Frisco, TX – Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced today that a 46-year-old Frisco man with a long criminal history—including a recent murder conviction—has been sentenced to life in Texas prison for sexually exploiting a child, even while incarcerated and awaiting trial on the murder charge.
Anthony Dewayne Taylor, a confirmed gang member and career criminal, was found guilty by a Collin County jury of Sexual Performance of a Child. Following the verdict, jurors sentenced him to life imprisonment and assessed a $10,000 fine. Judge Richard Davis presided over the trial.
According to evidence presented at trial, Taylor began sexually abusing the victim in 2020 after being paroled from an Oklahoma prison where he had been serving time for drug trafficking. He reconnected with the child’s family and gained access to the then-14-year-old girl. The abuse continued for approximately two years, until the victim was 16, and occurred across multiple states and several cities in Texas.
In October 2022, Taylor was arrested in Oklahoma City and charged with murder. While held in the Oklahoma County Jail awaiting trial, he made numerous recorded phone calls to the child, who was living in Collin County at the time. During those calls, Taylor directed the minor to engage in lewd and sexually explicit acts—conduct that formed the basis of the Sexual Performance of a Child charge in Texas.
The victim bravely disclosed the ongoing abuse to her family in December 2022. Her family immediately reported the crimes to the Frisco Police Department. The child was forensically interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, where she provided detailed information about both the in-person abuse and the jail calls.
Frisco Detective Kim Pruitt led the investigation, securing physical evidence from Taylor’s residence that corroborated the victim’s account. Detective Pruitt also coordinated with the Oklahoma City Police Department to obtain copies of the recorded jailhouse phone calls, which were played for the jury.
Taylor ultimately pleaded guilty to the Oklahoma murder charge in December 2024 and received a 10-year prison sentence, to be followed by 20 years of parole.
During the punishment phase of the Collin County trial, jurors heard extensive testimony about Taylor’s criminal history dating back to 1999, including the details of his murder conviction. Because of his prior felony record, he faced a punishment range of 5 to 99 years or life in prison. After deliberating, the jury returned a sentence of life imprisonment.
“This convicted murderer continued to prey on a child even from behind bars,” said District Attorney Greg Willis. “A Collin County jury saw the full picture and delivered the only sentence that protects the public and our children—life in prison.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Anthony D’Amore and Claire Mosley, with support from District Attorney Investigator Sarah Putman and Victim Assistance Coordinator Jill Moore.
Taylor is currently serving his Oklahoma murder sentence and will begin serving the life sentence in Texas upon completion or parole from the Oklahoma term. He will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
