Michael Taylor is a British killer of the infamous Ossett murder and demonic possession case where he was said to be allegedly possessed by over 40 demons.
Michael Taylor, 31, father to five children and a husband to Christine Taylor, appeared to be living an idyllic life in a peaceful home in Ossett, a small town in Great Britain.
Described as gentle-mannered and a considerate person, he was abiding by a decent life with the family. Michael Taylor didn’t look like a killer at all.
Though he suffered from depressive episodes due to joblessness which was redounded from a serious back injury, he was still a caring father and an appreciating husband.
The Beginning
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Primarily not a devoted Catholic, a friend persuaded him to join a weekly prayer meeting after convincing him to believe that his depression was caused by spiritual forces.
The couple soon turned devotional and joined a Christian orison group led by Marie Robinson. Michael started attending every prayer and assembly as was deeply impressed by Marie’s teachings.
He started spending a ludicrous amount of time with Marie and was withdrawn from the family. However, this was just the beginning.
Quickly, he fell deeper into Marie’s teachings, attending meetings where group members were exorcised and demons were cast out with what they called the Power of God.
Marie began offering private meetings to Michael. In these long conversations, Michael and Marie would sit across and repeatedly make the sign of the cross over and over, sometimes for plenty of hours.
They believed that this act would nullify the power of the evil presence on him and would free him from his depression. When he wasn’t around Marie, he became withdrawn, slipping into a deep depression.
He become sullen and argumentative and would lash out at his family over trivial issues. His wife Christine noticed his demeanor and openly confronted Michael about his time with Marie which made him more agitated.
The First Outburst
In 1974, during a prayer assembly, they had an agitated argument regarding his changed conduct. Michael snapped and abruptly started assailing Marie, rather than Christine, both verbally and physically.
He was still yelling at him in tongues when the rest of the congregation contained him. At the following assembly, Michael asserted he had no remembrance of this occurring.
Soon after the first episode of his burst out, Michael was often observed behaving erratically, spewing profanities, and showing extremely uncanny and out-of-character behavior.
This lead the witnesses to firmly believe that he has been possessed by the Devil. A local vicar called on a group of ministers and announced that Michael was presently suffering from demonic possession and would warrant an exorcism.
After months of crazy demeanor, Taylor ultimately counseled with clergy who performed an exorcism. And this was the breaking point of his life.
The Exorcism
On October 5th, 1974, the preachers commenced their exorcism. The orison group was also in attendance and over the following eight hours, they would perpetrate the sacred ritual.
Michael began lashing, jerking, and spitting and had to be tied to the floor of the church. A crucifix was crammed into his mouth, and he was thoroughly drenched with holy water.
The exorcism prevailed for well over 24 hours and the preachers involved affirmed to have removed 40 demons from his body. In the end, exhausted, they allowed Taylor to go home.
They told him that the exorcism would have to be finished at an after date, although they felt that at least three demons – lunacy, murder, and violence – were still left in him.
However, before he left, the preachers advised him that the demon of murder still remains dormant in his soul.
The Discovery
At 9:45, just an hour and forty-five minutes after the exorcism, police patrolling the area where the Taylors lived discovered a horrible sight. A man, barging through the roads fully naked and covered with blood.
It was also discovered that as soon as Taylor arrived home, he brutally murdered his wife and their dog. The officers who had found Taylor approached the house but were gestured off by an exiting criminal inspector.
“I bet you surely do not want to witness what’s inside there son. I have seen a few horror crimes but nothing like this ever before. It’s the wife. She’s got no… He’s totally ripped at her. It’s a right mess in there. There’s not much of her left. You do not want to see it, eh?”
Soon after speaking these lines, the inspector ran outside and vomited. Well, who wouldn’t?
“I am Released”
Upon entering the house, officers were met with what some would subsequently call the worst crime scene they have ever witnessed.
Michael had severely attacked Christine with his bare hands, removing her eyes and tongue, before tearing her face off of her skull.
He also strangled the family dog. After the dog was dead, he ripped out its eyes and tore the dog limb from limb, throwing them around the house.
There was blood all over the house and the wall and ceiling appeared bloody red. Michael, who was at that time receiving care in a nearby hospital, was arrested.
He never mentioned his desire or motive for killing his beloved wife Christine except for these words, “I am released. It’s done. The sin in her has been destroyed.”
So what happened? Was Michael Taylor really possessed and the killer instincts were demonic? The defense did not think so.
He laid the blame directly at the feet of the prayer group and the preachers who did the exorcism. He stated that the group worsened an already snapping mind.
At his trial, Michael Taylor was acquitted on the premises of insanity and the killer was transferred to a hospital for psychiatric treatment for the next 4 years.
