By LEONARD GRAY

EDGARD – A LaPlace woman’s ordeal came to a degree of closure Wednesday, as her kidnapper received sentences totaling 58 years before 40th Judicial District Judge Mary Hotard Becnel.

Troy Taylor, 34, a former resident of 117 E. 30th St., was convicted in February of the kidnapping and attempted second-degree murder of Sacondra Johnson, 21, of LaPlace, who was found naked and bleeding profusely from a deeply-slashed throat along Interstate 10 on Feb. 21, 2001. When questioned by police at the time, she identified her attacker, who was a friend of her family.

Johnson was taken from her home by Taylor and taken away in his 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse to Baton Rouge, where he sexually assaulted her and slashed her throat before she leaped from the car during another drive, in a desperate attempt to save herself. The traffic at that location was moving at 40 mph at the time.

Passing motorists spotted her on the morning of Feb. 22, clutching her own neck to stem the blood, and St. John authorities were notified as to the whereabouts of the missing woman. Johnson testified against her attacker.

Taylor was apprehended shortly thereafter, and a 12-person jury found him guilty in February. Taylor received a 50-year sentence for the attempted second-degree murder and a 25-year sentence for the kidnapping charge, the two sentences to run concurrently with no opportunity for parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

As he was on parole from a previous first-degree robbery charge, Taylor also received an eight-year sentence, to run consecutively with the other sentences, which add up to 58 years in prison.

“He had just been released on parole when this incident occurred,” noted prosecutor William O’Regan.

An appeal is expected to be filed by Taylor’s attorney, Guy Lillian.

Taylor’s defense was his claim to have been drunk and drugged at the time, leaving him not to be in his right mind. He pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.

“I think it was a correct sentence,” O’Regan said.