(Michael Taylor. Picture Credit: spiritshack)*Please be aware that this post will contain some very disturbing details involving murder, domestic violence, mutilation, mental illness, animal cruelty, Suicide, exorcism and demonic possession. I will try my best as always to share the details of the story in a sensitive manner without taking away the details of the case*
On this blog I have covered many true crime and serial killer stories over the years but I have also covered some shocking history, mysteries and the paranormal. In this new series I will be looking at demonic possession. I know it's a bit of a change to what you are used to seeing here but the cases I will be sharing over the coming weeks tie into true crime in one way or another.
The first story in this series is one that I have wanted to write about for quite some time and I was reminded about it recently, so I thought, why not? I have just finished the Unsolved series and so a new series on my blog has just begun. I hope you will find this little bit of a different direction, interesting and as always, I welcome your thoughts.
So as I mentioned at the very beginning of this post, I will be talking about some very disturbing things. It will be a difficult story to read if you are unfamiliar with the case and if you already briefly know the details, it's no less disturbing than the very first time you heard about it. I will try my best to go into the details in as sensitive a manner as I can.
This unbelievable but shockingly true story took place in a small town in Wakefield, West Yorkshire known as 'Ossett'. Ossett is a quiet area of Wakefield known for it's street market and town hall which often features local dramatic performances on stage. As it was in the 1970s until present day, a lot of people have lived there for most of their lives and there's very much a 'everybody knows everybody' vibe about the place. In the past I have spent a lot of time in Ossett myself and have always liked it. I was first told this story by the locals many years ago and I must admit that on the first hearing I thought it was one of those urban legend type of things. I wasn't sure if it was a true story or not. The details I have heard about it over the years have been shocking enough but when I did my own deep dive of research this past week, I was horrified to learn of the full exact details of what had happened.
Before I begin, as you read along a couple of names might jump out at you especially if you are a horror fan. The names Michael Taylor and Peter Vincent might cast your mind back to the two iconic horror characters 'Mick Taylor' from Wolf Creek and 'Peter Vincent - The Famous Vampire Killer' in Fright Night (1985). As an avid horror fan those names surprised me and did get me wondering if and how many writers and directors had read about this particular case and were inspired to create something? We know the story has reached as far as America with various people sharing their fascination with this case especially after the movie The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (which briefly mentioned the story) was released. A local writer, David Peace who was brought up in Ossett had taken inspiration from the case and written a book using some of the details whilst changing character names and other details.
So with that being said, let's get into this rollercoaster of a nightmarish story.....
Michael and Christine Taylor were just a normal, happy young couple living in the town of Ossett, Wakefield with their five children back in the early 1970s. They had the normal stresses of everyday life but lived comfortably well due to Michael's job as a butcher. With Ossett being a small town, the couple were well known to the locals and Michael had regular customers. They were living a comfortable, settled life with their five boys (who were all under the age of 12) until Michael became unemployed due to constant back issues he was having. He'd been placed on medication and had to take things easy. For a man who was so used to being out and about, looking after the family and seeing various people most days, it was a shock to the system. When it seemed that things were not going to get any better he sank into bouts of deep depression, often snapping at Christine. With more time spent in the house, it was inevitable that the pair would start arguing.
Friends of the couple began to notice the difficulties that were arising and suggested that Michael and Christine join a Christian Fellowship group. At first they were against the idea but after hearing about how fun, free-thinking and sort-of 'new age' the group were, they decided to give it a go. They attended a first session and enjoyed themselves, getting along with everyone and in particular the bright, fun and bubbly leader of the group, Marie. Marie was just 21 but she'd already caught the eye of 31 year old Michael.
Christine had found the group pleasant but wasn't in a hurry to go back, Michael on the other hand, couldn't get enough of it and didn't miss a session. Of course as time went on it became blatantly obvious what the real reason for Michael's enthusiasm was.....and that was Marie. Christine (who was only 29 herself) noticed that Michael had eyes for Marie and the arguments escalated again. It got to the point where Christine made a scene at one of the sessions and flat out asked the pair of them if they'd been having an affair and voiced her concern that their' relationship' was 'inappropriate'. In a strange turn of events, Michael flew into a rage at Marie after she had made it clear that nothing romantic was going to happen between them, which resulted in other members of the group having to restrain him. Eventually things calmed down and the Taylors went home. The next day, Marie actually came to their house declaring that she and the fellowship members had forgiven Michael.
However, Michael's behaviour had continued to decline and the arguments just kept on getting worse. The Taylors went to visit Father Vincent and his wife at their family home for dinner and all hell broke loose. Michael was now at a point where he was lashing out in public not just at home. He smashed items that belonged to the Vincent family and threw their cat out of the window. Peter's wife (who was heavily interested in exorcisms and did a lot of reading on demonic possession) suggested to Peter that an exorcism be arranged for Michael. Running out of options, Christine and Michael agreed and so it was arranged that Michael was to have an exorcism.
On the 5th of October into the 6th of October 1974, Michael with a small group of people led by Father Peter Vincent, performed an exorcism on Michael that lasted several hours. It began on the evening of the 5th of October and lasted into the very next day. According to the group of men who had to physically tie Michael down due to him biting, kicking and scratching (the typical actions one would expect from someone who is allegedly possessed by a demon or demons), Michael allegedly had 40 demons within him. Wooden crosses were forced into Michael's mouth and he was regularly showered with holy water. By the morning hours on the 6th of October, everyone was emotionally and physically exhausted. Father Vincent claimed that they'd managed to cast out nearly all of the demons from Michael but that there had still been some left within him. The demons that remained within him were said to have been 'Insanity', 'Murder' and 'Violence'.
A female witness was concerned and tried to warn Father Vincent that Michael could potentially murder someone if they didn't continue on with the exorcism but the men decided to throw in the towel. Father Vincent along with the others said that they were too tired to carry on and that the exorcism would have to be continued later. They decided it was perfectly fine for Michael to go home.
Michael did indeed return home that morning to his family home where Christine and their dog was. The children were staying at their grandparents house. What followed was something so nightmarish that even the goriest of horror movies would never be able to replicate on screen. Michael went berserk and viciously attacked Christine in an incredibly gruesome manner. With his bare hands he gouged out Christine's eyes and ripped out her tongue. Her face and scalp were hanging off of the bone and there was blood all over the walls and the floor. He didn't stop there and focused his sickening attention on the poor dog who he strangled and ripped off the poor animal's limbs. The dog's eyes were also ripped out.
Michael was naked and covered in blood as he stumbled out of the house and into the street, yelling loudly which attracted attention from the neighbours. The neighbours contacted the police and some people thought that Michael was covered in red paint. A policeman out doing his rounds, overheard the commotion and found Michael covered in blood. Michael led the policeman to the house where a police car was already there (from the neighbours who had called previously). A policeman stumbled out of the house on the verge of being sick. The other policeman went into the house to find the grizzly scene.
Michael Taylor was put on trial and the court basically branded the Christian fellowship as a 'cult' that had played around with a very sick and disturbed man. They believed that the actions of Father Vincent and co had pushed Michael (who was already having a psychological breakdown) to the point of no return. The outcome of the trial was that Michael was found not guilty for reasons of insanity and was sentenced to two years in the infamous psychiatric hospital 'Broadmoor. After Broadmoor, Michael spent some time in the Bradford Infirmary and was quickly released.
So, for the horrific murder of his wife and dog with his own bare hands, he basically got away with it. Michael seemed to be able to turn on the 'insanity' routine on and off whenever it suited him. In the years that followed his release from hospital he kept a relatively low profile. He was rumoured to have returned to Ossett but this was never confirmed. What we do know is that Michael had apparently attempted to commit suicide four times in the years that followed. The shocking story was practically forgotten about until the rise of the internet. Nobody knew where Michael Taylor was until 2015 when he popped up in the press due to being caught for indecent behaviour towards a young girl. He faced the law again for this and again, managed to somehow get away with it and given community service.
Since 2015, Michael Taylor's whereabouts are unknown but he would be 80 years old today if he is still alive. Could he be living back in his hometown of Ossett, who knows? One wonders what happened to the five young boys but I hope that in some way they were able to have gone on to have decent lives. I can't imagine what it must have been like for them growing up with all of that trauma. I'm relieved (as I'm sure you are) that the boys were not in the house when Michael Taylor unleashed his sickening rage out on his poor devoted wife and little dog.
So, was Michael Taylor really possessed or was he having a nervous breakdown that was exploited by this group of people? Did they take advantage of a vulnerable man? Christine had been told by friends many times to take Michael to the Doctor but she didn't want to upset him any further? Was this just a case of severe mental illness or were there sinister forces at play? Leave your thoughts below or feel free to email me in private.
I know this story was another hard one to get through but I hope that you come away from this with more knowledge about the case and maybe an interest to go down the rabbit hole of research yourself, maybe read up on exorcisms and demonic possession? Just don't read this stuff before bedtime.
RIP Christine and the Taylor's dog.
Check out the links below if you're interested in delving more into this case and the subject matter of demonic possession:
Further Reading & Sources:
- The Penguin Book of Demonic Exorcisms | Book by Joseph P Laycock
- The Big Book of Exorcisms | Book by Agostino Taumaturgo
- The Devil Came to St Louis | Book by Troy Taylor
- Michael Taylor | The National Archives
- Michael Taylor: Article | Grunge
- Michael Taylor | The Sunday Post
- Michael Taylor | Screen Rant
- Michael Taylor: Discussion | Reddit
- Michael Taylor | Vermont Law Review
- Demonic Possession: Book List | Entertainment Weekly
- Demonic Possession | Cambridge University
- Popular Exorcism Books | Good Reads
I will be working on another case to bring to you next Sunday, so I hope you will find that one an interesting read too.
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Stay safe & I hope you'll visit my blog again for the next post (Every Sunday) x
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