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Church in Shock After Christian Wife Allegedly Shoots Husband and Two Daughters Dead in Bed

The Taylor family of Whitley County, Kentucky. From Left: Jolee Taylor, 13, Jessie Taylor, 18, and Larry Taylor, 51 (bottom R). Courtney Taylor, 41, is pictured in the top right photo.
The Taylor family of Whitley County, Kentucky. From Left: Jolee Taylor, 13, Jessie Taylor, 18, and Larry Taylor, 51 (bottom R). Courtney Taylor, 41, is pictured in the top right photo. | (Photos: Facebook)

Members of the Grace Christian Fellowship church in Williamsburg, Kentucky, were left wracked with grief over the weekend after the wife of one of the church's founding families allegedly fatally shot her husband and two daughters in the head as they slept at home on Friday.

The Whitley County Sheriff's Office told the Lexington Herald Leader that it appears the wife, Courtney Taylor, 41, killed her husband, Larry Taylor, 51, and their two daughters, Jessie, 18, and Jolee, 13, before she was shot by a deputy on Friday night.

A relative who went to the family home in Whitley County to do a welfare check called after "he must've observed a body and retreated," Sheriff Colan Harrell said.

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Harrell explained that when two deputies arrived at the home, Courtney Taylor pointed a pistol at them, and one of them shot her. She is now fighting for her life at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.

"It's unbelievable," said Harrell, who noted that he knew the family and hadn't receive any calls about trouble at the home until Friday. Harrell suspects the three family members had been dead for several hours before they were found.

The sheriff's department got a call about the shooting at about 10:12 p.m., and state police said they were called for assistance at 10:44 p.m., after Courtney Taylor was shot, according to the Leader.

Authorities are still investigating the motive for the shootings.

On Sunday, Gerald Mullins, pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship, met with his devastated congregation to make sense of the tragedy.

"It was a tough day. The toughest of my ministry," Mullins told local news station WKYT of Larry Taylor and his family whom he said were among his congregation's founding members.

Jessie Taylor, 18 (R), and her boyfriend, Michael Rose.
Jessie Taylor, 18 (R), and her boyfriend, Michael Rose. | (Photo: Facebook)

"He was a guy that everybody liked. He was a hometown hero, attended the local high school, a great athlete, played collegiate sports at Western Kentucky. He was an outstanding football player," Mullins recalled of Larry Taylor.

"Proverbs Chapter 3 says to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, not to lean on own our understanding. We are to do that. We don't understand. We will never understand this side of Heaven," Mullins said.

In a Facebook post on Sunday the church urged members to take their family to church and give their cares to God.

"It seems like we've all been sorrowful and mourning for the loss of so many people we've loved lately. My heart is heavy and I have such a burden for our community that I'm at a loss for words, but one thing I do know is our days are numbered and times are bad. The Lord is coming soon, will you be ready?" the post began.

"This morning every chair, pew, and seat in our churches within our community and throughout the nation should be occupied. The only thing that can fix the pain we suffer, the hurt we hold, the emptiness we feel is Jesus Christ. We must come to Him for the guidance we need, the comfort and understanding for the things we don't understand, for peace and reassurance that He'll take us through every storm, every battle, and obstacle we face. We are nothing without Him," it continued.

Just hours after the tragedy was discovered, Michael Rose, the apparent boyfriend of Jessie Taylor, said he was devastated by the loss of the "love of my life."

"Yesterday was by far the worst day that I will ever experience in my life. I lost the most precious thing in this entire world. Jessie Laine Taylor was and always will be the love of my life! I could never explain the love I have for her. She was always the most caring person I ever known. She loved me with everything in her and even though times were hard she stuck with me through everything. We were so ready to get on with our lives and to start our journey. She had so much going for her and was so smart," he said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"She was always the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I told her that every day. My heart is literally shattered into a billion pieces. I lost my daddy not even two years ago and she was the only one who held me together and now I have nowhere to turn," he continued. "She could make the absolute worst day there could ever be turn into the best day. Her smile could light up a room and just being in her presence would make your day better."

He explained that she always wanted him to give his life to God and her death has made him realize how much he needed to do that now.

"I spent four-and-a-half years with her and I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her. She changed my life for the better and kept me grounded. My entire life is ruined and I'm not entirely sure what the next thing may lead to, but one thing I will say is Jessie always wanted me to get right with God and realize He is our Savior. This has made me realize I need to start going to church and living right. I hope she knows how much I truly loved her and how much I enjoyed getting to spend my life with her," he said.

"I'm not the kind of person to ask for prayer or ask for anything for that matter, but please pray for the entire family and so many other loved ones who knew her. I love you more than anything in this world Jessie Laine Taylor! I can't wait to walk the streets of gold with you and see you again! Fly high my perfect princess!" he ended.

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost

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