ST. LOUIS, MO. (THECOUNT) — Deonte Taylor has been identified as the teacher accused of molesting a 7-year-old student when he worked as a teacher’s assistant at Lusher Elementary, in St. Louis, and then allegedly tried to hire a hitman to kill the boy, the attorney’s office said.
Taylor, 36, was awaiting trial on the molestation charges, when he and his accomplice, his boyfriend Michael Johnson, allegedly tried to hire a hitman to kill the child and his family.
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Investigators also learned that Taylor was HIV positive when he allegedly molested the boy, now 10. An additional charge of knowingly exposing someone to HIV was added, reports NYDailyNews.
At the time of his arrest, Taylor was working for the Ferguson-Florissant School District.
Following his arrest and the molestation allegations, police said Taylor was still being paid.
Taylor now faces both conspiracy to commit murder charges and witness tampering charges, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Monday. He was already facing three counts of first-degree sodomy.
The Ferguson-Florissant School District is a public school district located in Greater St. Louis and in Missouri. Its headquarters are in Hazelwood. The district covers all or part of 11 municipalities, serving more than 11,000 students from preschool through 12th grade.
The school district said Taylor was hired “in the same manner as all teaching candidates who apply to FFSD. His application was reviewed and references related to his teaching position in the Jennings School District were contacted. Taylor underwent state mandated criminal and sex abuse registry background checks. The District was not aware of the prior criminal acts as other agencies that were part of that investigation did not enter information into any searchable database.”
A GoFundMe was set up for the alleged victim, who was not identified. The proceeds will go toward the family “who have struggled financially and emotionally since the original incident in 2015.”
From GoFundMe:
I am a victim advocate that was originally connected with the family through law enforcement to provide crisis intervention, advocacy and support services. I am seeking to raise funds for the victim, his mother, and his family who have struggled financially and emotionally since the original incident in 2015. For the child victim’s privacy and safety I am not identifying the victims. Thank you for any donations, well wishes and prayers for the family. 100% of all funds raised will go directly to the family. Please see the link to the news story below for more information.
Cindy Malott
Director of Advocacy Services
Crisis Aid International – St. Louis
Geo quick facts: The Ferguson-Florissant School District is a public school district located in Greater St. Louis and in Missouri. Its headquarters are in Hazelwood. The district covers all or part of 11 municipalities, serving more than 11,000 students from preschool through 12th grade – Wikipedia.