June 6, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Man Accused of Ordering Killing of Pregnant Girlfriend Put on Trial

A man accused of finding someone to shoot his pregnant girlfriend in the head was back on trial Monday, alongside the alleged gunman, as two juries listened to opening statements.

Prosecutors said Derek Paul Smyer, 36, had 27-year-old Crystal Taylor killed after she refused to have the abortion he demanded.

“Her only crime in life was to want another child,” Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers told jurors.

Smyer, who was arrested and charged with murder a decade after the Sept. 25, 2001, killings of Taylor and her unborn son, is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

A mistrial was declared for Smyer in August, when an earlier set of jurors declared a deadlock.

This trial includes co-defendant Skyler Jefferson Moore, 35. Moore is serving a life prison sentence without the possibility of parole for an unrelated 2001 killing and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against him.

Prosecutors said Smyer and Moore met at the basketball courts at Anderson Park in Redondo Beach.

Moore was a member of the East Coast branch of a Southern California gang and new to the area, according to Deputy District Attorney Rosa Zavala.

“He was looking to build a reputation for himself” and offered to kill Taylor in exchange for Smyer’s loyalty, Zavala said.

Defense attorney Richard Everett told the jury panel there was “little or no evidence” that Moore knew Smyer.

“There were no witnesses … no DNA recovered, no fingerprints … no evidence to connect the killing of Crystal Taylor to Skyler Moore,” Everett said.

Moore had been walking his little brothers and sisters to school that morning in the neighborhood of the shooting, Everett said.

After Moore had been in solitary confinement for “several years,” cold case detectives approached him with an offer to move him to a safer facility to serve out his life sentence.

In exchange, “he gives them this story about how he was hired by Mr. Smyer,” Everett said.

Moore later recanted that story over concern about helping to “convict an innocent person,” Everett said. “He didn’t kill Crystal Taylor.”

Though prosecutors said Smyer was always a suspect, he wasn’t arrested until after Moore named him.

Jurors at Smyer’s first trial were shown video of a 2011 interview with Moore in which he confessed to shooting Taylor in the head. In it, Moore said Smyer told him Taylor was “trying to trap him.”

Moore told a prosecutor, “I killed Crystal, this is how it happened, this is why I did it,”  Zavala said.

Moore was also identified by a neighbor, who said he saw him walking up and down the street before he heard a gunshot at the complex and then saw the same man run off.

Prosecutors said Smyer’s history confirmed his guilt.

“Crystal is not the first girlfriend that defendant Smyer has hurt,” Zavala told jurors.

An ex-girlfriend from high school, Traci Williamson, was the mother of two of Smyer’s children, prosecutors said. During each pregnancy, when she was about 7-8 months along, she was attacked by an unknown assailant.

“That relationship had domestic violence written all over it,” Meyers said.”He pleaded with her to have an abortion.”

In the first attack, a man cut her throat with a knife, prosecutors said.

“The (second) attacker focused on kicking and punching her in the stomach,” Zavala said.

“(Smyer) has this unreasonable paranoia about pregnancy,” Zavala said.

Smyer’s attorney, Calvin Schneider III, offered jurors a different perspective on this “horrible, horrible crime.”

Schneider showed photographs of Smyer in the delivery room with Williamson and smiling with his two children, who lived with him until he was arrested, according to the defense attorney.

His client dropped out of high school at 17 so that he could support Williamson while she finished high school, the defense attorney said.

Schneider said Williamson lied about one of the attacks to gain favor with her own family, who didn’t like the fact that she wasn’t working to support her child.

As for Taylor, Schneider said Smyer spoke to her for about two hours the day after he found out she was pregnant.

“(There was) nothing to indicate that she was ever threatened or hurt during that conversation,” Schneider said.

There was only about a week between that conversation and the time that Moore was jailed for 30 days for firearm possession.

“Think about the timeline,” the defense attorney said.

And the man seen fleeing from the scene of Taylor’s shooting got into a black Thunderbird, the defense attorney told the jury panel, adding that neither Smyer nor Moore had access to such a car. ncr8i

“Mr. Smyer’s waited a long time for you to decide this case. He’s waited a long time to vindicate himself,” Schneider told the jury panel.

3D_Judges_Gavel

Related Posts

Amazon Brings ‘The Boys’ to Life with Satirical Ice Show at Century City Mall

June 6, 2025

June 6, 2025

Fans Can Experience Holiday-Themed Skating Show and Costume Exhibits Amazon MGM Studios is bringing a frosty dose of satire to...

Reality Star Abby Lee Miller Sues Cedars-Sinai Over Catheter Left in Body After Surgery

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

Miller Is Seeking $1.5 Million in Damages, Claiming Doctors Failed to Remove a Catheter Abby Lee Miller, the former star...

Peacock Declares ‘BLSH*T Day’ with Free Burgers Across L.A. to Celebrate “Poker Face” Season 2

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

Streaming Platform Partners With 13 Burger Spots for One-Day Giveaway on June 7 To mark the return of its mystery...

LAPD to Conduct DUI Checkpoint and Saturation Patrols Starting June 6

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

First-Time DUI Offenders Face Steep Penalties and Suspension of License The Los Angeles Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint...

Marina del Rey Sportfishing: A Great Day on the Water

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

Fishing is a pastime like no other, America’s Most Popular Outdoor Activity for Year in and Year out! You can...

(Video) See How CO2 Laser Treatment Removes Wrinkles and Scars

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

To Book an Appointment, Go to Mirrormirrormedspa.com To Book an Appointment, Go to https://t.co/GQ7DNcGw8E pic.twitter.com/OdAVVpLIcw — CCNewsLA (@CCWNNews) June 5,...

Film Review: Dangerous Animals

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

By Dolores Quintana There’s nothing quite like a good shark horror movie, especially since we are heading into summer. With...

Erewhon and LGBTQ Singer Kali Uchis Serve Summer Smoothie for a Good Cause

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

The Sincerely Smoothie Blends Passionfruit, Pitaya, and Malk Coconut Milk LGBTQ singer Kali Uchis has teamed up with Erewhon to...

Levain Bakery and Wanderlust Creamery Team Up for a Sweet Cause This Saturday

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

Lily Rosenthal and Chef Mason Royal Host a Cookie & Ice Cream Celebration Larchmont’s Levain Bakery will host a community...

Vietnamese Street Food Pop-Up ‘Little C’ Returns to Crustacean for Limited Lunch Series

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

After a Sold-Out Debut, the Fan-Favorite Phở-Forward Concept Reopens  Following a sold-out debut, the Vietnamese street food concept “Little C”...

Fogo de Chão Unveils Fiery Off-Menu Cocktail, the Paper Flame

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

Tequila-Based Drink Features a Dramatic Tableside Presentation Fogo de Chão has unveiled its first-ever secret cocktail, the Paper Flame, an...

Marelle Launches ‘The Guest List’ With Renowned Chefs and Friends Alan Wong and Raphael Lunetta

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

Santa Monica’s New Chef Series Debuts With a Culinary Celebration of California and Hawaiian Flavors Marelle, a coastal dining destination...

Culver City’s Citizen Public Market Launches Summer Lineup of Food and Art

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

From Brats to Biryani: Citizen Public Market Unveils Fantastic New Flavors  Culver City’s Citizen Public Market is rolling out a...

(Video) Some of the Damage Caused By Vandals at Malibu High School Overnight

June 4, 2025

June 4, 2025

40 to 50 people, who are suspected to be students or recent alumni, used eggs, flour, and markers to deface...

Biggest Night of the Year: Don’t Miss GMCLA’s ‘Dancing Queens’

June 3, 2025

June 3, 2025

Culminating its 46th season, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will grace the crowd with Dancing Queens, celebrating iconic...