Previously in “Final Moments,” we witnessed the case of Charles Butler and how he was killed. In this episode of “Final Moments,” we will dig into the case of Alexis Murphy. What is the story of Alexis?
Alexis Murphy was a regular teenager from Virginia. She was a star volleyball player who was loved by everyone in her community. In the episode, we will see the personal interview of Alexis Murphy’s aunt and cousin. According to them, Alexis Murphy was addicted to her phone. She was also famous on Twitter. Back in 2013, people were just getting to know what Twitter was about, and the platform was becoming well-known. Alexis had 12,000 followers who wanted to know what she was up to. Another thing that her aunt told the audience was that Alexis would always tweet about her whereabouts and activities. She was a bright young girl. At the time of her disappearance, Alexis was just 17 years old. But how did she disappear?
On August 3rd, 2013, Alexis missed her curfew of 11 PM. Her mother worked night shifts at a post office, and when she came back from work, she headed straight to the police. She filed a missing person report. Alexis would always hang out at a gas station called Liberty Gas Station. The gas station had a McDonald’s, and she would often visit the place with her friends. This information helped the police start their investigation. According to Alexis’ cousin, Alexis was going to get a hair extension from a place in Lynchburg. When the police arrived at the place where Alexis was supposed to be, they said that she had never reached there. Alexis’ family got concerned because this was out of Alexis’ usual behavior. Even though her mother asked her not to spend a lot on hair extensions, she was adamant about getting her hair done for the senior year photo shoot.
The police had no clue about Alexis’ whereabouts, and her family was getting impatient. Alexis was very well-loved in her community, so people from her hometown joined the search party to find out where she was. However, their efforts went in vain. It had been two days since Alexis went missing, and the police had no evidence or information to provide. Alexis’ aunt Trina suggested that the police should track her phone with the help of an app called “Find My Phone.” With the help of that app, the police went to Silver Oak, which was a big area. The police started searching for Alexis’ car under the pretense that she had been in an accident. Helicopters were searching for her, and around 50 policemen searched the grounds of Silver Oak; however, they found nothing.
The police then went back to the gas station and examined the cameras there. They found a video of a man holding the door for Alexis, and it seemed like the two had a conversation. Then, the police saw that her car had followed the man’s car. Soon, the police found out that the man in the video was Randy Taylor. Randy Taylor lived in a trailer, and when the police interrogated him, he told the police that Alexis was with another guy, Dameon. However, Dameon lived in Alabama. The police flew to Alabama and questioned Dameon, who had a solid alibi.
After ruling out Dameon as a suspect, the police returned to Randy Taylor’s trailer for some more evidence. When they searched his trailer, the police found black hair extensions and a fingernail. The police then searched the area where the trailer was parked but couldn’t find a body. The police were also in search of Alexis’ phone, so they brought some K-9 dogs to look for it. Soon, the police found Alexis’ phone in the area, and with that evidence, Randy Taylor was arrested. The police gave Randy Taylor an offer: if he told them where the body of Alexis Murphy was, he would only get 20 years in prison. However, Randy Taylor did not reveal anything.
In 2014, Randy Taylor’s trial began, and his defense kept saying that the police planted the evidence in his trailer. However, the police found more evidence after they arrested Randy Taylor. The police found a bloody t-shirt, and the blood matched Alexis’ DNA. The jury found him guilty on two counts: first-degree felony murder and abduction with intent to defile. After his hearing, Randy Taylor said that he would reveal where Alexis’ body was if he was given a lesser sentence, but his offer was declined.
In 2020, Alexis’ body was found on private property near Route 29. Now, the thing about Route 29 is that it is infamous. A lot of people have been reported missing near that area, so finding her body there must have been alarming. Alexis’ family still mourns her death, and she is still remembered as an intelligent girl who has a bright future ahead. The police said the case was a drug deal gone wrong since they believed that Alexis followed Randy Taylor to buy marijuana; however, her family declined this claim.
