(John Taylor, right, was inducted in Huntington Beach’s Walk of Fame in 2011 and arrested in a murder-for-hire conspiracy along with his two sons. Photo: Orange County Register)
Surfers John Taylor, his sons Joseph Taylor and Matthew Taylor, along with friend Travis Sprague were arrested in connection to a murder-for-hire plot in Huntington Beach. Of the three, 29-year old Joseph Taylor has been charged with solicitation of murder and attempted murder after offering money to undercover police officers posing as hitmen to kill an unidentified woman. The Orange County District Attorney’s office has yet to release the identity of the targeted victim, but it is believed the motive behind the planned crime was financial gain for the four well known surfers.
Taylor’s bail was raised from $1 million to $3 million dollars on May 14th when a prosecutor pointed out that he likely had the means to post the original amount. A Deputy District Attorney added that the family has an accessible yacht in Newport Harbor, and knowing Taylor had recently spent time in Mexico they were afraid he would flee.
John Taylor, the 67-year old father of Joseph Taylor, was inducted into Huntington Beach’s Surfing Walk of Fame in 2001 as a member of the “Hole in the Wall Gang”, a popular surf team that started in the 1960’s. John competed in tandem surfing as well in the WSA and United States Championships. John opened The Little Shop of Repairs and John Taylor Surfboards in Huntington Beach. The younger of the two sons arrested, Matthew, shapes boards and surfed competitively. He was an NSSA competitor and member of Huntington Beach High’s surf team. One local photographer referred to the Taylor family as staples in the pier’s lineup, pointing out that John and Matt “have legacies there”.
