What did Raheem Taylor do? Case explored as Missouri man is executed despite claiming innocence

On Tuesday, 58-year-old Raheem Taylor became the third Missouri inmate to be executed since November. He was convicted of murdering his live-in girlfriend, Angela Rowe, and her three young children in 2004.

Taylor, however, had previously spent years claiming that he was innocent in the murders as he was in a different state at the time. Despite his claims, the Missouri man was executed in the state prison Bonne Terre via lethal injection.

Although Raheem Taylor maintained that he was in California when the murders occurred, nearly 1,800 miles away from the crime scene, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said that he found no "credible case of innocence."

Republican Governor Mike Parson further denied a clemency request on Monday, dismissing Raheem Taylor's "self-serving claim of innocence."

As reported by CBS News, five grams of pentobarbital were administered to Taylor during his execution in the state prison. In his last statement, he wrote:

"[Muslims] live eternally in the hearts of our family and friends...Death is not your enemy, it is your destiny. Look forward to meeting it. Peace!"

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Raheem Taylor's claim to innocence was dismissed despite having multiple alibis

On December 3, 2004, officers were sent to the suburban St. Louis home that Raheem Taylor shared with his partner, Angela Rowe, and her three young children - 10-year-old Alexus Conley, 6-year-old AcQreya Conley, and 5-year-old Tyrese Conley. Police, however, found Rowe and her children dead, and they appeared to have been fatally shot.

Raheem Taylor claimed that he was not present in Missouri at the time of the deaths as he had boarded a flight to California on November 26, 2004. While he was clearly in a different state when the bodies were discovered, the point of confusion was the time of the crime itself.

Initially, a medical examiner was of the opinion that the family was most likely killed within a few days of the discovery of the bodies. However, during Raheem Taylor's trial, Medical Examiner Phillip Burch stated that the murders could have taken place two to three weeks before officers visited the house, which firmly placed the incident before Taylor's departure.

Attorney Kent Gipson had said that relatives of Angela Rowe and a neighbor saw her alive in the days after Taylor had traveled to California. According to court filings, his alibi was further strengthened by Taylor's daughter, Deja Taylor.

She claimed that they had contacted Rowe and one of the children during his visit to California. Her statement was allegedly seconded by her mother and sister.

Bob McCulloch, the then St. Louis County's elected prosecutor, on the other hand, dismissed the claims as "made up." He told media outlets that DNA obtained from Angela Rowe's blood was found on Taylor's glasses when he was arrested and a relative allegedly taking him to the airport saw him throw a gun into the sewer.

Bob McCulloch further told The Associated Press that evidence suggested that the murders took place either on the night of November 22 or on November 23. This time frame placed Taylor in St. Louis, and not California.

Evidence also showed that Rowe typically made as many as 70 outgoing calls or texts each day, but made none November 23 onwards.

Authorities believed that Raheem Taylor fatally shot his partner during a violent argument, and then proceeded to kill the children to get rid of witnesses.