The April Quick murder case involves a Mountain Home, Arkansas, woman who pleaded guilty in 2012 to the second-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend, Phillip Allen Taylor, at a roadside park in Douglas County, Missouri. Quick and her live-in girlfriend, Aimee Herring, stabbed and shot Taylor on September 10, 2010, after he sought visitation with the three children he and Quick shared.1Ozark County Times. Woman Who Killed Man at Roadside Park Near Ava Gets Prison Term She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Killing at the Roadside Park
Taylor, 43, met Quick and Herring on the night of September 10, 2010, at a roadside park just north of Ava, Missouri, along the route between Ava and Mansfield. He thought the meeting was about the children.2KAIT8. Region 8 Woman Sentenced in Ex-Boyfriend’s Death Herring stayed hidden at first. She later told detectives she stabbed Taylor until he fell and then shot him in the head.3Oxygen. Why April Quick and Aimee Herring Killed Phillip Taylor
Taylor was found face down in the road in a pool of blood. He had stab wounds to his back, torso, neck, and head, along with a gunshot wound to his left temple. A .22 caliber bullet casing and Taylor’s empty wallet were found at the scene, suggesting the women had also taken his cash and phone to make the killing look like a robbery.3Oxygen. Why April Quick and Aimee Herring Killed Phillip Taylor
The Motive
Taylor had spent the weeks before his death trying to secure visitation with his three children. He sent Quick a certified letter demanding a legal response by September 18, 2010, regarding child support and visitation.3Oxygen. Why April Quick and Aimee Herring Killed Phillip Taylor According to court records, Quick was angry that Taylor wanted back into the children’s lives and arranged the meeting intending to kill him.1Ozark County Times. Woman Who Killed Man at Roadside Park Near Ava Gets Prison Term The letter was later recovered during a search of Taylor’s trailer, establishing motive.
How Investigators Identified the Killers
Taylor’s missing cell phone was tracked heading south toward Arkansas. On the night of the murder, he had received two calls from a prepaid TracFone bought at an Arkansas Walmart near Quick’s home. Surveillance footage showed a woman buying the phones, and an Arkansas police officer recognized her as Aimee Herring.3Oxygen. Why April Quick and Aimee Herring Killed Phillip Taylor
The same officer noted that Herring had recently filed a report claiming money, jewelry, and a .22 caliber pistol had been stolen from her home on the same night as the killing. After the arrests, investigators found burnt clothing, a knife, and remnants of Taylor’s phone in the backyard of the home Quick and Herring shared in Mountain Home. Both women were arrested on September 16, 2010, six days after the killing, and charged with first-degree murder.3Oxygen. Why April Quick and Aimee Herring Killed Phillip Taylor
Guilty Pleas and Sentences
Herring resolved her case first. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery and was sentenced in August 2011 to 15 years on the murder count and 10 years on the robbery count, to run concurrently.1Ozark County Times. Woman Who Killed Man at Roadside Park Near Ava Gets Prison Term
Quick entered her guilty plea on January 3, 2012, in Douglas County Circuit Court to reduced charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action.4Douglas County Herald. Quick Pleads Guilty to 2nd Degree Murder in Circuit Court Here Tuesday On April 3, 2012, Judge John Moody sentenced her to 20 years for the murder and 7 years for the armed criminal action count, to run concurrently.1Ozark County Times. Woman Who Killed Man at Roadside Park Near Ava Gets Prison Term
Parole Eligibility
According to one report, Quick became eligible for parole in September 2025.3Oxygen. Why April Quick and Aimee Herring Killed Phillip Taylor