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Dateline is popular for sharing some of the most bone-chilling stories of horrific murders and incidents, and one of the most harrowing stories ever shared was 'One Moment,' which uncovered the gruesome murder of Crystal Taylor.
Back in 2001, Crystal Taylor was shot dead outside her Hawthorne apartment complex on September 25, 2001. At the time, she was 27 years old and pregnant with her unborn child, whom she had named Jeremiah.
However, what makes this incident extremely horrifying is that the killer was not unknown to her. Her murder was organized by her 36-year-old ex-boyfriend, Derek Paul Smyer, who arranged for a hitman to shoot her.
Here are some of the most harrowing details about the incident that were uncovered on Dateline.
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5 most harrowing details of the Crystal Taylor murder detailed on Dateline
1) Crystal Taylor was over 20 weeks pregnant at the time of the murder
Crystal Taylor was brutally murdered on September 25, 2001. At the time of the murder, she was 27 years old and 21 or 22 weeks pregnant with her unborn son, whom she had named Jeremiah.
2) Taylor's murder was orchestrated by her ex-boyfriend
As shown on Dateline, during the investigation, it was uncovered that the horrifying murder of Crystal Taylor was organized by her former partner, Derek Paul Smyer. However, he did not commit the murder himself; he hired a hitman to do the job for him.
3) The hitman was Smyer's friend
Taylor's death was nothing short of a premeditated murder in cold blood, despite the initial assumption that it was a random case of homicide. The investigation revealed that Derek Paul Smyer, Taylor's ex-boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, was the one behind the murder. Furthermore, he had hired one of his friends, Skyler Jefferson Moore, to complete the job.
4) The murder was planned because Taylor refused to abort the child
The elongated course of the investigation revealed several horrifying details - and one of the most heartbreaking details was the reason behind the crime. Derek Paul Smyer arranged for his ex-partner to be murdered while she was 22 weeks pregnant because she refused to abort the unborn child.
The unborn child was a boy whom Crystal Taylor had named Jeremiah.
5) The trial for murder was held over 16 years after the crime was committed
Although the details of the crime that were outlined on Dateline were quite gruesome, the most horrifying part about the entire story was that the investigation for the murder spanned over 16 years. The trial finally took place in 2017, when the investigators had gathered sufficient evidence to convict Moore and Smyer for the crime.
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The Dateline episode 'One Moment' is one of the most gruesome incidents of crime that has been covered in the show.
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