CHARLOTTE — Charlotte triple homicide suspect Benjamin Taylor will face trial. Taylor pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to charges that he killed his girlfriend, Markayla Johnson, and her two children, 4-year-old Mariah and 7-month-old Messiah.
Taylor rejected a plea deal from the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office that would have sent him to prison for 456-560 months.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Taylor killed Johnson and her children in March 2024.
Police said that after the killings, Taylor fled to Imperial County, California. He was found at a campsite between Salvation Mountain and an off-the-grid community called Slab City.
Taylor did not say much in court Thursday afternoon.
No family members of Johnson were present.
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s office is not pursuing the death penalty. A trial date has not been set.
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