BOCA RATON, Fla. — A Boca Raton woman is facing a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of her husband.
Boca Raton police said Terry Taylor, 58, knocked on a neighbor's door Monday morning, asking them to call 911.
She told the neighbor her husband, 67-year-old Stanley Taylor, had fallen on a knife while cutting something in the kitchen during a “diabetic episode.”
Boca Raton police and Boca Raton Fire Rescue responded to the 3300 block of Jaywood Terrace at about 10:30 a.m. and found Stanley with a stab wound to his torso.
Fire rescue says they saw Stanley on the couch holding a towel over his torso, and he appeared to be “very out of it.” Stanley’s blood sugar levels were tested, and they were “not of a concerning level.”
He was taken to a local hospital and while he was being treated, he told medics his wife had stabbed him and “was trying to kill him.” The investigation turned into a criminal one, which then escalated into a homicide case when Stanley later died from his injuries at the hospital.
While being questioned by police, Taylor changed her story several times, before claiming that she and her husband were having a physical argument and were both grabbing for the same wooden cane. Taylor then grabbed another cane, which investigators identified as an "illegal brass cane," and Taylor "went at him with it."
Taylor told police she swung at Stanley, but did not realize she had stabbed him. The pair only noticed something was wrong when Stanley looked down and asked his wife, “What did you do?”
A search warrant was obtained, and investigators discovered the brass cane had a shaft that could be unscrewed, revealing a blade attachment. Investigators said the blade was wiped clean.
The blade measures approximately 18 inches in length and ½ inch in width, and investigators say the measurements aligned with Stanley’s injury. Medical personnel said his wound was so deep the blade nearly hit his back, due to the elongated blade.
While in the home, officers also noticed several stains that tested positive for blood, as well as rags on the couch and garbage that they believe could have been used to try and clean the scene.
Taylor was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail. She made her first appearance in court Tuesday morning. She is being held without bond.
