Taylor was born on June 11, 1974. Due to his parents' criminal activities, he spent his childhood in various foster homes. His first arrest came in 1993 for burglary, resulting in a four-year prison sentence. In 1999, he faced another conviction for illegal weapon use. By December 2000, Taylor found employment as a cook at the Cheesecake Factory on North Michigan Avenue. By the summer of 2001, he was living with his girlfriend and their two children in Edwardsville.

Taylor, a frequent visitor to prostitutes, targeted them as his murder victims. He would approach these women, arrange to meet them for sex, and then take them to secluded locations. Once there, he would initiate drug-induced arguments about the cost of sex, which ultimately led to him strangling them to death. His victims included Ola Mae Wallace, whose body was found on June 25, 2001, in an alleyway along North Sheridan Road; Diane Jordan, discovered on July 10, 2001, in an alleyway on North Mohawk Street; Cynthia Hawk, found on July 29, 2001, inside a trash can in an alley at 1150 N. LaSalle Street; and Bernadine Blunt, found on August 18, 2001, in an abandoned building at 331 E. Kensington Ave. Phyllis Robinson, attacked and strangled on July 27, 2001, survived and was the only victim to do so.

In early August, police in Chicago's north side issued a warning to local street women about the recent murders. They had been investigating the deaths of up to 18 women involved in prostitution dating back to the 1990s. When examining Blunt's body, police found a timecard with Taylor's name on it. Taylor was arrested at his job on August 21. By then, the four murders were suspected to be linked, and police sought to question Robinson, the only surviving victim. Robinson identified Taylor in a police line-up, leading to his charges for the other murders. This news shocked those who knew Taylor. Larry Jones, a friend of Taylor's girlfriend, told the Chicago Tribune, "He just didn’t do all the things they say he did. I went to church today to pray for him. I hope he gets through this alright."

Taylor eventually confessed to all five crimes, admitting he became enraged at the women during sex. He led authorities to the murder scenes and reenacted the killings. In January 2006, Taylor's trial for Cynthia Halk's murder began. He did not testify, and his defense did not attempt to prove his innocence due to his videotaped confession. The jury found Taylor guilty and sentenced him to 50 years in prison. Later that year, to avoid a possible death sentence, Taylor pleaded guilty to three more counts of first-degree murder and received a life sentence without parole. As of 2023, Taylor is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois, under identification number B52807.