Bloomingdale man gets 50 years for killing disabled nephew

A Bloomingdale man accused of killing his nephew in 2020 has been sentenced to 50 years in prison, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

Dominick Taylor, 54, formerly of 223 Freeport Drive, appeared in court June 20 where Judge Brian Telander handed down the sentence.

In 2020, Taylor was living with his wife and 43-year-old physically and mentally disabled nephew, Damian B. Scott. Taylor was Scott’s primary caregiver.

On April 26, 2020, Taylor’s wife discovered Scott’s lifeless body in his bedroom of the house they all shared. She called Bloomingdale police who initiated an investigation. It is alleged that in the early morning hours that day, Taylor, who was Scott’s full-time caretaker for more than a decade, strangled him to death in his bedroom, according to the release.

After killing Scott, who was blind and unable to walk, Taylor, without permission, withdrew cash from his wife’s bank account, turned off his cellphone and bought a one-way Amtrak train ticket from Chicago to East Lansing, Michigan, without notifying his wife or family, according to the release.

Scott was brought to the Glen Oaks Medical Center where he was pronounced dead about 3:17 p.m. After a postmortem examination performed by the DuPage County Coroner’s Office, a deep tissue hemorrhage around the victim’s hyoid bone was identified, which is consistent with manual strangulation. The exam also identified a healed fracture around the thyroid cartilage determined to be evidence of a previous strangulation, according to the release.

On April 28, 2020, Taylor was arrested on a local warrant in Michigan. He refused extradition from Michigan and a governor’s warrant was approved. Taylor was brought to DuPage County and appeared in Bond Court on June 13, 2020, where bond was set at $2 million in accordance with a previously issued arrest warrant. He has remained in custody at the DuPage County jail since that time.

On Feb. 27, Taylor entered a plea of guilty to one count of first-degree murder, according to the release.

“Domestic violence comes in many forms,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “What I find particularly disturbing in this case, however, is the fact that as Damian’s caretaker, Mr. Taylor was responsible for the safety and well-being of Damian. His mission was to protect Damian’s life, not take it, as alleged in this case.”

DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen acknowledged the work by Deputy Coroner Michael Hutchens and staff in the investigation of Scott’s death.

“In the course of a postmortem examination, Chief Forensic Pathologist Hilary McElligott used her extensive training and experience to identify signs of strangulation and alerted officials of her finding that this case was a homicide,” Jorgensen said. “Her work was instrumental in the subsequent arrest of Dominick Taylor.”

Taylor will be required to serve 100% of his sentence.