Macon slaying victim had 11 gunshot wounds, medical examiner testifies

Gunshots broke both of Walter Henley’s legs, causing him to tumble to the ground.

After he’d fallen, more shots were fired at him, based on the trajectory of bullets that riddled his body, a GBI medical examiner testified Thursday.

A GBI firearms examiner testified that eight .45-caliber shell casings taken from the 59-year-old’s Lizella man’s yard all came from the same gun.

The medical examiner, Dr. Maryanne Gaffney-Kraft, said Henley suffered 11 gunshot wounds to his abdomen, thighs, hip, arm, hand and ring finger.

It’s unknown whether Henley was shot 11 times, or if some of the gunshots entered his body multiple times, she testified Thursday during the trial for 32-year-old Nathan Taylor. He’s one of two men charged with murder in Henley’s Aug. 18, 2012, death.

Taylor’s trial began Tuesday in Bibb County Superior Court.

Jurors listened to an audio recording of Taylor’s statement to police in which he admitted to being intoxicated and killing Henley.

His lawyer, Jonathan Waters, has argued that Taylor only confessed after having a meeting with two of his brothers and his father.

He thought all three brothers were going to prison unless someone said something.

“Nathan Taylor didn’t do it,” Waters said during his opening statement Wednesday.

Waters told jurors that Taylor was at his grandmother’s funeral until 11:30 p.m., well after Henley was killed.

Torry Johnson testified that he works painting cars and performing auto body repairs. He got to know Henley, a mechanic who did similar work, about 10 years before Henley died.

He said he bought a 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 1964 Chevrolet Impala from Henley, then sold them for scrap on July 30, 2012.

He used the $400 he got for the cars to help pay some bills.

Johnson described the cars as looking like they hadn’t been on the road in years and like they’d come from a junk yard.

It wasn’t until later, when he started getting calls from the owner of one of the cars, that he learned Henley didn’t own the cars, Johnson testified.

At some point, the owner -- Taylor -- showed up at his car painting and body shop wanting his money, he said.

Johnson said he told Taylor he’d pay him what he’d planned to pay Henley for the cars.

But he kept getting calls from the man, who kept asking for his money -- and at least once threatened to kill Henley if he didn’t get his money.

On Aug. 17, 2012, the day before Henley was killed, Johnson met Taylor at a Citgo gas station and paid him $200.

He said he went to see Henley the next day, and the men talked about the threats.

Sitting in court Thursday, he said he was confident when he identified Taylor to Bibb County deputies as the man he’d given money to.

Jim MacDonald, an investigator for the Bibb County District Attorney’s Office and a former Macon police detective, testified that the victim of a carjacking identified Taylor as his attacker in 2004.

Tasha Wallace testified that Taylor and another man stole her purse and fired shots at her outside Macon’s Whiskey River nightclub in 2004.

Court records show Taylor pleaded guilty to robbery by force in 2005. Prison records show he served about seven years in prison.

Charges relating to Henley’s death also are pending against Nicholas Taylor, Taylor’s brother, who also is charged with murder in the case. Although charges initially were filed against a third brother, they were dismissed later.

Testimony is set to continue Friday.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter@awomackmacon.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 6:22 PM.