Lawyer who advised judge in Manson trial kills wife in murder-suicide

Lawyer, 81, who advised judge in Charles Manson trial shoots dead his wife, 75, before turning the gun on himself in murder-suicide in their $3.5 million Long Beach homes

  • Lawrence Taylor worked as the legal advisor in Charles Manson’s trial in 1970
  • He shot his wife multiple times in the head before shooting himself in California
  • Police in Long Beach are appealing for anyone with information to come forward 

A lawyer who was the legal advisor in Charles Manson’s murder trial shot dead his wife before turning the gun on himself.

Police in Long Beach, California, are probing the deaths of Lawrence Eric Taylor, 81, and Judy Strother Taylor, 75, as a murder-suicide.

Authorities responded to a welfare check at their $3.5million home in Naples on Wednesday, after the couple stopped answering their phone and front door.

Taylor set up his own legal firm after serving as the trial judge’s legal advisor in Manson’s trial and was Supreme Court counsel in the Onion Field murder case.

His wife worked under President Richard Nixon at the now-closed White House Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention.

Police in Long Beach, California, are probing the deaths of Lawrence Eric Taylor, 81, and Judy Strother Taylor, 75, as a murder-suicide

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Taylors’ death as a suicide and Judy’s as a murder

Long Beach Police Department found the couple dead in their home, with Judy suffering from ‘gunshot wounds to the head’ according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office

Taylor also suffered a ‘gunshot wound’ to the head, with cops recovering a firearm at the scene.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Taylors’ death as a suicide and Judy’s as a murder.

Cops confirmed that the Medical Examiner will conduct an independent investigation. 

The couple were both pronounced dead at the scene, and the motive for the shooting is currently unclear. 

Judy worked as a youth mentor  and within the juvenile justice system for more than 20 years,

She teamed up with Mentor Management Systems President Jerry Sherk to bring an employee-to-employee mentoring program to the US Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and Colorado Springs.

Taylor was retained by the Attorney General of Montana as an independent Special Prosecutor to conduct a one-year grand jury probe of governmental corruption.

Taylor set up a law firm with his son Chris (left) in Southern California. He is suspected of shooting his wife and then himself

Authorities responded to a welfare check at their $3.5million home in Naples on Wednesday, after the couple stopped answering their phone and front door

The former marine graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and the UCLA School of Law. 

He was voted by his attorneys in Southern California as a ‘Super Lawyer’ for 11 out of 13 years of his time practicing in the state.  

Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward and contact Homicide Detectives Ethan Shear or Eric Thai at (562) 570-7244. 

Anonymous tips may be submitted through ‘LA Crime Stoppers’ by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the ‘P3 Tips’ app to your smartphone (available at the Apple app store or Google Play), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.

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