JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A former longtime music teacher and preacher from Rankin County has been sentenced to life without parole for a sex crime against an 11-year-old child.
On August 23, 2022, the Richland Police Department received a call from Richland Upper Elementary School concerning an 11-year-old autistic child disclosing sexual abuse to his Region 8 counselor.
The child identified 52-year-old Samuel Lamar Taylor, his legal guardian at the time, and gave specific details regarding different instances of abuse perpetrated by Taylor at his home in Richland.
Taylor served as a music teacher for over 25 years at schools across Mississippi, retiring from Richland Upper Elementary School in 2020.
He was also a minister at several churches throughout Rankin County, dating back to the 1980s.
Madison-Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramelett says Taylor will also serve 15 years for the gratification of lust charge to run consecutively with the life sentence.
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