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Speaking for the first time about the story that Ben Fawley told investigators regarding how Taylor Behl died, Janet Pelasara disputes all but the fact that Fawley caused the death of her daughter. Speaking at a press conference outside of George Peterson's office in McLean, VA, Ms. Pelasara pointedly told reporters, "Let's be clear -- Ben Fawley murdered my daughter. His claim that it was accidental is just one more perversion of the truth in his ever-changing web of lies."

Just in case there was any confusion about her opinion, and I suspect that of most reality-based people, she clarified her point, saying she was speaking for Taylor calling Fawley "a big, fat liar!" She went on to say that Taylor did have one sexual experience with Fawley last April, but she said "she did it once out of curiosity and then wanted nothing else to do with him," discounting any notions that Taylor considered Fawley a "lover." Ms. Pelasara told the press that she learned of this part of Taylor's life through many talks with her closest friends in the weeks following Taylor's disappearance. "He has a dark side, and Taylor wasn't a dark-side kind of girl."

Continuing to speak of Taylor's final moments with Fawley, "It is apparent that my daughter died a violent and unspeakable death at the hands of Ben Fawley that night, and [Taylor] was not a willing participant." Speaking with a strong determination, Miss Behl's mother said, "I do not believe for one instant that Taylor had consensual sex with Ben Fawley on either Sept. 5 or Sept. 6." (I do not think that she was speaking of the legal definition of consent, as Taylor could have never had consensual sex with Fawley, as whe was not of the legal age to do so in Virginia -- where the law sets that age at 18.) Taylor's mother continues to call for the death penalty for Fawley, because of his "vile conduct." She also told the reporters that Ben Fawley is a "pathological liar."

George Peterson, Ms. Pelasara's attorney, addressed the gathered reporters about the validity of Fawley's story, "I believe the statements attributed to Mr. Fawley are something he did say. Do I believe they are the truth? Absolutely not." Peterson also spoke about Fawley's past history of violence against women, calling it "a very significant past." Restating information that has become public during the course of the investigation, Peterson said, "He has a violent nature. He choked previous girlfriends."

Having read through many of Fawley's online journals, Weblogs, and disjointed thoughts on other websites, and having read through the responses by former girlfriends, more than has claimed that Fawley choked them. One described the scene of a breakup where Fawley wrapped his arms around her neck, making it impossible to breathe. She said that as the light began to fade around the outside edges of her vision, she began to think she was dying. At that point, she reacted instinctually, slapping, stomping, and struggling until Fawley released her. Other girlfriends have described similar incidents, with at least one other saying she thought Fawley was intent on killing her. Some of the violent incidents in Fawley's recent history have placed him into the criminal justice system in Richmond.

The Washington Post reports that they spoke to Fawley's attorney, Chris Collins, who said that he would not comment. Collins did say that he would be seeking a "gag order" to prevent attorneys and investigators from speaking to the press. (Can a judge issue a gag order to an attorney that is not "on record' in the case? Peterson is neither the defense attorney nor the prosecuting attorney in this case. He represents the interests of Janet Pelasara and Taylor Behl.) Collins told Jim Collins of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "I'm a parent, and I can't imagine the agony she's going through."

As I have maintained since Fawley's "abduction/assault/robbery" story broke, Ms. Pelasara has drawn the same conclusions that I have: that Fawley concocted that story to explain away defensive wounds inflicted by Taylor as she unsucessfully fought for her life. "His story about the abductors putting a plastic bag over his head tells us that he is trying to account for the possibility that his fingerprints or DNA evidence might show up in the plastic bag he put my daughter in," she continued. Speaking about any further statements that Fawley may make, and with a strong conviction, she said, "I expect that when he is further confronted with the mounting evidence against him, his story will further change. And I will be here protecting my daughter's memory and correcting his lies." You may recall what Peterson said when the Fawley's feeble fable first came to light, "That doesn't make any sense. He might want to come up with a better alibi."

Student reactions to the story told by Fawley on the VCU campus were not of surprise, but rather what most expected. The Washington Times reported this reaction from 21-year old senior, and Vienna resident, Adiay Cradick, "I expected that he did it, but not her dying that way. It's just not something I would expect."

Taylor's mother spoke briefly about the role the media have played in the search for Taylor. Giving advice to other parents she said, "If it does happen to your child, beg the media, be nice to the media, use them, let them use you." Crediting the media she continued, "The media kept Taylor's face out there and kept the story going. If every missing child had that kind of coverage, maybe there would be fewer missing children."

The Washington Post
The Washington Times
Richmond Times-Dispatch

The links below are to the major network news and the stations in the area providing full coverage of Taylor's Case. These are the major source of the information provided on this site. Also included are links to the various Weblogs and other sites of interest.

The links below are to the major network news and the stations in the area providing full coverage of Taylor's Case. These are the major source of the information provided on this site. Also included are links to the various Weblogs and other sites of interest.

The information on this page was obtained through public and private sources. The images may be updated, changed, corrected, or deleted by E-mailing me at willnotagz@aol.com. You may also view an updated version of this webpage at: http://taylorbehl.notagz.com/. You may use the pictures and host them on official or other private sites. Where possible give collage credit to E-mail me at willnotagz@aol.com. I also welcome messages regarding broken links, continuity, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

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