Suvechha Sarkar
Taylor Marie Behl was a 17-year-old freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University. She was leading a promising life before it came to an abrupt halt in September 2005. Unfortunately, the missing persons case turned into a homicide when her remains were discovered a month later. The episode titled ‘Campus Killer’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘On the Case With Paula Zahn’ dives deeper into the investigation that pieced together a chilling reality. The episode also features interviews with her mother and the officials who helped bring the truth to light.
Taylor Behl’s Remains Were Found in a Rural Area a Month After She Went Missing
Taylor Marie Behl arrived as a blessing in the lives of Janet Pelasara and Matthew “Matt” Behl on October 13, 1987. When she was around 2 years old, cracks began to appear in Janet and Matt’s marriage, leading to their separation. However, Taylor’s parents never let that get in the way of their love for their daughter. Unlike other children, Taylor had an unconventional upbringing as Janet married a Royal Air Force officer. Consequently, Taylor was living in Belgium and England before moving to Virginia. Moreover, she attended several schools, which helped her learn adaptability from a young age. According to Janet, her daughter had a small circle of friends and always stood up for them. Taylor was also described as a mature, outgoing, and family-oriented person.
After graduating from high school in 2005, Taylor enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. She joined in the fall semester and had been attending for 2 weeks before her life changed forever on September 5, 2005. Taylor returned to her dorm around 10 pm and left again at 10:24 pm to go skateboarding and meet some friends. However, when her roommate, Emma Ellsworth, noticed that Taylor didn’t return even the following night, Emma grew concerned. Emma reportedly observed that Taylor’s books were in the dorm, and she hadn’t been attending classes. Ultimately, the roommate alerted the campus police, who then informed Janet that the 17-year-old was missing. Despite an intensive search, officials were unable to find Taylor or her white Ford Escort.
As state authorities took up the case, they discovered Taylor’s car in a residential neighborhood near the campus, but no evidence was found in the vehicle. The investigation ultimately yielded a new lead. It led them to a rural, abandoned farmhouse property in Mathews County, located about 75 miles east of Richmond, on October 5, 2005. From a wooded area on the property, they uncovered badly decomposed human remains. Forensic experts eventually identified the remains as Taylor’s using her dental records. They noted that the outer part of her arms was wrapped with duct tape, indicating a nonconsensual encounter. The autopsy report determined that her manner of death was homicide, but the cause of death remained undetermined due to the decomposition of the remains.
Benjamin Fawley’s Shifting Statements Brought Back the Focus on Him
After Taylor went missing, investigators first spoke to her ex-boyfriend, Jacob Cunningham. According to reports, he told them he had dinner with Taylor on September 5, 2005, before walking her to her dorm around 9 pm, which was the last time he saw her. Officials then spoke with Taylor’s 38-year-old photographer friend, Benjamin William Fawley, AKA Ben, who lived off-campus. In his statements, he claimed that he had been in contact with Taylor because she wanted to borrow his skateboard. Ben told the authorities that he had allegedly kept the skateboard outside on his staircase and had later checked to find it was gone. When the new task force began its investigation 10 days later, it ruled out Jacob as a suspect after verifying his alibi.
After Taylor’s vehicle was discovered, a K-9 unit traced the driver’s seat’s scent to the home of a relative of 22-year-old Jesse Schultz. During his interrogation, he emphasized that he didn’t know Taylor, and he was later ruled out as a suspect. Police records state that when detectives again turned their attention to Ben, he changed his accounts and claimed that he was with Taylor on that fateful day around 4:15 pm. However, the story was quickly refuted when Janet revealed that Taylor was with her at the time. Court records indicate that Ben again changed his story, saying he met Taylor after she bid goodbye to Jacob and walked to her dorm with her. In his statements, he revealed that he waited outside before Taylor rejoined him. That version of events was reportedly confirmed using CCTV footage.
Physical Evidence and Benjamin’s Confession Led to His Murder Indictment
According to investigative reports, Ben claimed that he and Taylor first went back to his apartment, after which she left hours later to go skateboarding. He said that it was allegedly the last time he saw her. Ben eventually confessed that he had been intimate with Taylor a few times. When investigators executed a search warrant at his home, they reportedly discovered child pornography on his computer. In September 2005, Ben was arrested and charged with 16 counts of possession of child pornography. Officials had also discovered several pictures from his residence, one of which was identified by his ex-girlfriend as an abandoned farmhouse, where she and Ben used to frequently visit. That was the location where detectives reportedly found Taylor’s remains.
Following the discovery, Ben reportedly claimed that on September 5, 2005, he and Taylor drove to the farmhouse. In his statements, he claimed that Taylor asked him to choke her while they were being intimate. He continued that during the process, she allegedly passed out, but was still breathing. According to official reports, Ben told detectives that Taylor passed away shortly after. He confessed that he then drove her vehicle back to Richmond before returning to dispose of her remains. Ben reportedly insisted that the intimate act between him and Taylor was consensual. However, that statement was contradicted since forensic experts discovered duct tape around Taylor’s hands. On January 16, 2006, Ben was indicted on the charge of first-degree murder of Taylor.
Benjamin is Serving His Sentence at an Interstate Compact Facility Today
Following his arrest, Benjamin was expected to go on a jury trial on August 17, 2006. Reports state that the prosecution was prepared to argue that he had killed Taylor intentionally, pointing to physical evidence and inconsistencies in his statements. On the other hand, the defense insisted that the death of the 17-year-old was a tragic accident rather than intentional homicide, which allegedly occurred during a consensual sexual act. Ben ultimately entered an Alford plea to the lesser charge of second-degree murder on August 9, 2006.
As a part of the plea deal, the prosecution also dropped the child pornography charges against Ben. On the same day, Ben was sentenced in the Mathews County Circuit Court to 40 years in prison, with 10 years suspended, resulting in a 30-year term. Following that, Ben filed a post-conviction motion in the court to overturn his conviction in August 2008. In the petition, he claimed that he wasn’t in his right mind when he entered the plea deal. He also argued that his plea deal was misguided, but the court denied the motion.
On January 14, 2009, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that Ben’s plea was voluntary and that he benefited from the plea agreement, which limited his ability to appeal. On January 5, 2021, an Appellate Court denied his request for a certificate of appealability, which effectively rejected another attempt to challenge his conviction. Ben was serving his time at the State Farm Enterprise Unit in State Farm, Virginia, before being transferred to an Interstate Compact Facility on March 2, 2009. Currently, Ben is incarcerated at the Guadalupe County Correctional Center in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.
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