Man exonerated after 33 years in prison is back behind bars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WFOX/WJAX) - A man who was exonerated for a wrongful conviction after serving more than three decades behind bars has been jailed.

Authorities said Edward Taylor, after about a month of being exonerated, shot and injured a man. HIs bond is set at more than $1 million.

“This is the first time I’m tearing up, but I love Edward. And I might not ever see him again,” said Agnes Anderson, his mother. Her tireless work to clear her son’s name is now back to square one.

“It was just a beautiful thing that he was freed after so long, and we were all happy and celebrating. And then this,” Anderson said.

Police said Taylor shot a man last Friday night and then drove off. According to court documents, surveillance video shows a group of men fire back.

“He got out, and I don’t know if he took up with the wrong people that he started hanging around with or whatever,” she said.

The now 57-year-old was charged with sexual assault in 1986, but in 2019, Taylor was granted parole while the state attorney’s office investigated what turned into a case of mistaken identity.

The victim later revealed in court it was Taylor’s brother who committed the crime.

While he was officially freed from the suffering of his past, the trauma stuck around. He stopped seeing his therapist shortly before last Friday night’s shooting, Anderson said.

“I don’t know what was going through his mind, but I know he was in a lot of pain, mental pain. And I told him, ‘You really have got to go back to that therapist,’” she said.

The state said it stands by its decision to exonerate and will review this new arrest.

“My heart hurts for my son and I love him dearly. I want everybody to know I love my son,” Anderson said. “He is a good guy. Something threw him off.”