Ashley McArthur: Biography, Murder Charges, Imprisonment, Involvement of Canssadra Waller & Jeff Wright

Waqar Ahmad March 5, 2022

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Friendship is quite a sacred bond, so it’s unusual for a friend to kill another friend over a monetary dispute. Well, Ashley McArthur did exactly that. Isn’t it just horrendous? Ashley was charged with murdering Tayler Wright, who was a private investigator. She was the last person Tayler was seen with. It’s revealed by testimonies that Taylor withdrew $34,000 from her and her husband’s joint account, which she gave to Ashley to keep safe, but she didn’t and it caused a rift between the two.

Taylor was also divorcing her husband Jeff Wright. Cassandra Waller, a friend of Taylor Wright reported to police that Taylor was missing which led to her murder.

McArthur was immediately arrested as the shreds of evidence led to her, and she even pleaded guilty and is currently behind bars serving a life sentence.

The crime scene also left another two prime suspects, Jeff Wright, and Cassandra Waller, but we have certainty that it was Ashley who killed Taylor.

In this guide, we will unravel the untold story behind Taylor Wright’s alleged murder by her best friend Ashley McArthur, where she is now, Taylor’s other friend, and her husband’s whereabouts.

Table of Contents

Who Is Ashley McArthur?

Ashley McArthur isn’t some typical prisoner but was a crime scene technician. Ashley was born on August 22, 1977, in Florida and is now serving a life sentence there.

She was involved in a homicide attempt when she killed her in cold blood. She was arrested on October 9, 2017, after several trials.

Ashley and Taylor seemed to be close and considered best friends at the time of the murder.

Tayler withdrew $34,000 from her and her husband’s joint account and gave it to Ashley to keep safe, but things went wrong, money went missing and led to a heated argument between the two.

Both met in September 2017, and it seemed to be the last time Tayler was seen alive.

In 2019, Ashley McArthur was pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and arrested for lifetime imprisonment.

Did Ashley McArthur Kill Taylor Wright?

Taylor Wright was a police officer turned private investigator who allegedly went missing in Pensacola, Fla in September 2017. Taylor was going through a messy divorce and was temporarily living with her friend, Cassandra Waller who was a school administrator.

On 8 September, she went to meet Ashley McArthur and never came back not even meeting her son. Waller tried to contact Wright but she was out of reach, she even contacted McArthur who shared Wright was emotional right now and needed some time alone.

Waller received another cryptic text message from Wright afterward who wrote the same sentiment. Although the situation played out exactly the way Taylor Wright was feeling and there was nothing suspicious, still Waller felt something was wrong. Because Wright left without contacting Jeff and meeting her son.

Due to suspicion, Waller finally complained to the police that Taylor was missing, and police immediately caught the last person Taylor met, Ashley McArthur.

It was later revealed that Wright had given $30,000 from her ex-husband’s joint account and McArthur was holding that money until the divorce was finalized.

They investigated McArthur’s home, where they found money and a passport. There was even a gun from which a bullet was missing. McArthur even has deposited $34,000 into her bank account.

When Wright went missing, McArthur’s phone got several notifications in a farm area owned by her family. Later on, Wright’s belongings were found in that farmhouse.

As per postpartum reports, she was shot in the back of the head and was buried under soil and concrete.

Ashley was finally arrested in October 2017 when it was confirmed she was the murderer.

Where Is Ashley McArthur Currently?

After her arrest, she remained at Lowell Annex Correctional Institution in Ocala. A witness, Ashley Warne also testified that it wasn’t just a prompt attack, Ashley McArthur had been planning Taylor’s murder for a long time.

She further told the jury that McArthur said,

“She said she was going to put it [cocaine] in Taylor’s beer,” she added,

“She said this world would be better if Taylor wasn’t here, and she wasn’t a good person, and that she was too small to hurt anybody so she’d just shoot her.”

After the trial and hearing testimonies against her, she was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and sentenced to lifetime prison.

Although the real cause remains a mystery, one speculation suggests Taylor might have confronted McArthur about the money that she already had spent and put into an account Wright couldn’t access. So to avoid getting into legal prosecution, she ended Wright for good so that she could keep the rest of the money.

McArthur didn’t have a clean skate before murdering Taylor Wright. She had indulged in other legal issues as well in the past like fraud or racketeering. She pleaded guilty to that as well and increased her improvement for another 7 years.

Did Cassandra Waller Expose Ashley McArthur?

Anyone who was even mildly involved in the case was considered a suspect until Ashley McArthur didn’t plead guilty, and she might have insisted Asley was responsible but didn’t expose her.

Waller was the girlfriend of Tayler Wright and testified during McArthur’s trial. When the murder news of Tayler started to come around, Waller, like a true friend, initiated a campaign, ‘GoFundMe ‘ where she raised funds for a little memorial service.

Cassandra has been a resident of Florida since Taylor died. She has been working in the Escambia County Public School system where she worked as a liaison and helped families and students to facilitate them by providing refuge especially those who are experiencing homelessness.

In 2020, she won the CODA Award, which commemorated professional services physical education, and health education facilities.

Taylor Wright’s Husband: Jeff Wright

The ex-husband Jeff Wright of Taylor’s seems to be a suspect in this scenario as both were in the midst of divorcing as well as in the complicated custody battle. They had a joint account from which Taylor withdrew $34,000 and gave it to Ashley McArthur from where the tale began.

So it won’t be wrong to speculate that Jeff became vengeful and tried to get it back in a cooked way. No, but it wasn’t like this.

Despite the police’s assumptions, they couldn’t lose him by accusing him directly. He was the first witness they called during McArthur’s trial. Where he revealed he tried to contact Ashley when Taylor didn’t conduct back and was worried about her sudden disappearance.

Another thing the police confirmed was that Jeff was in North Carolina, at least a hundred miles away from the murder location when it was executed

Wondering about Jeff Wright’s whereabouts? Investigators didn’t keep tabs on him once his testimonies were recorded, but few reports have claimed he was last seen in Alabama and remarried.

Bottom-line

In conclusion, Ashley McArthur is a crime scene technician, she was rolled all over the media because she murdered her investigator friend, Taylor Wright over a dispute over money.

Taylor was going through a divorce and withdrew money from a joint account with her ex-husband, Jeff Wright. It was $34,000, she gave this money to Ashley so that she would keep it safe.

Taylor was living with her girlfriend, Cassandra Waller but one day she went to visit McArthur and never came back.

Waller became suspicious when the time passed because she was concerned Taylor was emotionally disturbed, she tried to approach her but she didn’t respond. She contacted McArthur who said Wright was emotional and needed some time alone, which was reiterated cryptically from a text message Waller received from Taylor.

Out of suspicion, she informed the police, upon investigation it was found McArthur deposited that money into her account and shot her dead.

She pleaded guilty and after trials, she was arrested in October 2017.

Give it a thorough read to know how Taylor Wright was killed mercilessly.

FAQs on Ashley McArthur

What was Ashley McArthur accused of?

She shot Taylor Wright in the back of the head and wrapped her in a hammock. Initially, she refused but was later on found guilty and was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment.