A high school football star in Connecticut has been charged with stabbing his older male lover to death with a kitchen knife.
18-year-old Bloomfield High School football captain Terance Mitchell is accused of killing 27-year-old Ronald Taylor, Jr. after an altercation that was apparently brought on by Taylor Jr.’s jealousy of Mitchell’s continued flirtation with various women.
The two men started dating when Mitchell was 16 and Taylor, Jr. was 25. When Mitchell tried to break off the relationship, Taylor, Jr. retaliated by posting a photo of him on Facebook which, among other things, called him a “gay football star.”
Taylor, Jr. had reportedly threatened Mitchell in the past with a sword. When he showed up at Mitchell’s house uninvited this past Thursday, police say Mitchell stabbed him in the back five times with a kitchen knife after Taylor, Jr. punched him in the face.
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In a sad coda to the drama-filled relationship, Taylor, Jr. died at the scene and Mitchell is being charged with murder. His bail is set at $1 million.
“It’s indescribable and heartbreaking,” Mitchell’s mother, Tyra Smith told WFSB. “My son’s a good kid. He’s never been in trouble before. I send my deepest condolences to the victim’s family. My son’s not a murderer.”
DarkZephyr
So the older lover was male? Good thing the article made a point of saying that or I would have been confused on that point!
balehead
So the older gay guy molested him and he defended himself….
MikeE
@balehead: why don’t you shove your self-loathing homophobia where the sun don’t shine?
DarkZephyr
@balehead: by chasing him down when he was running away? It doesn’t work that way. Its not “self defense” to run after someone that is fleeing you and stab them. And while I don’t personally approve of adults being with 16 year olds, the legal age of consent in Connecticut is 16, so what molestation are you talking about? The guy is 18 and was of legal age when the relationship started.
@MikeE: A-FREAKING-MEN.
Jonty Coppersmith
Mr. Mitchell was clearly manipulated and abused even if he was 16. 16 year old kids are not adults. They are easier to coerce. This doesn’t sound like a mutually loving relationship. The younger guy wanted out so he could date girls. This scenario doesn’t justify murder, but Taylor doesn’t sound like a good guy.
Tackle
Even if tbe legal age of consent in Connecticut is 16, this is still a child who would not posses the mental, emotional, life experience or maturity to been involved in any relationship with someone 27 yrs old. Be it man or women. There are many 30 yr olds, gay, straight or inbetween who can not handle the day to day reality of being in a relationship. That being said, I don’t think he deserved to be stabbed and killed. I’m sorry but Mr Taylor is somewhat responsible for his own fate.
that_dude247
It will either be a hung jury or he will be found not guilty.
KDub
Two men don’t start “dating” when one is a 16 y.o. kid and the other is a 25 y.o. adult! More like predatory behavior on the part of the adult who should know better. Mr. Taylor definitely bears some of the responsibility here, but he didn’t deserve to die. Very sad for all involved.
that_dude247
@DarkZephyr: The only problem with your scenario, is the victim showed up at the suspects address, punched him in the face, had threatened him before and from what we have read…a very manipulative person. Also, if the kid had not killed him, what do you think the victim would have done?
jar
Are many of these commenters so old that they don’t remember being 16? I can assure you I was capable of making decisions about my sexual behavior at that point in life. The age of consent is 16 in CT and most other states, which reflects an understanding that a 16 yr old does have the capacity to engage in consensual sexual relations. The defendant’s problem was not a predator (there is no evidence at this point to reach the conclusion that this young man was coerced), but a society that prevented him from exploring his sexuality with a peer out of fear.
I seriously doubt these claims of predator would be raised if the victim were a 27 year old woman. In that case, this would be chalked up to exploration and experience, with some high-fiving for it all. The real anxiety here is homophobia- that this man must have corrupted a “boy” because no 16 year old would engage in homosex without coercion. Shame on the lot of you.
jar
@that_dude247: This is ridiculous. The victim spoke to the defendant in his car at the D’s addess. The defendant’s mother drove by while they were speaking in the car and did not notice anything untoward. Far of being outed (which is, I assume, the threat you refer to) does not justify killing another person, especially when it is clear that the victim was trying to flee his attacker who continually stabbed him, leaving the knife in the victim’s back once he had achieved his goal of murdering him. The defendant also lied about the attack when initially confronted by the police.
Tackle
@jar: You’re being nieve. Of course a 16 yr old can make a decision about their sexual BEHAVIOR. It goes father then just the physical ACT when the other party is 11 yrs older. Get away from the physical. A 16 yr old will most likely still have to deal with parents being accepting, peer pressure and religious upbringing.That goes over into the mental, emotional, maturity and life experience that most 16 yr olds do not have.And you talk about exploring, wasen’t it Mr Taylor who got upset because the kid was still exploring with girls. And you cannot tell us that you would be lo ky and happy with, if you had, a 16 yr old gay son who was in a relationship with a 27 yr old…
jar
@Tackle: There is a big difference between believing (as I do) that it is inadvisable for 16 year olds and 25 year olds to have a relationship and accusing this victim of being a pedophile or predator. No, I would not like my 16 yr old to enter into a relationship like this. But I would also have raised my child to accept his sexuality and seek a relationship with a peer. Unfortunately, a lot of gay teens do not have the outlet of finding peer relationships, so they seek out sexual partners in other places- and these partners tend to be older. (Clearly, in this case, the defendant thought it was more socially acceptable to be viewed as a murderer than a gay man.) I know a lot of gay men who had sexual relationships with older men (typically early 20’s) when they were in high school because the hormones were raging and that’s who was available. None of them found anything coercive about these relationships. The naive people are those who do not know or acknowledge that these relationships exist, usually because of the pull to be closeted in one’s teens.
Yoco
Well every sixteen year is not emotionally or mentally mature enough to be in a sexual relationship with a twenty five year man.Personally I don’t understand why a grown ass man is even interested in a sixteen year old child.So the age of consent is sixteen so would you have sexual relationship with a sixteen year old? Would you also provide that child with drugs and alcohol? If you have kids would you encourage or support your sixteen year starting a sexual relationship with a twenty five year old man.
This guy should go to prison for murder but don’t act like the murder victim is innocent.
IMO this guy is a predator, no different than the coaches, priests, ministers, teachers (male and female) who use drugs and alcohol to seduce and manipulate children.
that_dude247
@jar: The fatal flaw in your argument, is that you are basing this case on your personal experience or what you have seen. A jury will not do that. Also, for you to be so flippant about about what the defendant thought is ridiculous. The 27 y/o was an idiot for trying to tie down an 18 y/o kid anyway. He was 16 before, he should have known better.
the other Greg
Ooooooh… he called the kid a “gay football star” on Facebook! If the shoe fits…. I don’t get this relentless infantilization of teenagers. A 16 year old is almost an adult, as the LAW recognizes. As “jar” says, apparently a lot of commenters here were never 16 or don’t remember it.
@Tackle: “A 16 yr old will most likely still have to deal with parents being accepting, peer pressure and religious upbringing.”
So what? So basically you’re saying, THAT justifies murder? Jeez, there are a lot of “40 year old virgin” types who post here on Queerty, who have never gotten over their poor pitiful childhoods (so they say). Maybe they should all get one “free” murder?
@Yoco: “IMO” – lol – Fortunately, your opinion is legally meaningless and doesn’t matter to anyone!
@jar: Thanks for being the voice of reason here!
jar
@that_dude247: You’ll have to explain how my comment contains a fatal flaw. As for the jury, there is a long way to go before this gets to a jury. And what the jury hears will be much more curtailed than what is in the public record. The prosecution’s burden is easily met here. The defenses available will be very limited. Fear of being outed is not a recognized defense to murder. And the defendant would have to take the stand to make his case.
The only potential motive that has been proferred at this point is that the defendant was afraid of being outed. I don’t think it’s a stretch to infer that the fear of being outed superceded any fear of murdering this man. After all, he repeatedly stabbed him in the back until the man was dead.
I do not condone the actions of the victim, but they do not justify murder. As gay and lesbian people I think we should be circumspect in jumping on the bandwagon to demonize the victim on the basis of a few words from the defendant. There is a long, painful history of gay victims of crime being treated as deserving of whatever happens to them. That our lives do not matter. And the irrational fear of the gays recruiting and molesting innocent children (I note the use of this word in comments here to describe a legal adult) only ramps up the bloodlust. I would hope this attitude would not be indulged by members of our own community.
jar
@Yoco: There’s the shame and self-hatred of being gay: Equating a consensual sexual relationship of a 16 year old with an adult with the sexual molestation of young children by those in positions of authority. If you have proof that the victim here introduced the defendant to drugs and alcohol and used them to coerce the defendant into sex, I am all ears. Otherwise, your analogy is sad and offensive. The victim may not have been the best choice of a sexual partner for the defendant, but the critical point is that it was his choice. There is nothing to indicate this young man was coerced in any way. The motive for the murder appears to be fear of outing. Although I think it was cruel and immature for the victim to threaten to out him (if in fact he did), it does not justify the defendant’s criminal response. The defendant is not a victim, except of a homophobic society that convinced him that murdering someone was an acceptable response to being outed.
that_dude247
@jar: I understand what you are trying to say, but we both know gay men can be some of the most manipulative, lying, back-stabbing, vindictive people around.
In regards to the case, so you have already made up your mind? Interesting. You can’t treat every situation the same. What about this?
“On Thursday, court documents said Taylor texted Mitchell inviting himself over, then announcing it wasn’t going to end well. Mitchell, police said, felt threatened and put a knife in his pants pocket so he could defend himself if Taylor did anything outrageous. The documents said that after Taylor hit him in the face, he stabbed him three times in Taylor’s car before he started running and Mitchell chased him.”
If all this is true, no way this kid serves any jail time. A manslaughter conviction at the most.
Greg Garavani
@that_dude247: I couldn’t agree more, apparently not many of these gays remember being a target of the public. I remember being 16 as well and had a rainbow patch on my backpack, when an old friend from Jr. High asked me if that rainbow patch meant I was gay in front of all the guys in gym class, I had to of course deny it so I wouldn’t get beat up (especially since my crush was in the same class). The footballer no doubt deals with that on a regular basis, especially if they’re a minority already. Youngers nowadays use the word ‘fag’ and ‘gay’ with almost every sentence so I feel the footballer wasn’t really able to explore his sexuality without the fear of being rejected by his peers. And personally, his older lover pointing out on his blog about the gay footballer wasn’t a smart idea, I think it’s unfair for anyone if someone was pressuring them to come out that early and trying to exploit him, I believe it pushed him over the edge.
Greg Garavani
(Stupid ass Queerty, I meant that above message towards @jar, not @that_dude247)
Tackle
@jar: You and I are talking about two different things. Ok, I was one of those high schoolers with raging hormones who sought out sex with men. And true, it was not coercive on the part of the older men.But this was sex and only about sex. Nothing more. Yess they do exist. But in the case of Mr Taylor and the then 16 yr old, a apparently he wanted the 16yr old to be in a functioning committed
monagamous relationship. Get it? That is a whole different ball park. One that most 16 yr olds lack the maturity, both mental and emotional to enter with someone 25. If you want to be in a mature, committed, monagamous gay relationship, then find someone who has those attributes. Not some 16 yr old was who’s still trying to fugure out who he is.
Tackle
@the other Greg : No I’m not saying that. It’s very clear in my post. I said he , Mr Taylor did not deserve to nj ex stabbed or killed.
jar
@that_dude247: Yes, gay people can be manipulative, lying, etc., but no more or less than non-gay people. It depends upon whom you associate with.
I have not made up my mind regarding the case. I have merely stated the fact that the prosecutor’s case is simple and sound. The defendant admitted to stabbing the victim repeatedly, including when the victim was fleeing. The victim has multiple stab wounds in his back. That is all the prosecutor needs to prove. The defendant may raise a justification or extreme emotional disturbance defense, but he would then bear the burden to prove his defense beyond a reasonable doubt. That will not be an easy burden to satisfy because he will have to show as a matter of law (ie, convince the judge the jury should hear) that he acted out of fear of harm (justification) or his will was overcome (extreme emotional distress). These defenses are undercut by the fact that he entered the victim’s car with a knife, his mother drove by and saw them in the car but did not think anything was wrong, he chased the victim to repeatedly stab him (while the victim was pleading and trying to escape), and ultimately left the knife in the dead man’s back. In addition, he lied to the police (shows consciousness of guilt). The important point, though, is that these defenses will require the defendant to take the stand (to testify that victim punched him, to explain their relationship, etc.), which is usually a bad idea. I expect they will reach a plea deal and the defendant will spend at least 7 years in jail (this is mere conjecture). For your information, a manslaughter conviction usually includes a prison sentence- and in this case, the defendant will have to overcome the hurdle of explaining away the knife and the overkill. Neither are consistent with self-defense.
sangsue
@jar:
“There’s the shame and self-hatred of being gay: Equating a consensual sexual relationship of a 16 year old with an adult with the sexual molestation of young children by those in positions of authority.”
You are so focussed on your own experience and possible homophobia that you’re ignoring the fact that this guy is 11 years older than he is! I don’t care what gender or what sexuality, 11 years older than a high school student is borderline molestation. We’re not talking about an 18 year old who has sex with his boyfriend. We’re not even talking about a 20 year old here. You are so biased that you consider all criticism and disapproval to be homophobic. I wouldn’t call it pedophilia but there’s definitely an uneven dynamic and if you can’t see that then you’re willfully or obliviously blind.
jar
@Tackle: Your mistake lies in the word “apparently.” None of us have any knowledge of the details of their relationship. I would imagine they spent their time hanging out at the victim’s apartment (no parental oversight, alcohol, drugs, and sex), but did not go on dates or act like a couple in the public sphere. We don’t know what the victim wanted from the defendant. The relationship went on for two years in secret though, so there was some connection between them. It seems likely that the victim decided he would out the defendant, but we do not know why. Did one of them want to end the relationship? Etc. If true, that would make the victim a jerk for threatening to out the defendant, but that does not convert their two year relationship into molestation or predation. It merely shows he is a jerk.
I appreciate that you acknowledge that 16 year olds can have sex with an adult without being a victim. But I ask you, if you were able to have sex with an adult without being molested, why can you not contemplate that it is also possible to carry on a relationship with an adult without being the victim of predation or molestation? It is possible that such a relationship can be nurturing for an isolated young gay man. He can share his feelings and fears, explore his desires, obtain some guidance in how to navigate the world as a gay man, etc. I am not saying this is what the victim offered, but it doesn’t have to be a bad experience. I am mostly disturbed by those here who refuse to see these possibilities. I would engage in such a relationship as an adult, but, as an isolated 16 year old, that might have been a beneficial experience.
DShucking
@DarkZephyr: How many women do you know named Ronald?
jar
@sangsue: I have not ignored the age difference, as my comments attest. (By the way, the age difference is 9 years, not 11.) It is amusing that you accuse me of being biased, yet all you do is assert the rightness of your position without any argument. Physician, heal thyself. You may consider any relationship in which the age of consent is reached but one party is 9 years older “borderline molestation” but the law disagrees and has done for ages. You accuse me of failing to see there is an uneven dynamic, but I have never disagreed with this point. My comments have focused primarily on the reactionary nature of many of the comments here and how that is fueled by homophobia. It reeks of the same self-hating impulse that informs the attacks on some in our community for “giving us a bad name” (the drag queens, butch lesbians, leather crowd, etc.). Our struggle was founded on a basic respect for all people, not the condemnations and tsk-tsking of the self-righteous. Sadly, too many of us have become that which we fought against. That allegedly gay and lesbian people, without any knowledge of the details of these people’s relationship, would call a murder victim a pedophile, predator, priest and Sandusky-like child molester shows how reactionary and self-hating some of our own can be. I hope you are not one of them.
jar
@jar: My comment should read: I would NOT engage in such a relationship.
Merv
It wasn’t a 16 year old that killed his boyfriend, it was an 18 year old. But since the thread is concentrating on what was happening two years ago, I’ll echo what some other people are saying. I think 16 year olds are mature enough to have sex, but not mature enough to be in a committed relationship. And, that’s exactly what the law says. The age of consent is 16, and the marriage age is 18.
KDub
@Merv: Folks are focusing on that because–according to the article–it seems like this guy was playing some pretty adult mind games with a minor for years before this happened. Inappropriate and no doubt a factor in the end result. Reminds me a bit of Joey Buttafucco and Amy Fisher in ways. It’s up to the adult in these situations to know better. Also seems like this guy tried to out this kid, and that part reminds me of the Ravi/Clementi case. Young people don’t always act rationally when they’re worried folks may find out about something very personal.
Rockery
Its a tough one, at 16 you really are just changing over to a more mature mindset, for instance if he was 14 I’m sure a lot of people would have a different opinion, it just would not sit right. This does not sit quite right with me. The thought of being with a 16 year old repulses me
DShucking
It does seem unusual for a 16 year old to maintain a twp year relationship with anyone much less someone 10 years his senior.
Tackle
@jar: Question, not trying to be sarcastic or funny. But, would you happen to be a member of that Man/boy love group? I believe it was founded in Canada and spread to the states. Because you seem like you support such unions. I used the word apparently because I know the media can rush to judgement and throw in a lot of sensationalism. Isn’t your mistake using the word “imagined”? Why throw in imaginary scenarios about the activities you imagined the two may have did when some of the facts are spelled out.Yes it was the youngster who wanted to end the relationship. Again. And being in a relationship for two yrs does not mean they had a loving positive connection. From what I read it sounded very disfunctional. And no I don’t believe that a 16 yr old and a 27 yr old can have a healthy relationship. If a 27 yr old came upon in lonely, isolated gay youth, I would hope the older gay would direct the youth to the nearest GLBT center and not his bed. Or be a friend, mentor or an advisor. Anything but a bed partner.
Scribe38
@Merv: REAL MEN DON’T SCREW CHILDREN! Any 27 or 25 yr old “man” messing with a 16 yr old needs their butt kicked. Yes I was 16 and yes I wouldn’t have minded sleeping with an guy over 21 because I was a kid and thought it would be cool. I thought that because I was a kid and didn’t realize any 25-27 yr old dude willing to have sex with a 16 yr old was f-ed in the head and did not have my best interest in mind. Add once you screw the minor you out him, because you couldn’t manage to hold his attention, and I can’t really manage giving a F about the so called victim.
jar
@Tackle: You are accusing me of being a pedophile because I used the word “imagine”? That’s pretty low, notwithstanding your tepid disclaimers. I used the word imagine to explain that it was unlikely these two had any kind of real relationship; that it likely revolved around the availability of a place to hang out where alcohol, drugs, and sex were available, given what we know (ie, we know they engaged in these activities; we do not know anything else about their relationship at this point). I raised that argument to challenge your thinking- you said you had sex with adults and weren’t molested, so it does not follow that everyone else who is having sex at that age is necessarily being molested either. It’s called argument; it is engaged to try to get another to challenge their thinking. (It’s also good sport.) I have stated in my comments that I don’t think this type of relationship is a good idea, that I would not approve of my child engaging in this kind of relationship, and that I think the victim is cruel if he threatened to out the defendant. (You apparently have selectively missed these.) But I am also wise enough and thoughtful enough to recognize that what is right for me is not necessarily right for everyone else. I am not that solopsistic and narrw-minded. So, as long as someone else is not breaking any laws, their decisions should be respected. This is the fundamental principle of the gay rights movement and one I hold dear.
This does not mean that I approve of young people (or anyone for that matter) being manipulated by someone Machiavellian, violent, or vicious. If it turns out that is what happened here, I will vent my anger at the victim. But, this is different than the knee-jerk condemnation based upon scant facts I have read here, a behavior that we as a group have been subjected to for generations. (As I pointed out in another comment, it is quite similar to the condemnations of those of us who live on the margin of the margins we all traverse.) We do not know that the defendant wanted to end the relationship but the victim did not (although I imagine- oh, there’s that dangerous word again- this will turn out to be the case). We do know he has stated this, but that cannot be contradicted immediately because the other party is dead. Presumably, we will hear of additional evidence (social media communications, comments of family and friends who were around the two of them) that will shed light on what happened between them.
Furthermore, I reject the notion that the defendant was incapable of any autonomy due to his age. As I have stated before, I know I was capable of deciding with whom I was willing to engage sexually- and apparently you were as well. To deprive the defendant of this same autonomy in order to paint him as an helpless victim of the gay predator is both irrational and immoral.
Teleny
I work with a lot of 18/19 year olds & most think they are going to be reality stars, rockers or rappers. Kids. This guy didn’t deserve to die, but he put himself in a risky situation.
Michael
@jar: Absolutely agree 100%!!!! Can’t believe the comments here. While there are exceptions (though very small at the age of 16) I and every SINGLE guy I know knew Exactly what they were doing and what they wanted at that age.
the other Greg
Everything that the apologists here say – “tackle,” “thatdude” etc. – MIGHT be totally appropriate, IF this were a typical, harassment, small claims case like you can see on Judge Judy any day of the week.
Actually it does seem to have started that way. Yep, there’s the usual Facebook “defamation” worry. And then maybe the younger guy vandalized the older guy’s car (just a guess – that seems to happen a lot on Judge Judy).
But it didn’t end there – it ended in murder. Some of you guys seem to have missed that part?
All the homophobic pseudo-science displayed here will, no doubt, be trotted out by the defense lawyers in court. As “jar” points out, it probably won’t work. But damn, it’s depressing to see GAY guys in a GAY forum wallowing in this self-loathing homophobia.
tiger7985
this was quite shocking to me because i live right around the corner from where it went down….took a few days for the national news to pick up this story….sad all around….
Degas
One man murdered. One man in jail. The dead man neither gets a second chance nor a voice to speak. The jailed man’s life is forever altered. Tragic.
DShucking
@Degas: Yes, sad but the 18 year old’s life is forever altered more by his own actions than the man he murdered.
Raquel Santiago
@Tackle: Believe me it doesn’t just extend to 30 year olds, i know 50 and 60 year old grown men who cannot handle the issues that come up in day to day relationships, personal or professional. Sad case all around.