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The case of Taylor Marks, who was convicted of killing her adoptive mother, Kristie Marks, is explored on Snapped: Behind Bars. The episode originally aired on October 16, 2021, and was re-aired today on Oxygen.
Kristie Marks was found brutally stabbed to death outside an Akron, Ohio, apartment complex in October 2009. The murder shocked the community when investigators discovered that Kristie's only daughter was at the center of a calculated murder-for-hire plot.
While Taylor Marks insists she was not the mastermind and had been instigated by her then-boyfriend, she was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her mother.
Who is Taylor Marks? Relationship with Kristie Marks explored
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On October 24, 2009, 58-year-old Kristie Marks was found brutally stabbed to death outside an Akron, Ohio, apartment complex, and the investigation revealed that Kristie's own daughter, 20-year-old Taylor Marks, had played a central role in orchestrating the killing, as per Oxygen.
Taylor Marks was adopted as an infant by Kristie and Bruce Marks and raised in a comfortable, upper-middle-class household. However, Taylor admitted she was spoiled and struggled with discipline and boundaries.
In 2002, Taylor's adoptive father, Bruce, died of a diabetic coma. His death deeply affected Taylor and strained her relationship with her mother. While others described Kristie as a caring parent, Taylor saw her as controlling and criticizing. The tension grew as Taylor's academic struggles mounted. Despite completing high school in 2008 and briefly attending college, she soon dropped out, citing learning disabilities, according to the outlet.
By 2009, the friction between mother and daughter worsened, particularly over Taylor's new boyfriend, Brian Scott Smith. When Kristie barred Smith from visiting her home, Taylor moved in with him. Although estranged, Kristie hoped to mend their relationship and agreed to pick Taylor up on the night of the murder.
As per the outlet, around 8:00 pm on October 24, 2009, Taylor called 911, reporting that her mother had been stabbed by an unknown assailant. When first responders arrived, Kristie was found gravely wounded with 16 stab wounds. Despite efforts to save her, she died at the hospital.
The suspects in Kristie's murder
Initially, Taylor, Smith, and a third young man, Troy A. Purdie II, told investigators that a masked robber had attacked Kristie and fled. But inconsistencies in their stories raised suspicions. Detectives eventually learned that the "robbery" was a cover for a premeditated murder plot.
Purdie confessed that he stabbed Kristie after being promised $5,000 from Taylor, who expected to inherit money from her mother's estate or life insurance policy. Smith admitted he fabricated a story about being cut by the assailant and acknowledged his involvement, reported Oxygen.
Moreover, footage from a surveillance camera showed Taylor standing nearby while Purdie attacked her mother, without attempting to intervene. While Taylor later insisted she was too small to stop two much larger men, authorities viewed the footage as evidence of her complicity.
Further investigation revealed that Taylor had allegedly solicited others before the attack, offering favors or property if they would kill her mother, as per the outlet. Although she denied these claims, the pattern supported the prosecution's theory of premeditation.
Arrest and sentencing of Taylor Marks
Ultimately, Taylor Marks admitted she had expressed anger toward her mother and wished her dead, though she blamed Smith for being the "mastermind" who pushed the plan forward, reported Oxygen.
Prosecutors initially considered seeking the death penalty for Taylor, Smith, and Purdie, citing the calculated nature of the killing. However, Kristie's family requested mercy, believing she would not have wanted her daughter executed.
In 2010, all three defendants pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. Taylor, Smith, and Purdie each received life sentences without the possibility of parole.
As per the outlet, Taylor Marks, who is being held at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, has continued to deny being the driving force behind the murder. She insists she never intended for her mother to die and portrays Smith as the instigator who capitalized on her emotional outbursts. However, later on, Taylor expressed remorse.
The full case of Taylor Marks is explored on Oxygen's Snapped. The episode re-aired today on Oxygen.
