By Christopher Lenois

EDGARD – Almost a year to the day that Sacondra Johnson suffered her near-death ordeal at the hands of Troy Taylor, she received justice from the St. John the Baptist Parish court system.

Taylor was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping Thursday shortly after 6 p.m. Taylor, 34, attacked Johnson at her home in the early morning hours of Feb. 22, 2001, stabbing her in the throat and abducting her in her own vehicle.

Johnson, 21, was called to the stand on three occasions. Her emotionally charged testimony recounted the gruesome details of her struggle with Taylor that eventually compelled her to leap naked from her captor’s speeding car on the roadside of Baton Rouge.

“I feel like a weight is lifted off my heart,” Johnson said of her reaction to the verdict. “I’ve had nightmares and flashbacks. I thought I would have one at 5:30 this morning (exactly one year since the incident) but I didn’t. I feel I can rest easily and I can drive in peace again.

Taylor’s attorney, Guy H. Lillian, constructed a defense based on insanity and intoxication. His client took the stand and gave a detailed account of a night spent smoking vast quantities of crack cocaine, alcohol consumption and finally taking two tabs of LSD.

Lillian argued the LSD, which Taylor had never taken before, induced a psychosis which prevented him from knowing right from wrong. “He became an action machine, operating on pure reflex.”

Taylor testified he remembered recovering his senses while driving Johnson’s car toward Baton Rouge. When he looked over at her and saw she was bleeding he asked her what happened, and she told him that he had attacked her. However Taylor said he had no recollection of that happening.

Assistant District attorney William O’Regan refuted Taylor’s testimony with witnesses that placed Taylor close to Johnson’s house just before the incident. The witnesses testified that he seemed quite lucid.

Taylor had been a friend of Johnson’s family for several years, even living with them at times. However he was “put out” after some items were missing a couple of months ago and they lost their trust in him. Taylor had had been out on parole for two years after serving half of an 18 year sentence for first degree robbery. couple of months ago.

Johnson testified he had never displayed violent behavior toward her or her family before the day he attacked her, however he told her that she had “messed things up” between him and her 14-year-old sister, and he was going to kill her whole family. O’Regan was able to use this testimony to demonstrate the pent up anger in Taylor that was ultimately unleashed.

O’Regan said he was satisfied with the verdict, and that he was happy for Johnson, who was very afraid to take to the stand and re-live the events.

“She made me promise she would only have to do it one time,” said O’Regan. “I told her I would do my best.”

Taylor faces a sentence of 10-50 years for the attempted murder charge, and another 5-40 years for the kidnapping charge.

His parole violation will add the severity of the sentence, Lillian said.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 3.