PARKERSBURG, VA (WTAP) –
Madison Wine was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of her adoptive parents, Rob and Charlotte Taylor.
Wine was convicted of the murder of her adoptive parents, attempted murder of her stepsister, cruelty to animals and arson for a house fire she set in 2019.
Before the verdict was read, Wine spoke in court.
“I wish I could take it all back. I’m not the killer everyone thinks I am. My actions were not intentional, purely accidental. But in such a world, accidents also have consequences. So here I am. I’m not complaining. I deserve this. // I don’t want you to think that I don’t care what I’ve done. Because I do I’m not heartless I have feelings. I miss them and I wish they were here, but I feel like I don’t have the right to miss them because I was the reason for everything.// People think I lack empathy; They think I’m the definition of a psychopath, but that’s not the case. It hurts me as much as everyone else…”
Sherri Bee, Rob Taylor’s ex-wife, husband Wine, is convicted of murder and the mother of his three children also read a statement about the hurt her family has endured at the hands of Wine.
“My prayers are that Madison will pay in full for this crime. I hope she never gets parole. My children and grandchildren will have painful feelings for the rest of their lives that will not qualify for parole. Rob and Charlotte cannot be released from their graves. So she should be punished and never paroled.”
Judge Bean sentenced Wine to the maximum sentence for each crime, which must be served consecutively.
Two life sentences and a minimum of 24 years for the three counts.
Prosecutor Josh Downey said Wine got the conviction she deserved, but it’s not a day to celebrate.
“It’s not a happy day. This is a very sad day. This was an awful set of facts. Madison Wine’s life before this happened was terrible and she was going through things she shouldn’t but that doesn’t forgive what happened on that day in 2019. And Rob and Charlotte Taylor had nothing to do with it, their younger sister and even the dogs in the case. It’s just an incredibly sad case. So if you look at those facts, that was an appropriate sentence.”
Since Wine was a juvenile at the time of the crimes, she is eligible for parole after 15 years.
Wine’s legal counsel, also heard prior to the sentencing, tabled motions seeking a post-sentence acquittal and asking the judge to overturn the sentence and order a new trial. The defense argued the state failed to recognize Wine’s sanity beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the defense argued that the jury had given Wine no doubt about an acquittal on the grounds of mental illness.
The judge denied both requests.
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