In the small town of Burkesville, Kentucky, the life of Michael Allen "Munk" Taylor, a 38-year-old White male, was tragically cut short on October 12, 2016. A machine operator and a native of Barren County, Taylor was a resident of Cumberland County at the time of his passing. He was a father to three children, a son and a daughter from Burkesville and another son from Smiths Grove.
His death left a significant void in the lives of his extensive family and friends throughout South Central Kentucky.
On that Wednesday in October, Michael Taylor was found deceased, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The discovery of his body prompted an investigation by local law enforcement, which quickly led to a suspect. The community was shaken by the violent nature of the crime, and questions surrounded the circumstances leading to the death of the well-known resident. His funeral was held on the following Sunday at the Memory Chapel of Norris-New Funeral Home, and he was laid to rest in the Smiths Cemetery in Cumberland County.
The investigation into Taylor's death resulted in the arrest of a fellow Burkesville resident, Daniel Arthur Blair, who was 62 years old at the time of his sentencing. In a Cumberland County Circuit Court hearing on January 24, 2019, Blair pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in connection with Taylor's death. He also admitted guilt to a charge of tampering with physical evidence.
As a result of his guilty pleas, Daniel Arthur Blair was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison. The sentence consisted of 15 years for the manslaughter charge and a consecutive five-year sentence for tampering with physical evidence. This resolution in the legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to the family and community that had been impacted by the untimely and violent death of Michael "Munk" Taylor nearly two and a half years prior.
