor and any of the firearms admitted as evidence diminished the possibility that McArthur had a murder weapon in his possession. In addition, he raised Taylor’s claimed drug use and questioned the victim’s state of mind.
Where is Ashley Britt McArthur Now?
In her opening statement, Bridgette Jenson told the jury, “Ladies and gentlemen, Ashley McArthur had a motive, Ashley McArthur had the opportunity, Ashley McArthur murdered Taylor Wright and then she tried to cover it up with lies, concrete, and potting soil.” The prosecution continually emphasised that the motivation was pecuniary throughout the trial. It was noticed that Taylor’s phone had ping-ed off a tower nearby when the defendant was at a wedding in Alabama, suggesting that McArthur had kept her friend’s phone.
A jury sentenced McArthur, who was 42 at the time, to life in prison after finding her guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. It’s interesting to note that she was previously facing allegations of racketeering and fraud. She was convicted of defrauding customers of the family business at the time and given a 7-year prison term with an additional three years of probation. She was also accused of starting a fire, but she was cleared. As a result, McArthur is currently serving a 46-year sentence at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County, Florida.
