KY man admits to chopping off heads of Jesus and Mary statue
A Western Kentucky man pleaded guilty this week to a federal charge of damaging religious property after admitting to using an ax to chop off the heads of a statue that depicted Jesus and Mary.
Marley R. Taylor, 27, of Hopkinsville, said he destroyed the Italian-sculpted statue, which depicted the Christian biblical figure Mary holding baby Jesus, because he thought people prayed to them as an “act of worship.”
The statue was on display at an unnamed Catholic church. Federal court documents do not indicate where the church was.
The statue was hand-carved and imported from Italy, according to Taylor’s plea agreement.
Taylor pleaded guilty Nov. 3.
“The violent destruction of religious property due to hatred for another’s faith is both intolerable and un-American,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, said in a news release. “The Department of Justice stands firmly against anti-Christian bias and will hold accountable anyone who targets Americans because of their religious beliefs.”
Taylor could face three years in prison and have to pay nearly $36,000 — the amount to import a new, marble sculpture.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 10, 2026.
