Jermaine Stanford Taylor is charged with first- and third-degree murder for the Feb. 16, 2014 beating death of Billie Jo Bratton.
Follow live coverage of his jury trial in the York County Judicial Center below or YDR911at or on Twitter @RickLeeYDR.
Officers responded to a home in the 200 block of South West Street where Taylor, 24, and Bratton, 34, a mother of three, lived. According to York City Police, Taylor claimed Bratton had died of a drug overdose.
Bratton was pronounced dead at York Hospital. According to a news release, an autopsy showed she had died of
Jermaine Taylor
The autopsy revealed Bratton had hemorrhaging of the brain after being hit in the front and back of the head, according to charging documents.
She also had abrasions on her right shoulder and hip, as well as broken ribs, scratches on her hands and bruising on her neck, knees and legs, documents state.
Taylor told police the couple went to bed about midnight Sunday and he woke up at 10:30 a.m. to find Bratton unresponsive, according to court documents.
He attempted to revive her by putting her in a tub of cold water, the documents state.
Police said there was no explanation as to why Taylor waited three hours to call 911.
While being transported to Central Booking, Taylor told detectives, “If I did it, I didn’t mean to,” according to court documents. “Do you think it would help me if I tell the judge I didn’t mean to do it?”