Kevin Taylor

Eric Miller Sentenced to Six Years For John Chamberlain Murder

The last of the nine former Theo Lacy Jail inmates charged in the Oct. 5, 2006 murder of John Chmaberlain, a fellow prisoner suspected of being a child molester, has been sentenced to prison. Miller, 26, of Huntington Beach, received a punishment of six years in state prison for his role in the murd ... More >>

Raul Villafana Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for John Chamberlain Murder

In a hearing this morning at the Orange County Superior Courthouse, Raul Villafana, 25, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, becoming the eighth former Theo Lacy Jail inmate to be sentenced in the murder of John Chamberlain, a fellow prisoner who was savagely assaulted on suspicions he was a ... More >>

Stephen Carlstrom Sentenced In John Chamberlain Murder

​Stephen Carlstrom was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison today for the Oct. 5, 2006 murder of John Chamberlain, a fellow Theo Lacy Jail inmate facing trial for possessing child pornography. He was one of six prisoners who were convicted of the murder at Orange County's Superior Courthouse la ... More >>

What We Learned

The Year on Navel Gazing and Beyond!

8 Reasons October Was 2011's Worst Month

​There was a lot to hate about 2011 as a whole.And, there are still nine days left for December to make a case for changing my mind about which was the worst month in Orange County this year.But, from my perch on this ivory tower I call "couch," I'm ready to proclaim October 2011 as the nastiest m ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

The Chamberlain Files

The inside story of covering—and becoming part of—the county's most disturbing jailhouse murder case

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Kevin Taylor: The Missing Defendant in the Chamberlain Murder

Five former inmates will likely spend the rest of their lives in prison for the jailhouse killing, while the man who many say instigated it wasn't even charged

OC's Scariest People 2011

Celebrating the Day of the Dead with some of the county's worst offenders

[UPDATED W/Courtroom Drama] John Chamberlain Murder Trial Verdict: All Five Defendants Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

Paul Bersebach, OC Register pool photographerJared Petrovich enters the courtroom on Oct. 24​UPDATED, Oct. 26 11:42 P.M.: You could see it in the faces of the five handcuffed men as they were led into Judge James Stotler's courtroom shortly after 5:30 p.m last night. Just over 24 hours earlier, th ... More >>

[UPDATED W/PHOTOS] John Chamberlain Murder Trial: Jurors Reject First Degree Murder

​UPDATE, OCT 24, 6:10 P.M.: The jury in the case of five Theo Lacy Jail inmates accused of murdering John Chamberlain, the software engineer they suspected of being a child molester, may be hopelessly deadlocked, but they've agreed on one point: they cannot unanimously convict the defendants of fi ... More >>

John Chamberlain Murder Trial: "Cold Blooded, Black Hearted Murderers"

​Shortly before asking jurors to return first degree murder verdicts against the five former Theo Lacy Jail inmates charged in the brutal Oct. 6, 2006 murder of suspected child molester John Chamberlain, Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh asked them to look one last time at the bruised, bloo ... More >>

John Chamberlain Murder Trial: Who Lit the Fire?

​Closing arguments began today in the two-month long trial of five jail inmates accused of murdering John Chamberlain, a suspected child molester, at Theo Lacy Jail on Oct. 5, 2006. While both prosecutors and defense attorneys have sparred over seemingly every aspect of the complex case, both side ... More >>

John Chamberlain Murder Trial: Witness Says Guard Told Inmates "I Didn't Say to Kill" Victim

Ex-Deputy Kevin Taylor​The words and actions of Deputy Kevin Taylor, the guard that inmates accuse of spreading the rumor that John Chamberlain was a child molester on the day he was beaten to death, have so far played only a background role in the trial of the five former Theo Lacy Jail prisoners ... More >>

John Chamberlain Murder Trial: Judge Rules to Exclude Evidence of Alleged Cover-Up

Ex-Deputy Kevin Taylor​As anyone who has followed this story already knows, John Chamberlain, a Rancho Santa Margarita software engineer arrested for possession of child pornography, was brutally assaulted at the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange by dozens of inmates who believed he was a child molester. H ... More >>

Jason Chapluk Gets All Chapluk-ed Up

One of the two sheriff's deputies on duty the night of John Chamberlain's jailhouse murder wimps out on the witness stand

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

John Chamber Murder Trial Days Four & Five: "A Culture of Fear"

John Chamberlain's booking photo​If there's one thing both prosecutors and defense attorneys seem to agree about in the trial of five former Theo Lacy Jail inmates charged with the brutal Oct. 5, 2006 slaying of John Chamberlain, it's this: there was a "culture of fear" inside F-Barracks West, the ... More >>

John Chamberlain Murder Trial Day Three: Deputy Taylor's Partner Speaks

John Chamberlain's booking photo​You could tell that Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Chapluk was nervous. Okay, maybe not as nervous as he was on that security footage from the night of Oct. 5, 2006 when he and fellow Theo Lacy Jail guard Kevin Taylor were bouncing around the guard tower insi ... More >>

Media Fail: Code Of Silence Obeyed in Brutal OC Jailhouse Murder Trial

Deputy Kevin Taylor​On Monday, Aug. 8, opening arguments began in the long-awaited trial of five Theo Lacy Jail inmates charged with the brutal October 2006 murder of John Chamberlain, a Rancho Santa Margarita software engineer awaiting trial on child pornography charges. Along with a host of loca ... More >>

The John Chamberlain Murder Trial Begins

[Moxley Confidential] Some defense lawyers claim the deputies made their clients do it

John Chamberlain Jailhouse Beating Death Trial Opening Statements Due This Morning

Chamberlain​Opening statements are expected to begin this morning in the murder trial of five jail inmates accused of beating John Chamberlain to death at Orange's Theo Lacy Facility in 2006 because they believed their fellow inmate was a child molester. Garrett Eugene Aguilar, 28, of Anaheim; S ... More >>

DA: Defendants Tortured, Sexually Assaulted and Killed John Derek Chamberlain

Jared Petrovich: OC jail deputies wanted inmates to beat Chamberlain ​In a 59-minute opening statement today, Orange County homicide prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh promised jurors he won't "sugarcoat anything" about the gruesome 2006 jailhouse murder of John Derek Chamberlain by "waves" of inmates who ... More >>

MSNBC'S Lockup Extended Stay, OC Version, to Debut Saturday Night

Charles Butterfield, Daughter Killer, Reality TV Star​We've been waiting for this a long time: "MSNBC's popular behind-bars reality show Lockup Extended Stay debuts tomorrow at 7 p.m. Pacific Time." In case the name of the program doesn't ring a bell, you've probably seen it while flipping the cha ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

The John Chamberlain Jail Killing: Another Defendant's Account

A harrowing exclusive interview with Michael Garten, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the jailhouse-beating case

Two More Inmates in OC Jailhouse Murder Plead Guilty

​Christopher Teague and Jeremy Dezso Culmann, two of nine inmates charged with beating to death a suspected child molester inside Theo Lacy Jail in Oct. 2006, have pleaded guilty to the crime, according to a press release issued by the Orange County district attorney's office today. As the Weekly ... More >>

Michael Garten, Charged in OC's Bloodiest Jailhouse Murder, Pleads Guilty

Courtesy OCDAMichael Garten's booking photo​Michael Garten, one of nine inmates charged in the October 2006 beating death of John Chamberlain, a Mission Viejo software engineer who'd been arrested for possession of child pornography, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. In a deal first re ... More >>

The John Chamberlain Jailhouse Murder: One of the Accused Speaks

Stephen Carlstrom still can't believe he's facing trial and the jail's guards are not

Judge in Jailhouse Murder Case Failed to Disclose Conflict; DA Should Drop Case, Motions Claim

Jared Petrovich​The case of the brutal Oct. 5, 2006 murder of John Derek Chamberlain, an inmate at Theo Lacy Men's Jail who died at the hands of inmates who believed he was a child molester, is already sensational enough. Although only nine inmates have been charged in his death, both the suspects ... More >>

Another Sheriff's Employee Who Tarnished Badge Leaves OCSD

In light of the Orange County Register report on Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Taylor, the lead jailer at the center of inmate John Derek Chamberlain's October 2006 death by stomping, finally leaving OCSD, it's worth comparing his future with that of the killers many believe he egged on. The Weekly's Nick ... More >>

[Scariest People 2008] Orange Zombie

Another Witness Weighs In on the Jailhouse Beating of Ex-Kiss Guitarist Mark Leslie Norton

DA's Office Says Alleged Jail Beating of Former Kiss Guitarist Referred to Sheriff's Department

Theo Lacy Unmasked: Was Ex-Kiss Guitarist Mark St. John a Victim of Brutal Jailhouse Justice?

OC Sheriff's officials call deputy in Jail Murder Probe "Lazy" and a "Bully"

According to his colleagues and superiors, the deputy at the center of Orange County's bloodiest jailhouse murder—a man who claims he was watching television when two dozen inmates beat a suspected child molester to death just yards away—is “lazy” and showed a pattern of behavior described b ... More >>

Jared Petrovich Admits His Role In the Killing of John Chamberlain. But Why Did He Target the Guy?

An Open Letter to DA Tony Rackauckas Regarding the Jailhouse Murder of John Chamberlain

Future Of Sheriff's Department, County At Risk

On Feb. 29 in this blog, R. Scott Moxley foresaw an "upcoming unflattering grand jury report" on the jailhouse murder of John Derek Chamberlain. Chamberlain was beat to death by inmates while Deputy Kevin Taylor, the on-duty officer, allegedly failed to notice the prolonged beating because he was wa ... More >>

Jail Deputies Officially Off the Hook for Bloodiest Jail Murder in County History

At a press conference this afternoon at the District Attorney's headquarters in Santa Ana, DA Tony Rackauckas announced that a nine-month grand jury investigation by his agency failed to uncover any evidence to charge any Orange County Sheriff's Department personnel for the most bloody murder in the ... More >>

OC's Scariest People

Our Congressional delegation tops this year’s list of 33 villains (31 for October, plus two more to get to the Dia de los Muertos, ese)

Thursday's Headlines & Surprises: Is An OC lawyer also a Slumlord?

Relax, It's Just a Game: Scott Glover and Matt Lait at the Times reveal today that Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies have been playing on-duty law-enforcement competitions. According to an internal department e-mail obtained by the reporters, one game was called “Operation Any Booking,” i ... More >>

Blind Spot

For OC jail inmate John Chamberlain, jailhouse justice served as judge, juryand executioner