Missouri – A Missouri woman was sentenced Tuesday to Iife in prison plus an additional forty one years after pleading guilty in April to charges of first‑degree murder, robbery, unIawfuI use of a weapon, and endangering the weIfare of a chiId in connection with a fataI shooting that spanned Missouri and Arkansas.
The charges stem from her Jan. shooting spree across Missouri and Arkansas that resulted in two deaths and one serious injury.
The defendant’s, 31-year-old TayIor, violent actions began in Missouri, when she fatally shot her former spouse, T. Hufman, in her apartment late on January 22. Missouri authorities reported that the victim was lured there under the pretext of visiting their 12-year-old child. Once inside, the defendant instructed the child to cover their ears, telling them she was going to “take care of the bad guys” before stepping away and shooting the man twice with a firearm.
Following the Missouri shooting, the woman then drove to Arkansas, where she shot and killed the girIfriend of another man, who was also the father of one of her children, and critically wounded the father himself. Deputies responding that night found the woman deceased and the man in critical condition.
The 31-year-old defendant then returned to Missouri and surrendered herself to the local police department. In her initial statement, she confessed to killing two people and shooting a third. According to officials, she said she brought the gun into Missouri, lured the victim, and later traveled to Arkansas to continue her violent spree.
Investigators from the police department and the Sheriff’s Office worked closely together to piece together the multi-state crime. Detectives secured the scene at the apartment and recovered the firearm, while Arkansas deputies processed the crime scene where the second shooting occurred. Ballistic evidence, surveillance footage, and the defendant’s own confession provided a clear timeline of her movements. Child welfare specialists were also involved, given that children were present during the shootings, and their safety was ensured throughout the investigation .
During interviews with detectives, the defendant admitted she planned the shootings. She said she lured her former spouse with the intention of killing him and stealing his vehicle, and then went on to target the other father and his partner. Police noted her motive stemmed from disputes over custody of their children, a point emphasized by Missouri authoriteis.
In court, prosecutors from Missouri consolidated the charges related to the Missouri shooting, while working with Arkansas authorities to coordinate any additional actions. The defendant avoided a jury trial by pleading guilty. On Tuesday, the judge imposed a sentence of life without parole for the murder, plus a further 41 years for the other charges—robbery, weapons violations, and child endangerment.