A son who was sleeping in his cot when his prison brutally murdered his mum before concealing her body in a wardrobe for two weeks has bravely spoken out on his trauma.
Taylor Titus, 26, said he has lived his life in the shadow of the tragedy and is still trying to come to terms with the death of his mum, Patricia Biglin. The 41-year-old was choked to death by Tyler's dad John Titus on June 2, 1997, the Mirror reports.
He then stripped her naked and hid her body in a wardrobe in the family home. The 33-year-old killer was later charged with her murder, but committed suicide in killer before he could be brought to trial.
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Taylor was just eleven-months-old at the time and was sleeping in his cot when the horrific killing place. However, his older brother Tyler, then aged two, was in the room and witnessed the fatal attack.
The siblings remained in their dad's care until Patricia's body was found by a social worker during a wellness check. More than 20 years since his mum's murder, Taylor says he is still impacted everyday by her death and dealing with the trauma of his childhood.
Recalling the day of the killing, he said his dad have forced his way into the house and was demanding to see his children. Taylor, a student and social media influencer from Tampa, Florida, US, said "I was in my crib so I didn’t see it.
"He went over to my mother's house and said he wanted to see me and Tyler. My mum said no and that she doesn’t want to see him.
"He forced his way into the house – my brother was two and a half – my father told Tyler to go into the room but would peek his head out and at that point he witnessed the murder of my mother."
During the two weeks Patricia's naked body lay in the wardrobe, Taylor's dad tried to maintain a normal life.
He added: "Over the course of those two weeks, my father would answer the door and people would ask where Patricia is.
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"He would say she was down at the beach, out partying or even on vacation. Around two weeks after the murder, a social worker came round to the house to do a wellness check.
"That's when they found my mother and my father was arrested."
Taylor explained that his parents had separated shortly after he was born, however his father did not take the break up well and soon fell into a "downward spiral". He added: "From what I know she was a good woman - she met my father in high school. My mother decided to separate from my father and when she did that he went into a spiral.
"He didn't handle it very well, from what I know he had a lot of issues."
After being arrested and charged with first-degree murder in June 1997, John took his own life behind bars.
He said: "I will never feel the love of a parent but now I am older I have come to terms with everything. I don't think I connect with any parental figure and that is the hardest part for me.
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"From what I know my mum was a good woman, she was very outgoing and loved to party. She liked to have fun but when she had kids that's when her life turned around and she wanted to focus on her children."
Following the death of their parents, Taylor and Tyler were put in a foster home, however their grandparents, Patricia's mum and dad campaigned for them to stay within the family. Eventually, Taylor and his brother moved to Maryland, US to live with their aunt.
He said: "My aunt already had three children that were well on their way to 18 years old.
"My brother and I were young children, but they took us in and raised us. At 12 years old we moved to Florida and things went downhill from there."
Taylor said he "followed the wrong path" and started abusing drugs and alcohol from a young age. However, he has since turned his life around and is studying for a degree in business.
He said: "That carried on until I was around 18 or 19. I was still going to jail for trespassing and stealing. At 21, I was arrested for driving under the influence and that is when I realised life had to start happening.
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"I never felt the love of a parent but now I am older I have come to terms with everything. I don't think I have ever connected with any parental figure and that is the hardest part - I will never understand that love or emotion.
"I find love through my friends and other family members but when it comes to mum and dad, I will never have that."
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