A minister allegedly confessed to the killing of a man after falling under "heavy conviction."
A Mississippi minister confessed to the killing of a 2019 missing man after he came under “heavy conviction” from the crime, according to police.
Roger Loyd Taylor went missing on March 10, 2019, in Alabama and has since been a missing person case in both Alabama and Mississippi, according to a Facebook post by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Police said Taylor’s vehicle was found during searches done in Monroe County but Taylor was not.
According to the sheriff's department, the minister, James Eric Crisp, walked into the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 30, and confessed to killing Taylor after a physical altercation.
Crisp then allegedly told deputies where he dumped Taylor’s body and cooperated in another search of recovering Taylor's remains, which was not successful, according to the Facebook post.
Police said Crisp told them that he had been working as a minister at a recovery center when his faith became so strong and felt he needed to confess to the crime, according to the sheriff’s department.
“We are glad for Mr. Crisp to get this off his chest so that he might be able to continue to do ministry wherever the Lord has planned for him,” said the department in the Facebook post
Taylor’s daughter, BreAnn, spoke to The Independent that she doesn’t share that sentiment.
“It’s been three years and they want to play this row of ‘he’s reformed,’ but if he was so reformed he would have remorse for what he did,” said BreAnn.
“He looked me in my eye and told me he killed my dad ... He didn’t say he was sorry, he just said that he hoped one day I could find it in my heart to forgive him, but he never even say he was sorry,” she said after visiting him in jail after his confession.
When BreAnn asked Crisp if he was hiding behind faith, Crisp responded, “Yes, Amen," according to The Independent. BreAnn and other community members believe the only reason he confessed is due to threats from his children about turning him in, according to the outlet.
The sheriff's department said that although Crisp confessed, they are not done investigating and will continue to look at the evidence for new charges and new possible suspects.
Crisp is currently charged with manslaughter and is being held at the Monroe County Jail on a $150,000 bond, according to the sheriff's department.
The Monroe County District Attorney’s office has not responded to Inside Edition Digital's request for additional information regarding Crisp's legal representation.
