A Massachusetts man who previously served 14 years for the death of his pregnant fiancee in 2007 has been re-incarcerated, accused now of killing his Foxborough roommate.
Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Jillian Bannister reported that Stephen Gomes’s body was discovered under a bed in his apartment on July 6, bearing “significant and multiple fractures” to the face and additional head trauma, WBTS reports.
During the arraignment of 42-year-old Taylor Hurst, Bannister stated that Gomes’s SUV evaded a traffic stop on the day of his death, with surveillance video seemingly showing Hurst behind the wheel.
Hurst’s lawyer, Anne Iglehart, expressed in court her “concerns about Mr. Hurst’s ability to appreciate … the process that’s happening right now,” citing his medical condition, though she provided no further details.
Hurst was apprehended last week near Boston City Hall and reportedly acknowledged a physical altercation with Gomes. He faces murder charges and has been detained without bail, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.
In 2008, Hurst entered a guilty plea for manslaughter in the strangling death of Katherine MacDougall the previous year, as part of a plea deal initiated by her family. Hurst claimed frequent crack use at the time of the killing, but the victim’s family, believing in his affections for her, requested he avoid a first-degree murder trial.
He was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison and was released in October 2022 with credits for time served and good behavior in prison.
Hurst is due back in court on September 17.
