A Hopkinsville man has admitted to cutting the heads off a statue of Mary and Jesus with an axe.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky said 27-year-old Marley R. Taylor pled guilty in federal court to committing damage to religious property.
Taylor was arrested on January 28, 2025, for “destroying a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus located at a Catholic church (St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church) by using an axe to chop off both statues’ heads,” federal prosecutors said.
Taylor said that he intentionally decapitated the statue “because he believed people prayed to the statue as an act of worship,” according to prosecutors.
The statue was hand carved from marble and imported from Italy.
The statues were dedicated by the church in the memory of a deceased parishioner and a past priest, according to a report by WHVO.com.
If the court accepts the plea agreement, Taylor faces not more than three years in prison and not less than $35,935 in restitution.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Formal sentencing is slated for March 10, 2026.
The case was investigated by the FBI Bowling Green Satellite Office and the Hopkinsville Police Department.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
