Murder trial starts today in north Napa shooting

By MARSHA DORGAN
Napa Valley Register

The homicide trial gets under way today in the shooting death of a 62-year-old man at his north Napa apartment.

A jury of 12 will decide if Alexander Taylor, 26, killed George Davis on April 22, 2007.

Although Taylor admitted to police that he shot Davis, he has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Read about day 1 of the trial by clicking here

Court and police records suggest Davis had a strange power over young people and that he attempted to recruit nearly three dozen of them into a cult based on a blend of witchcraft and his friendship.

Jury selection for the trial, which attorneys involved say could last up to six weeks, started a month ago. On Thursday, Napa County Deputy Public Defender Jess Raphael and Napa County Deputy District Attorney Gary Van Camp came to agreement on 12 jurors and three alternates.

Opening statements from both attorneys are set for 9:30 a.m. today in Department F at the criminal courthouse in downtown Napa.

According to police, Taylor, who has been in custody since the shooting, admitted to investigators he shot Davis at least five times in Davis’ bedroom on Redwood Road.

Taylor has been charged with one count of murder and special allegations of great bodily harm and intentional discharge of a firearm. If found guilty, Taylor could face 25 years to life in prison.

The defense is expected to base its case on pages and pages of police interviews with Taylor and dozens of other people in their late teens and 20s who had dealings with Davis. They detail how Davis explained his theories on witchcraft, including casting spells and performing magic to drive demons from their bodies and souls.

Several young people were asked to sign a “contract” with Davis, agreeing not to speak to others about witchcraft or what they did together, and granting him authority over them. The contracts called for Davis to be allowed to take physical action to remove demons from his disciples. In police interviews, would-be members of Davis’ cult said he never attempted to engage them sexually.

Taylor was 16 when he met Davis.

Taylor also told detectives he is schizophrenic, and that sometimes the symptoms prompt him to yell and gesture toward his personal demons. He said he used black magic in an effort to get rid of or control his rage.

He said Davis would use a crystal ball to send all the rage through his body and collect the energy.

Prosecutors maintain the bizarre circumstances do not change the fact that Davis’ death was premeditated murder, and that Taylor has admitted all along that he killed Davis.

Although investigators have not publicly stated what they believe to be a motive in the case, during interviews with police, Taylor said he believed Davis sexually molested him when he was a very young child, more than a decade before he remembers meeting Davis.

Later on in the interview, Taylor also said Davis complained to Taylor about his deteriorating mobility and suggested he might commit suicide, but that he did not want to die by his own hand. Taylor said Davis asked him to take his life.

Since Taylor has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, his trial will have two phases. He first will be tried by a jury that will determine if Taylor is guilty of the crime of murder. If Taylor is found guilty, the same jury will listen to more evidence to decide if he was sane at the time of the incident.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Ray Guadagni will preside over the trial.

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