This is the story of a relationship with alleged murderer Katelyn Taylor, as explained by Bart Johnson, a man who claims he was very close to the accused. These are his words…
Bart Johnson met Katelyn Taylor in December through a friend. The two have reportedly been dating since January. On Monday, March 23, Taylor, 28, was arrested and charged with the brutal murders of her grandparents, Gene and Celeste McDaniel. The community is still reeling from the senseless crime that shook Camden to its core. On Monday, Johnson opened up about his relationship with Taylor and how he never saw this coming.
Johnson said over the last few months, he and Taylor were rarely apart. Through a phone interview on Monday, he spoke with regret and pain, while stating he knew “absolutely nothing” about Taylor’s plans to murder the McDaniel’s and said he never saw her be violent.
“I want to let everyone know I had nothing to do with this. I have cried every day since this happened and asked repeatedly what could I have done differently,” Johnson said. “If I knew she was capable of doing something like this, obviously I would have done something. I was never fearful for my life when I was around her.”
That does not mean that things were always calm. Johnson said Taylor would often speak to herself and tell stories that he knew to be lies. “We did everything together. She did not have anyone else, but her grandparents. In public, she was a class act, but behind closed doors, she was very different. Although she was never violent, she did have what I call a crazy side. Like telling people her daddy was coming to get her and he owned a yacht and saying that she was married. To my knowledge, she was never married.”
Johnson said he loved Taylor. She was beautiful and charismatic, but showcased mental instability. On one occasion, Johnson said he accompanied Taylor to a mental health office in Camden and tried to explain some of her behaviors, but according to him, “they would not allow me to discuss her mental disorder with them at all.”
And then everything changed. As far as Johnson knew, the weekend of March 21-22 was just like many weekends before. Taylor who stayed with him most nights, wanted to return to her grandparents’ home on Vicksburg Ave. Johnson said he dropped her off around 10 p.m. that Saturday. He said as he was returning to his Eva residence, he received a text from Taylor that she had something to return to him. Johnson said he was so close to his residence by the time he received the text, he decided to just go on home. Neighbors would later report they saw the woman inexplicably take a bottle of laundry detergent down to the end of the driveway that night. Johnson said he guesses that was what she was trying to return to him.
The following day, Sunday, March 22, around 1 p.m., Taylor reportedly called Johnson and asked him to pick her up in front of the Quickwash Laundry on Industrial Rd. She told Johnson that her grandmother, Celeste McDaniel had “come at her with a knife” and she got a cut on her pinky finger. She asked Johnson to take her to get medical care.
That afternoon the pair went to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Carroll County, after the wait at Camden General Hospital proved to be too long and a local clinic would “cost too much.” Looking back, Johnson said he thinks Taylor just did not want to be treated in Camden.
Johnson said he never did see the supposed injured finger. He asked and she refused to show it to him, even after she said she had stitches.
Returning to Johnson’s home, Taylor was acting “normal” and the two had a regular night together. “She never acted as if anything was wrong with her that whole night and the next morning,” he recalled.
When officers knocked on his door, was the first indication something was amiss. Johnson said when authorities started asking them questions, all he could wonder was how did this happen and later, if there was anything different that he could have done to prevent such a horrific act from taking place.
After being questioned by investigators, Johnson was released. Taylor was charged with two counts of criminal homicide.
Johnson said he loved everyone involved. He loved Gene and Celeste McDaniel. He said they treated him like family. They would often ask why he stuck things out with their granddaughter after she displayed erratic behavior and he would always answer, “Because I want to help her.” Now he feels like he was unable to do that and the weight of the world remains on his shoulders. Johnson said he will always play the “What if?” game and knows he will never be the same. He said, “I loved all three of them, I just wish I could have done something. I never saw this coming…none of us did.”
