Murder victim's family
waiting for justice

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

The family of murdered Lawndale resident Jared Taylor doesn’t expect anybody to jeopardize their personal safety or to violate some unwritten code of the street.
They don’t need anybody to finger the alleged killer of Taylor, a 29-year-old father and husband who was gunned down outside a Summerdale nightclub on Feb. 24.
The hard part has already been done, police have told Taylor’s parents, William Thompson and Elizabeth Taylor, and his widow, Malika Taylor. Witnesses have already helped detectives identify Aaron Blue as the suspect.
All that they want now is someone to shed a little light on Blue’s whereabouts — anonymously if need be. But in today’s intimidation-driven, "stop snitchin’" climate, even that has been a chore.
The victim’s family thinks that their loved one deserves better for trying to be a peacemaker during an argument that night outside the Empty Glass Bar, at Adams Avenue and Claridge Street, at around 2 a.m.
"Every day is a nightmare, and it’s going to continue to be that way until (Blue) opens up his eyes and realizes he has to be accountable for what he did wrong," said Thompson.
The victim’s father believes that the only way his son’s murder case and Philadelphia’s murder epidemic will overcome the plague of silence is if the community stands together and gets involved, despite fears of retribution by criminals and despite the preaching of some pop-culture icons against activism.
Thompson knows it’s a dangerous trade-off to speak out.
"I have concerns with my family being in the paper," he said. "But I also feel we’re not by ourselves, that there are also one-hundred twenty-eight families going through the same thing."
At the time of Thompson’s comments, 128 murders had been reported across Philadelphia in 2007. As the Times went to press on Tuesday, that total had risen to 137. Taylor’s was the 57th chronologically.

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According to Philadelphia police homicide Detective Greg Santamala, Taylor attended a relative’s birthday party at the Empty Glass that night. Many other relatives and close friends were there, too.
Meanwhile, a second party was going on at the same venue, which remained open to the general public, too.
During the celebrations, an argument broke out among some females and escalated to involve others in the close-knit groups. When the bar was cleared out, the dispute continued into the street, with males getting involved.
Taylor and a couple of guys attempted to break up the melee, Santamala said. Witnesses later identified Blue as the man who allegedly pulled a gun and began shooting.
Four or five rounds were fired. Taylor was wounded twice — once in the biceps and once in the right shoulder. The second slug continued into his upper torso, where it caused internal bleeding.
Taylor lost consciousness at the scene and was pronounced dead at about 2:30 at Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Taylor, who worked for Toll Brothers on pre-fabricated construction projects, left three children, according to his parents. He and his wife were separated at the time. Malika Taylor is raising their two children, daughter Zhane, 12, and son Jared Jr., 7.
The victim’s family described him as a strong, soft-spoken person.
"He was very mild-mannered, laid back, very easygoing," Malika said. "Everything about Jared was soft — from his speaking to his walk."
Ironically, it was out of character for him to get involved in someone else’s conflict.
"He kept to himself. He minded his own business," Malika said. "It’s not like he (always) tried to be a peacemaker in conflicts. But in this instance, there were a lot of family members there."

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Malika can’t help but feel alienated in part. She knows it’s wrong, but she feels that he "chose" to get involved in the nightclub dispute without considering how she and the children might be impacted.
"For something that just completely didn’t have anything to do with (him), it’s harder," she said. "I totally understand it, but I still can’t shake that feeling."
The couple had been together for nine years, and, despite their problems, had a future to consider, particularly with the children.
"My future, when it comes to that, I draw a blank," Malika Taylor said. "We were supposed to be looking to purchase a house. That was the next big thing."
Thompson knows the importance of a father in a child’s life. He was not Jared’s natural father, but he assumed the role to the point where they decided to just drop the "step" from their relationship.
Jared Jr. doesn’t even fully understand that his dad is never coming back.
"My daughter does, but my son is only seven years old," Malika Taylor said. "Right now, he misses seeing his dad (and) talking to his dad. But the full effect of it, he won’t feel (right away)."
Nothing can be done to change that. However, they can’t help but feel that the capture and ultimate conviction of the person responsible for Jared Taylor’s death can serve a couple of good purposes.
It could stop the same person from doing the same thing to another family, and it might demonstrate that the justice system can, in fact, still work — that witnesses don’t have to turn away and rebuff authorities.
"(Violence) is just ridiculous at this point. It’s out of control," Malika Taylor said. "It’s so sad. It’s not just us (that are affected). It’s our situation, but there’s other people. There’s no respect for life.
"People are so quick to pull a gun. But in that one moment you pull a trigger, you’re not affecting just one life, you’re affecting many. It’s crazy. This man had children.
"And every day that goes by, this (suspected killer) is still living his life."

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Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Blue, who has a series of prior addresses on file including the 1600 block of Bridge St., the 5200 block of Frankford Ave., the 1900 block of Berkshire St., the 5300 block of Lesher St. and the 8200 block of Frankford Ave. He also lived recently on an unknown block of Paul Street in Frankford, authorities say.
He is 5-feet-6 and weighs about 200 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes. The Citizens Crime Commission is administering a $1,500 reward for the family for information leading to Blue’s arrest.
Detectives continue to pursue solid leads, largely because of the good progress they’ve already made in the case and the publicity generated about it.
"It was two months ago, and it’s crazy right now in the city, so for this case to be still high-profile, it’s very appreciated," Malika Taylor said. "You know he’s not forgotten about."
"I feel as though the other families should get the same acknowledgment," Thompson added. "But I also feel you have to participate to get something done. (Some people) feel that if they lay down at night and close their eyes, it’s all going to go away." ••
To report information about the whereabouts of Aaron Blue, call homicide detectives at 215-686-3334 or the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. Informants can remain anonymous.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com