BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A teenage boy admitted in court Friday he and his girlfriend plotted the death of her mother a month in advance, and on the day of the killing she let him in her home and he stabbed the mother to death.
Nikolai Thorn Roach made what’s known as an open plea, admitting to all the charges and enhancements filed against him in the death of Michelle Louise Taylor, 54. Taylor was found dead July 7, 2022, in her home on Arthur Avenue near Rutherford Court in Oildale.
Roach admitted to the murder and conspiracy charges against him and is scheduled for a disposition hearing April 3. Due to his age at the time of the killing, he can only be held in custody until he’s 25.
His girlfriend, Emily Evil Reznick, also was scheduled for a hearing Friday but her attorney was granted a postponement after she said she needed more time for further discussions with her client.
Evidence seized in the case revealed Reznick and Roach exchanged text messages plotting her mother’s slaying in the weeks leading up to her death, Judge Lorna H. Brumfield said as she read through the allegations against Roach.
Roach’s admission casts a far different light on the circumstances of Taylor’s death than what Reznick wrote in letters she sent from jail to a friend. She claimed her mother had long abused and overmedicated her, and had tried to kill her when she and Roach fought back in self-defense. Reznick is due back in court April 3.
