The Murder of Tayler Harsch

The above picture is last known image of 23-year-old Tayler Harsch, posted to her Facebook around 9:30pm on September 4th, 2015. Just hours later, she was stabbed to death by her husband Franklin Lee Burress.

Tayler Harsch and Franklin Burress reportedly began their relationship years earlier, when Tayler was only 14 and Franklin was 25. According to family and friends, they had a rocky on-again, off-again relationship that often turned physically violent. Still, Tayler and Franklin married in 2014. Their relationship continued to have issues throughout their marriage. In fact, Franklin apparently moved in and out of their Lake Monticello, Virginia home several times in the days leading up to Tayler’s murder. 

On the evening of September 4th, Tayler left work around 9:00 PM with plans to go out with a group of friends later that night. When she arrived home, she posted the above picture to Facebook and texted with her friends about what she was going to wear that night. However, around 10:00 PM, Tayler was texting her friends and telling them that she wasn’t feeling well enough to go out. 

Nobody heard from Tayler or Franklin again until 3:00 PM, when Franklin called his parents hysterically crying, saying that he “snapped” and killed Tayler. Franklin’s parents called the police. When they arrived at the couple’s home, police found Tayler’s body in their hot tub, and Franklin covered in her blood. He was arrested and charged with murder.

Franklin Burress

On July 7th, 2016, Franklin accepted a plea deal and plead guilty to second degree murder. He was sentenced to 40 years—the maximum sentence for murder in the second degree.

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Sources:
The Daily Progress
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Tayler Harsch's Facebook