ST. LOUIS – A Missouri teacher is facing serious charges after allegedly attempting to hire a hitman to kill a 10-year-old boy he is accused of molesting. Deonte Taylor, 36, and his boyfriend, Michael Johnson, 66, both pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in a St. Louis court on Wednesday, according to KSDK.
Taylor was initially arrested in November after his DNA was reportedly found to match samples collected from his former student. He now faces three counts of first-degree statutory sodomy. These charges stem from accusations that in 2015, Taylor, then a teacher’s assistant at an elementary school, took the then-7-year-old boy from his class. Fox News reported that court documents allege Taylor took the boy to another room where the child was forced to perform oral sex on him.
The alleged attack was reported immediately by the boy. However, the investigation stalled after the detective initially assigned to the case left the police department, resulting in a delay in filing charges. During this period, Taylor obtained his teaching certificate and was subsequently hired as a teacher by a different school district. Despite the open case in his previous district, Taylor reportedly passed a series of background checks and was actively working at another elementary school when he was eventually arrested. The new school district then notified families about the accusations from Taylor’s former school following his arrest.
Investigators allege that in February, while in custody, Taylor met another inmate and arranged for the inmate to kill both the boy and his mother upon the inmate’s release. However, the inmate instead became a confidential informant for the police. Taylor then allegedly turned to Johnson, his live-in boyfriend before his arrest, and convinced Johnson to pay for the hit. Court documents indicate that Johnson allegedly followed through and paid the informant.
Taylor and Johnson are now charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of attempting to tamper with a victim in a felony prosecution. This case highlights the potential failures within the system that allowed a person accused of such heinous crimes to continue working with children. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of background checks in preventing potentially dangerous individuals from gaining positions of trust.
Justice will prevail in this case, and the victims will hopefully find peace.
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