The name Benjamin Taylor appears in two unrelated criminal cases involving the deaths of young children. In West Virginia, Benjamin Ryan Taylor was convicted in 2019 of raping and murdering 10-month-old Emmaleigh Barringer and is serving life without parole. In North Carolina, Benjamin Joseph Taylor is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the 2024 Charlotte deaths of his girlfriend, Markayla Johnson, and her two young children, and is awaiting trial after rejecting a plea deal in June 2025.1WBTV. Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend, Her 2 Kids in Charlotte Rejects Plea Deal The two men share nothing beyond the name.
Benjamin Ryan Taylor (West Virginia)
What Happened
On the night of October 3, 2016, 10-month-old Emmaleigh Elizabeth Barringer was sexually assaulted in a Fairplain, West Virginia apartment shared by her mother, Amanda Adkins, and Adkins’s boyfriend, Benjamin Ryan Taylor, then 33. Adkins testified that she found Taylor over her daughter and observed “lots of blood.”2WV MetroNews. Jackson County Man Convicted in Emmaleigh Barringer’s Death Emmaleigh died two days later at a Charleston hospital.3News and Sentinel. Man Sentenced to Life in Murder, Assault of Baby
Taylor told investigators he had no memory of that night. At trial, he testified that he had drunk about eight beers, blacked out, and woke up holding the baby. Asked whether he had committed the crimes, he said, “If I can’t remember, I can’t say one way or another, but I know it wasn’t me.”4WCHS-TV. Fourth Day of Benjamin Taylor’s Case Begins With Defense Prosecutor Katie Franklin called the claimed memory loss “convenient.”2WV MetroNews. Jackson County Man Convicted in Emmaleigh Barringer’s Death
Conviction and Sentence
On March 19, 2019, a Jackson County jury deliberated roughly two hours before finding Taylor guilty of first-degree murder, death of a child by child abuse, and sexual assault by a guardian. The jury recommended no mercy.2WV MetroNews. Jackson County Man Convicted in Emmaleigh Barringer’s Death
On April 4, 2019, Circuit Court Judge Richard Craig Tatterson imposed three consecutive sentences: life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, 40 years for death of a child by child abuse, and 10 to 20 years for sexual abuse by a guardian, custodian, or person in a position of trust.3News and Sentinel. Man Sentenced to Life in Murder, Assault of Baby
Appeal
After a February 2020 resentencing order that reset his appeal window without altering the sentence,5WCHS-TV. Man Convicted in Baby’s Murder Gets Same Prison Time in Sentence Review Taylor appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, arguing the trial court had erred on venue, on the exclusion of alternative-suspect evidence, and on DNA expert testimony. On January 18, 2023, the court issued a unanimous memorandum decision affirming the conviction and sentence.6Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. State v. Taylor, No. 20-0222
Emmaleigh’s Law
Emmaleigh Barringer’s death prompted West Virginia lawmakers to act. In February 2017, Senate President Mitch Carmichael introduced Senate Bill 288, co-sponsored by Senator Ron Stollings and known as Emmaleigh’s Law.7News and Sentinel. Emmaleigh’s Law Would Double Child Abuse Penalties in West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed it on April 19, 2017. It raised the sentence for death of a child by abuse from 10–40 years to 20–80 years, increased the penalty for sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust to 20–40 years, and doubled associated fines.8WHSV. New West Virginia Law Boosts Penalties for Fatal Child Abuse Because Taylor had already been charged before the law took effect, the enhanced penalties did not apply to his case.
Benjamin Joseph Taylor (North Carolina)
The Charlotte Triple Homicide
Benjamin Joseph Taylor, 35, is charged in Mecklenburg County with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his 22-year-old girlfriend, Markayla Johnson, and her two children, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson and 7-month-old Messiah Johnson.1WBTV. Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend, Her 2 Kids in Charlotte Rejects Plea Deal
Family members reported the three missing on March 3, 2024. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police executed a search warrant and found Markayla Johnson’s body in a storage container at an apartment complex on Orchard Trace Lane, surrounded by candles and air fresheners. Miracle and Messiah were found the next day in the trunk of Taylor’s car, tied up.1WBTV. Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend, Her 2 Kids in Charlotte Rejects Plea Deal Police Chief Johnny Jennings called the killings “not a random act” and said Taylor and Johnson had been in a relationship, though preliminary information indicated Taylor was not the father of the children.9USA Today. Missing Markayla Johnson, Children Found Dead in Charlotte
Cause of Death
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that all three victims died of fentanyl poisoning. Cocaine was listed as a contributory factor in Messiah’s death, with diphenhydramine and melatonin described as “likely contributory.” Miracle’s autopsy noted focal bruising around the jaw and mouth consistent with marks from an adult hand gripping tightly. Markayla Johnson also tested positive for naloxone.10Charlotte Observer. Autopsy Reports in Markayla Johnson Case
Arrest and Case Status
Taylor fled about 2,200 miles to Slab City, a remote desert community in Imperial County, California. On the evening of March 16, 2024, Imperial County Sheriff’s deputies, the Border Crimes Suppression Team, and the FBI apprehended him at a campsite near Salvation Mountain, where he was living in a tent.11Calexico Chronicle. N.C. Triple Homicide Suspect Found Near Salvation Mountain He was extradited to North Carolina in April 2024.12WFAE. Man Arrested in Triple Homicide of Mother, Two Young Children
A Mecklenburg County grand jury indicted Taylor in April 2024 on three counts of first-degree murder and on charges of concealing or failing to report a death.13Charlotte Observer. Benjamin Joseph Taylor Case Details In August 2024, a judge ruled that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty; if convicted, Taylor faces life in prison without parole.14MyFox8. Man Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of North Carolina Mother, 2 Children
At a June 12, 2025 hearing before Judge Carla Archie, Taylor rejected a plea deal that would have carried a prison term of 38 to nearly 47 years, and entered a plea of not guilty.15Charlotte Observer. Benjamin Taylor Rejects Plea Deal in Charlotte Triple Homicide The case was set for trial in December 2025.1WBTV. Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend, Her 2 Kids in Charlotte Rejects Plea Deal