Investigator: West Virginia man raped, killed partner's baby

RIPLEY, W.Va. — The lead investigator in the trial of a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 10-month-old baby testified that he has no doubt the man raped and murdered the girl.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Jackson County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ross Mellinger said Thursday that Benjamin Taylor had blood on his torso and a wet spot on his pants when officers were called to the home in 2016.

The woman testified that she found him shirtless with his pants unbuttoned and leaning over her naked, injured daughter. The infant died days later.

Mellinger testified that Taylor had been looking for pornography online, told officers he has “episodes” when he blacks out, and hadn’t noticed the blood on the baby.