Trending

Accused killer borrowed stranger's phone to call getaway ride, deputies say

John Taylor. (Photo: Shelby County Sheriff's Office)

A man is charged with murder after another man was found shot to death in a Tipton County field.

John Taylor was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to a police affidavit.

>> Read more trending news

Lengthy court records detailed a set of circumstances, including phone calls and witness statements, that led them to Taylor.

Multiple agencies were involved in the investigation -- including deputies from both Tipton and Shelby counties.

Deputies found the victim, who officials identified as Quincy Anderson, in a field along Tracy Road. He had been shot multiple times.

While deputies were at the scene, a man told them he heard multiple gunshot wounds and saw a man get into a red Chevy Aveo. The car wrecked roughly a mile away from where the body was found.

Nearby, a man who was wet and muddy told a woman he was in an all-terrain vehicle accident and asked if he could use a phone. After using the phone, he was picked up and driven away.

Deputies were able to track down the owner of the wrecked the car at her job. They saw her get into a Ford Expedition. Deputies stopped the SUV.

Police said they found Taylor lying down in the back of the SUV, and the group was taken in for questioning.

The owner of the car said she had let Taylor, who was her boyfriend, borrow her car and he had dropped her off at work. She also told police that when he left, he was armed with a handgun.

Taylor later called her to say he had wrecked the car and would come to pick her up with a friend, according to police documents.

Phone records connected Taylor to the victim. Police said he was in communication with the victim the morning of the shooting and last called him moments before gunshots were fired, according to investigators.

The female witness was shown a photo of Taylor. She confirmed he was the man who borrowed her phone.

Taylor is currently being held in jail and a hearing has not been set.