Ashley McArthur is infamously known for murdering her friend Taylor Wright and for stealing $34,000 from the victim. McArthur was a specialist in crime-scene analysis and was said to be very close to Wright. Taylor Wright, a 33-year-old ex-officer was in the process of splitting from her partner, Jeff Wright. Wright had taken out $100,000 from a joint bank account and had given over $30,000 to McArthur for safekeeping.
How Was Ashley McArthur Caught?
Initially, Casandra said she hadn’t seen Taylor since September 8. Her live-in girlfriend told authorities that Taylor had stopped replying to text messages at around 8 pm. Ashley McArthur told the police that Taylor and she went to her family’s property to ride horses. After an hour, they headed back to McArthur’s house, from where Taylor took an Uber to go to a bar.
Cell phone records pointed to the contrary, so when the cops followed up on this lead, they discovered Taylor’s body buried on Britt Road in North Pensacola. She had been shot in the back of her head and was then buried under potted soil and concrete. McArthur’s bank records also painted the picture accurately.
A cashier cheque in Taylor’s name worth $34,000 had been deposited in McArthur’s bank account. The money was then spent, and Ashley McArthur apparently even bought a boat for Brandon Beaty, a man she had an affair with.
On surveillance footage taken on September 9th, 2017, the ex-crime scene technician was spotted making a purchase of potting soil and concrete from a Home Depot. Furthermore, witnesses at the trial testified that McArthur had talked of killing Taylor on different occasions. One local bartender who was one of Ashley McArthur’s friends named Audrey Wane testified against her. She said,
“She said she was going to put it [cocaine] in Taylor’s beer. She said this world would be better if Taylor wasn’t here and she wasn’t a good person, once that she was too small to hurt anybody so she’d just shoot them.”
Throughout the trial, the prosecution continually asserted that the reason behind the crime was financial. It was mentioned that the accused was at a wedding in Alabama while Taylor’s mobile phone was connecting to a tower in the area. This information implied that McArthur had retained her friend’s phone.
At the age of 46, Ashley McArthur is currently serving a life sentence in the Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County, Florida. This is the mandatory minimum punishment for her conviction of first-degree premeditated murder. Interestingly, she had also faced charges of racketeering and fraud, for which she was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in prison with an additional 3 on probation. She was found not guilty of an arson charge.
What Happened To Her Husband, Zachary McArthur?
The whole community was greatly disturbed by the death of Taylor Wright. This was especially true for Zachary as it was inconceivable to him that he would be living with someone who was capable of murder.
Zachary McArthur and Ashley McArthur were married, although the date of their nuptials is unknown. In 2017, however, the couple’s union dissolved when Zachary discovered his spouse had been accused of killing Taylor Wright, for which she was ultimately convicted. This ultimately led him to divorce Ashley and put an end to their marriage.
The age of Zachary is not known, so the age gap between him and his ex-wife cannot be established. Before Taylor was killed, no issues had been documented between Zachary McArthur and Ashley McArthur, suggesting a happy marriage before Ashley killed Taylor Wright.
Following his divorce from Ashley McArthur, Zachary presumably relocated back to his residence in Florida and took up his job in Escambia County yet again. There is no data on whether he chose to stay single or began a new relationship. Sources close to HollywoodMask have reported that McArthur was employed with the US State Department in 2019, however, the exact nature of his job is unknown.
Was Zachary Involved With Ashley McArthur In Taylor Wright’s Murder?
Zachary McArthur was unaware of any of the unlawful activities his wife was up to. He was kept completely in the dark until Taylor Wright’s murder was discovered. Zachary was astounded to learn that his partner had killed her closest friend. When law enforcement inquired as to Taylor Wright’s whereabouts, he honestly stated that he had no clue.
He gave evidence against Ashley McArthur in court and applied for a divorce after she was apprehended and accused of killing Taylor Wright. He declared in his testimony that Ashley had been behaving oddly in the days prior to Taylor’s vanishing.
