Raymond Taylor

Serial Killer

Raymond Carl Taylor and the McCrary-Taylor Crime Spree

Background

Raymond Carl Taylor, commonly called Carl Taylor and sometimes identified in records as Raymond Taylor, was a central participant in the violent activities of the McCrary-Taylor crime family. The group operated across the western and southern United States during the early 1970s and became associated with a series of robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults and murders. Because several victims were abducted from late-night doughnut shops, the cases became widely known as the "Donut Shop Murders." Taylor was married to Ginger McCrary, the daughter of Sherman Ramon McCrary and Carolyn McCrary. Other members of the group included Ginger's brother, Danny McCrary. Sherman McCrary and Taylor were regarded as the principal attackers, while the remaining relatives were accused of assisting them, accompanying them during crimes or helping the family avoid detection. The group traveled frequently, used different vehicles and crossed state lines, making it difficult for individual police departments to recognize that seemingly unrelated crimes were connected.

Development of the Crime Spree

The family's known series of killings began during the summer of 1971. Taylor and Sherman McCrary frequently targeted businesses staffed by young women working alone at night. The men would enter a shop as customers or robbers, take money and then abduct an employee. The victim could be transported far from the original crime scene, sexually assaulted and killed in an isolated area. The movement of victims across county and state boundaries created confusion over which agency was responsible for each investigation. Investigators later determined that the same weapons, vehicles, criminal methods and traveling suspects appeared in cases separated by hundreds of miles. Ballistics examinations were especially important because bullets and cartridge evidence connected several shootings. Witnesses also identified Sherman McCrary and Taylor as men seen in or near businesses shortly before employees disappeared. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Sheri Lee Martin Age: (17), Date of Death: 1971-08-17

Suspected Victims:

Susan Darlene Shaw Age: (16), Date of Death: 1971-10-20

Cynthia Glass Age: (25), Date of Death: 1972-02

Forrest Covey Age: (24), Date of Death: 1971-10-17

Jena Covey Age: (19), Date of Death: 1971-10-17

Barbara Joan Moorman Age: (22), Date of Death: 1971-02-09

Bobbi Jo Sanders Age: (26), Date of Death: 1971

Bobbi Jean English Age: (18), Date of Death: 1971

Bobbie Turner Age: (38), Date of Death: 1971-11-30

Pat Marr Age: (22), Date of Death: 1971-11-30

Valerie Turner Age: (16), Date of Death: 1972-06-25

Jake Green Age: (69), Date of Death: 1972-03-02

Mabel Manley Age: (68), Date of Death: 1972-03-02

JoHanna Leatherbury Age: (18), Date of Death: 1971-08-21

People Connected To Donut Shop Murders Connect Online - Oxygen