An Indiana man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting his father multiple times in their home, then attempting to mislead deputies by blaming smoke alarms on a burnt pizza.
Wyatt Taylor, 28, is accused of killing his father, 50-year-old Joshua Taylor, in the early hours of Tuesday morning at their residence on South County Road 60 Southwest outside Greensburg. According to an affidavit of probable cause, the deadly encounter was preceded by a strange phone call to Joshua Taylor’s brother.
As Monday night turned into Tuesday, Wyatt allegedly called his uncle and asked, “Should I do it or should I go to bed?” Concerned, the uncle tried unsuccessfully to contact Joshua. Shortly after, Wyatt phoned again asking for a ride. During the call, the uncle reportedly heard smoke alarms in the background. When pressed about the noise, Wyatt claimed he was “just cooking a pizza.”
The uncle requested to speak with Joshua multiple times, but Wyatt refused. Around 12:05 a.m., the uncle contacted 911, citing Wyatt’s history of depression and requesting a wellness check.
Deputies from the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department arrived within 15 minutes. Wyatt met them in the driveway, repeating his explanation that the smoke alarms were from burnt pizza and insisting there was no problem. Officers left without entering.
The uncle, still uneasy, urged deputies to return. On their second visit about 20 minutes later, Wyatt again met them outside, saying Joshua was asleep. This time, officers asked to see him. Inside the home, Wyatt led them to a dimly lit bedroom, switched on a light, gestured toward the bed, and said, “He’s right there.”
Deputies found Joshua dead with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and neck. Several spent bullet casings were visible in the bedding and lodged in the wall. A smoke detector lay near the scene, but investigators later found no evidence of burnt pizza.
A handgun matching the caliber of the spent casings was recovered upstairs, along with an empty magazine of the same capacity as the number of casings. Next to the weapon were Wyatt’s wallet, hat, and ammunition.
Wyatt was arrested at the scene. During questioning, after being read his Miranda rights, he told investigators he had recently returned from Utah to live with his father. He claimed his father had been “throwing up gang signs,” was “very suicidal,” and “belligerent,” and that he feared for his life.
An autopsy confirmed multiple fatal gunshot wounds to the head and neck. A bullet recovered from Joshua’s body was consistent with the recovered weapon, and the number of bullets matched the casings found in the bedroom.
Wyatt Taylor is charged with murder and remains in custody at the Decatur County Jail. A pretrial conference is set for October 7, with a jury trial scheduled to begin on February 16 next year. If convicted, he faces the possibility of decades in prison.
Authorities have not released further details on what may have prompted the fatal shooting beyond Wyatt’s statements to police. The case remains under investigation.
