Murder victim asked to die, says accused killer

By MARSHA DORGAN
Register Staff Writer

A Napa County jury is no longer in the dark about who pulled the trigger or what the motive might be in the shooting death of 62-year-old George Davis of Napa in 2007.

On Wednesday, the panel of 12 watched and listened to a DVD of an interview between Napa Police detective Paul Campagna and Alex Taylor, 26, on the night Davis’ body was found in his north Napa apartment.

During the interview, Taylor, who is on trial for murder, said he shot Davis at least five times in the head.

Taylor told Campagna that Davis had several medical problems and had asked him to help in his assisted suicide.

According to police reports, Taylor said he was raped when he was 4, and he thought Davis was the perpetrator.

During the taped interview, Taylor described to Campagna exactly how he killed Davis and why.

“He knew if he committed suicide he would go to hell. He said to me, ‘Do it, but don’t let me see it coming,’” Taylor said.

On April 22, 2007, Taylor went to Davis’ apartment and asked him if he still wanted to die.

“He said, ‘Yeah. I’m tired of living.’ I said come into your room and we’ll talk about it,” Taylor said.

“He had his back to me. I opened fire and shot him in the head. He stumbled, fell, and said, ‘Why did you shoot me?’ I said because you told me to. I shot him again. I kind of heard the sound of laughter ... sort of a half-smile on his face. I shot him again. I shot him in the temple. I chambered another round and shot him in the face, chambered another round and shot him in the third eye,” Taylor said. “After the first shot I had to finish the job.”

Taylor compared his acts to a mercy killing.

“It’s like killing a wounded animal,” he said, referring to Davis. “You go to bed every night wondering if you will wake up .. bad neck, so obese ... (it) hurts to walk. All day you just sit around watching TV and drinking homemade chocolate milk ... you say, ‘The next life is looking pretty good,’’’ Taylor said.

Taylor said Davis was into witchcraft and worshiped the devil.

He said when the demons from his schizophrenia would harass him, Davis would perform black magic to drive the rage from Taylor’s body.

“I think I’m glad he’s gone. His suffering is over, and my schizophrenia has lessened.”

In police interviews following Davis’ death Taylor told investigators that when he was 4, he was raped by the Santa Claus who to came to the daycare facility he was attending.

“I have these flashbacks. I know George didn’t live in Napa then, but I believe George raped me. George had a silver car (like the alleged rapist). The way he spoke. I firmly believe he was the person who raped me because George was Kris Kringle, and I was raped by Kris Kringle,” Taylor said.

Campagna asked Taylor if he thought it was wrong to have killed Davis.

“Not really, if he wanted me to. It solved both of our problems. One guy wants to die and the other guy wants to kill him,” he answered.

“Are you sorry you killed him?”

“I’m sorry it was me ... but his suffering has ended, and he goes before the God almighty.”

Taylor told Campagna that he and Davis had had numerous conversations about his assisted suicide. He said Davis wanted to be reincarnated and come back as a green dragon.

He also said he had been planning Davis’ death for about a year.

Taylor said after he shot Davis he put the clothes he was wearing and the murder weapon in a duffle bag and hid them in friend’s shed in west Napa.

During the interview, Taylor constantly squirmed, twitched, touched and scratched his face, which he also has done during a large part of the trial. Several times during the taped DVDs, Taylor became agitated and told people who were not there to leave him alone and quit touching him.

Taylor has pleaded not guilty. If Taylor is found guilty his attorney, Napa County Deputy Public Defender Jess Raphael, will argue that his client in not guilty by reason of insanity.

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