Murder retrial set to begin in Riverhead

The retrial of accused murderer Kalila Taylor is set to begin in Riverhead. In 1999, Taylor was convicted of the 1996 murder of 17-year-old Curtisha Morning. Taylor allegedly stabbed Morning more than

News 12 Staff

Jan 6, 2006, 11:09 PM

Updated 6,928 days ago

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The retrial of accused murderer Kalila Taylor is set to begin in Riverhead.
In 1999, Taylor was convicted of the 1996 murder of 17-year-old Curtisha Morning. Taylor allegedly stabbed Morning more than 100 times and disposed of the body on the grounds of Riverhead High School, where Morning was a senior. An appeals court judge overturned the conviction in 2004, while Taylor was serving a 25-year-to-life prison sentence. The appeals court judge said the judge in the initial trial gave improper instruction to the jury.
Taylor underwent months of psychiatric treatment after showing bizarre behavior, including claims that Morning was a clone. However, state psychiatrists have deemed her competent to stand trial. Officials say there are indications that the defense would like to plea bargain, but the defense has indicated they would only be willing to do so in exchange for a guilty plea.