A woman and her significant other have been charged in connection with the Oct. 23 killings of her ex-husband, his wife and his 5-year-old stepdaughter in their Mathias, W.Va., home, according to a statement released by the Hardy County Sheriff’s Office.

Lori Ann Taylor, 34, and Nakia Heath Keller, 34, both of Fulks Run, have been charged in the deaths of Rockingham County Firefighter Dennis “Chip” Taylor, 36, his wife Allaina Taylor, 39, and Alliana Taylor’s daugher, Kaylee Grace Whetzel, 5.

Sources told the Daily News-Record that all three victims were shot execution style on Oct. 23. Their home was then set ablaze.

“[Lori Ann Taylor and Dennis Taylor] had recently divorced and been in a heated custody battle over the pair’s three children,” the statement from the sheriff’s office said.

The West Virginia Medical Examiners Office has ruled all three deaths homicides.

Deputies say they believe the fire, which has been ruled arson, was set to cover up the crime.

Search warrants were executed in Hardy and Rockingham counties, which led police to issue arrest warrants in the case. It’s not clear what evidence led police to make the arrests. The sheriff’s office did not reveal the specific charges filed against the two suspects. The couple were held in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Regional Jail before being transported to West Virginia.

City man pleads to meth charges
A man described by investigators as a mid- to upper-level methamphetamine distributor pleaded guilty Oct. 21 in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg.

Moises Morejon, 31, of Harrisonburg, admitted that he and other traffickers distributed multiple pounds of the drug weekly, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A federal grand jury indicted Morejon and his co-defendant, Rafael Jimenez, 29, of Mount Solon, in August for illegal activities between September 2008 and January 2009, according to court records.

A third man, Clinton Shawn Martin, 24, also was involved in the ring, says Virginia State Police Special Agent Tom Murphy, who heads the regional RUSH Drug Task Force. The gang also traded guns for drugs.

Police say Martin, known by the alias “Casper,” is the leader of the local Gangster Disciples gang. The case against him is pending in federal court.

Jimenez was expected to plead guilty last week to federal drug charges, but he backed out of a plea deal with prosecutors at the Oct. 14 hearing.

Morejon pleaded guilty Oct. 14 to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

Morejon had previous charges brought against him in Florida, where he previously lived, Murphy said. “This is not someone who made a mistake and got caught for the first time,” he said.

A sentencing date has not been set. He faces up to life in prison and fines up to $8.25 million, the statement says. Morejon was arrested in December following a drug raid in which he had a brief but tense standoff with a member of the SWAT team, Murphy said.

“He was actually counting his drug money at the time and had it all laid out when we hit the front door,” Murphy said. Jimenez was arrested in January on attempted murder and drug charges.

He and Morejon originally were charged by state prosecutors, but those charges were dropped in August following the federal indictment.

Elkton chief to step down
Town Council bid adieu Oct. 12 to one-third of the Elkton Police Department. Two employees, including the chief, are leaving the six-man department.

Council “reluctantly” voted to accept Police Chief Jim Morris’ resignation, with Councilman Lee Dearing casting the lone “no” vote and shooting a smile to Morris.

Morris, 35, is stepping down after nearly three years as chief to work for a private company that does “police advising.” Morris had been with the department for about a decade.

Council also accepted the resignation of Officer Jeremy Hooke, who now works for the Timberville Police Department. Hooke’s resignation is effective immediately. 

Morris’ last day is Oct. 31, although he will continue to be “on the books” as a town employee until Dec. 5 because he has leftover vacation time, Town Manager Reid Wodicka said. Wodicka hopes to have a new chief tapped by Dec. 5.

In the meantime, Lt. Rodney Hensley will be the interim chief, Wodicka said, and a provisional officer is helping to pick up the slack, putting the department at five officers until permanent replacements are made.