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Kristie Marks known to dote on her daughter, but a venture to North Hill Saturday ends badly
By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009
Kristie Marks drove into the housing projects of Akron believing she was doing what she's done so often — helping her daughter out of a jam.
The well-to-do Copley businesswoman, who raised her child alone since her husband's death, could not have known her motherly act was just her role in a deadly plot.
In an instant, a knife was plunged inside her.
Her daughter, 20-year-old Taylor Marks, saw it all and frantically placed a 911 call from the parking lot, tearfully telling a dispatcher of the crime and the assailant who ran off into the darkness.
Hours later, police say Taylor Marks was telling a different story to Akron detectives — one in which she admits luring her mother to the Springdale Street apartment complex on Saturday so that a friend could kill and she could collect a tidy inheritance.
''More or less, it comes down to money,'' police detective James Pasheilich said Monday.
Taylor Marks, her boyfriend, Brian S. Smith, 20, and their friend, Troy Purdie II, 19, are each charged with complicity to aggravated murder. They remain in the Summit County Jail.
Police say Marks lived with Smith and his mother in the subsidized apartment complex in North Hill. The two, detectives say, plotted with Purdie to kill
Kristie Marks, 58. Purdie was to be paid $5,000 for his efforts.
Their plot worked — for a couple of hours. Pasheilich said the three were questioned separately at the department and gave conflicting accounts of the stabbing.
Before midnight, all three conceded their plan, he said.
''They were talking about [killing Marks] for a while,'' Pasheilich said. ''These three admit that they had spoken and talked numerous times about doing this.
''[Taylor] Marks admitted that she was upset with her mother [and] wanted her mother dead. She mentioned that her mom has money and has a will and that she believes that her name's on the will because she saw it.''
Evidence found
Police say they have recovered Purdie's bloody clothing and a knife they say was used in the slaying.
Kristie Marks co-owned a Visiting Angels home health-care franchise in Medina. She also inherited money after the death of her husband, Bruce, in 2002, a family member said.
County property records show a trust in her name as the owner of a Copley Township home worth more than $300,000.
Family members and friends say Kristie Marks was well off and she doted on Taylor, a 2008 graduate of Copley High School.
''She overly loved her daughter,'' said Jeffrey Buckholder, Kristie Marks' brother, who lives in Sarasota, Fla. ''I'm not going to say she smothered her, but Taylor, I'm sure, lived well. I never would have dreamt this.''
Family history
The Marks family had traveled around the country from coast to coast for most of Taylor Marks' early years. Bruce Marks was a director at a telecommunications firm in New Jersey at the time of his death.
Kristie Marks and Taylor moved to Copley in 2003 to be closer to her family and her business partner and close friend, Gail McEnteer. The Marks family drove nice cars, owned horses and loved their three dogs.
After high school, Taylor Marks attended the University of Akron. She took classes last spring, but was not registered this semester, a UA spokeswoman said.
On her MySpace social Internet page, Taylor Marks talks about missing her father, whom she called ''Pappi,'' and boasts of having ''a loving mother'' and driving a 2006 Ford Focus.
She also talked about her future that included a husband and children and working ''in my Mom's business since she plans to give me her share of it one day after I graduate from collage! [sic]''
''Life is tough sometimes but the lessons I've learned from this are to appreciate every day, to try and focus on the positive things and to thank God everyday for the blessings He has put in my life,'' Taylor Marks wrote.
Changed relationship
Sometime in the past several months, after a falling out with her mother, Taylor Marks began dating Brian S. Smith, who lived in an Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority apartment with his mother, Tammy.
Eventually, Taylor Marks moved in with the family. Tammy Smith said Monday that she found her son's girlfriend ''a little bit whiny and spoiled.''
This month, police say the plan to kill Kristie Marks was hatched. It was supposed to appear like a random killing.
''I did not know he done this. I did not know he had this planned,'' said Tammy Smith. ''He admitted to helping his girlfriend do it. But it was her idea.''
Taylor and Kristie Marks were walking together in the parking lot when Purdie appeared and stabbed the mother, police said. He fled while Taylor Marks called 911.
''My mother has been stabbed in the parking lot,'' she said in a recorded call with a police dispatcher, '' . . . Someone just ran up behind my mom and stabbed her. . . . ''
Kristie Marks was pronounced dead at Akron City Hospital. By midnight Saturday, her daughter was in police custody facing murder charges.
Jeff Sigle, a friend of Kristie Marks, said he warned her about Taylor, her friends and the new lifestyle she was leading. He said Marks loved her daughter and would do anything for her, including venturing into Akron's rougher neighborhoods, if needed.
Sigle said he was concerned for his friend's safety because of the apparently powerful attraction that drew Taylor Marks from her suburban life.
''I kept telling Kristie to think the worse in every situation, you're being conned, you're being duped,'' he said. ''I told her to watch out for them, don't tread down there by yourself, don't go looking, don't get lured.
''For a girl who went from having everything she wants to living in that kind of situation, there's got to be a reason. It just doesn't happen and it doesn't happen overnight.''
Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
Kristie Marks drove into the housing projects of Akron believing she was doing what she's done so often — helping her daughter out of a jam.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Tallmadge, oh
Posted 06:09 AM, 10/27/2009
Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. In 6 months, this little tramp and her cohorts will be appearing in a courtroom near you, all cleaned up and remorseful. I won't be buying that little dog-and-pony show.
Posted 08:15 AM, 10/27/2009
Kill your mother over money? Are you kidding me? Put this dummy under the jail. "a lil whiny and spoiled" seems like she could have got anything she wanted from her mother.
Mogadore, OH
Posted 08:16 AM, 10/27/2009
skeptical- neither will the jury...
akron, oh
Posted 08:25 AM, 10/27/2009
Wow, how easily well-to-do kids are led astray. Well, she'll pay a hefty price for her affiliations.
Cross Lanes, WV
Posted 08:25 AM, 10/27/2009
She must be one cold-hearted person. How evil does one have to be to set up your own mother to be murdered? Sorry Taylor, honey - no sympathy from me for you or your mangy dawg cohorts. All three of you are worthless. Hopefully, you'll never see a dime from your mother's estate.
Akron, oh
Posted 08:48 AM, 10/27/2009
Remember all you little want a B's who listen to all these Rap ghetto glory songs. Stupid is stupid and the JETS ARE FULL OF STUPID PEOPLE WHO MADE THE WRONG DECISIONS IN LIFE
akron, oh
Posted 09:15 AM, 10/27/2009
Keep them skinny so we will not have a problem finding a vein when the time comes.
Posted 09:33 AM, 10/27/2009
If they plead guilty, does that disqualify them from the death penalty?
akron, oh
Posted 10:04 AM, 10/27/2009
if they plead guilty than why would we need any appeals. Straight to the guerny.. In fact, lets tell them that if they confees they will only get life and when they do confess say "psych" give me your arm......
hazzard, nc
Posted 10:14 AM, 10/27/2009
wonder who's idea it was.....
Akron, OH
Posted 11:04 AM, 10/27/2009
Connelly-A guilty plea does not necessarily disqualify a death sentence in a death sentence case unless a deal is reached prior to the plea.
These type of sad cases almost always come down to money and/or drugs.
akron, oh
Posted 11:26 AM, 10/27/2009
LieD, I don't like Rap myself. I don't blame every stupid act on it. Ever catch CSI. The red head and blond beauty kill someone every day. No paperwork and all smiles. So don't go there.
I'd like to see all the "0's" at the end of the Rapcheckbook.
Posted 12:50 PM, 10/27/2009
''Life is tough sometimes but the lessons I've learned from this are to appreciate every day, to try and focus on the positive things and to thank God everyday for the blessings He has put in my life,'' Taylor Marks wrote.
What a hypocrit she is! Just full of BS!
Posted 01:51 PM, 10/27/2009
"How evil does one have to be to set up your own mother to be murdered?"....and WATCH IT HAPPEN! Sick.
Posted 02:38 PM, 10/27/2009
Sounds like mom was a good person. I'm sorry but there's a whole culture of people ( all races) that think nothing of doing these kinds of things. It's hard for anybody who's never been around it to understand. There is absolutely no moral compass,no empathy for others and no thought of the future. This is a good example of that loser lifestyle intermingling with "regular" people. What a brilliant criminal plan, kill Mom then blame the random black guy. They were under arrest within hours...i d i o t s
Shaker Hts., OH
Posted 02:53 PM, 10/27/2009
Here's Taylor Marks' "About Me", in full, from her MySpace:
"My name is Taylor! I am 2O years old and live just outside Akron Ohio. I attend Akron University this fall and i just gradguated from copley on June 2,2008!!!I also have a loving mother and drive a Ford Focus 2006! We have 3 dogs and I adore kids and almost all animals.I hope to have a bunch of both someday! My dad died 5 years ago and I still love and miss him so much. R.I.P. Pappi(dad in Spanish and what I often called him). Life is tough sometimes but the lessons I've learned from this are to appreciate every day, to try and focus on the positive things and to thank God everyday for the blessings He has put in my life. Most of the time I am very happy but sometimes things do get to me.My hopes for the future include college, a great job, a wonderful husband and fabulous kids (in that order) Maybe I will work in my Mom's business since she plans to give me her share of it one day after I graduate from collage!"
Posted 03:42 PM, 10/27/2009
This young lady must be dislusional, I find it hard to beleive she wrote that in her MySpace, then several months later cococts a plan to murder her mother-I am just amazed at the criminal mind! Remember the movie "The Bad Seed", well this is turning out to be one.
Posted 04:52 PM, 10/27/2009
What a heartloss POS. How can somebody do this to their own mother? Well, at least they were caught rather quickly. Hopefully they will be prosecuted and found guilty (then the 100 year appeal will start).
Posted 04:53 PM, 10/27/2009
correct last post, "hearless" not "hearloss"
akron, oh
Posted 05:03 PM, 10/27/2009
Hard to believe this could happen in such a nice neighborhood. I'm sure the hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens there are worried sick now.
Norton, Oh
Posted 05:40 PM, 10/27/2009
Police say Marks lived with Smith and his mother in the subsidized apartment complex in North Hill.
Thats a violation of the residency laws for AMHA housing. Kick em out!
Also, lets see who gets mor jail time... The daughter who (sarcasm) "masterminded" the murder, or the crack head who did it.
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 05:42 PM, 10/27/2009
Sheila,Sheila....nice neighborhood? Ever been there? I don't think so....Skeptical said it all in the first post. Lots of dogs around there !!
Akron, OH
Posted 10:46 PM, 10/27/2009
I recommend DEATH for the two instigators. Not sure what to say about the fool that would kill somebody for a measly $5K.
Note to: Knucklehead (aka: Troy Purdie)
Re: Your roll as an assasin
If you are going to put the rest of your life on Earth on the line, next time, ask for more than $5K.
:0/
Shaker Hts., OH
Posted 02:26 AM, 10/28/2009
I hate to break it to you all, but Taylor Marks will most likely not receive the death sentence or spend the rest of her life in prison. I suspect she will plea bargain and get something like life with eligibility for parole after 25-30 years. If I'm right, she might get out of prison in middle age.
IMO, since she has already confessed, she should be immediately put to death. But, she will likely live to see freedom again.
Shaker Hts., OH
Posted 02:34 AM, 10/28/2009
"If you are going to put the rest of your life on Earth on the line, next time, ask for more than $5K."
He's obviously not too bright. Living "in the moment" as so many of our youth who throw their lives away over stupid decisions. IT's almost comical (if it weren't so tragic) how they spent two weeks planning this murder and it was so poorly planned. Thank God for that, BTW. But think how stupid these people were. Did they not realize the police would instantly suspect them? Did they think the police would believe that some total stranger just ran up to the mother and stabbed her from behind for no reason? Did they not know they would be put in separate rooms for questioning to see if they give the same stories?
And how stupid must this wannabe hit man feel, now that the girl who hired him confessed everything within 4 hours of questioning?
I sure hope all three spend the rest of their lives in prison, or better yet, are executed. People who commit premeditated murders in such cold fashion deserve to die. Sadly, I suspect all three will one day be paroled.
Shaker Hts., OH
Posted 02:38 AM, 10/28/2009
You know what the smarter hit man does? He kills the person who hired him after getting the money. You know, like in that movie Blood Simple.
Posted 05:41 AM, 10/28/2009
Zapdog has it right, the trickle down effect. Throw the whole crew off the public dole. Boyfriends mother obviously didn't raise a child that knows right from wrong. There are consequences for standing mute.
Posted 10:34 AM, 10/28/2009
well said theo6696. One of the stupidest plans in the history of stupid plans.
medina, oh
Posted 10:57 AM, 10/28/2009
it is a horrible and evil thing that was done. And instead of everyone jumping on the band wagon of name calling and "class" racism maybe you should take the time to pray for them and all of their family who is affected by this, cause they don't need comments saying how wrong it was. pray for them, because they need it.
akron, oh
Posted 11:35 AM, 10/28/2009
This homicides is sad true.But not unusual. All of you old dudes remember the Hair Care products owner. The Country Club owner?
akron, oh
Posted 11:36 AM, 10/28/2009
Oops, x out the "s" in Homicide.
Cleveland, OH
Posted 01:01 PM, 10/28/2009
Where's that guy who blamed the Atheist community for this crime in another thread? Taylor Marks' mother was a Conservative Christian registered Republican. Little Taylor invoked the name of God in everything she wrote.
Fairlawn, OH
Posted 01:55 PM, 10/28/2009
I dont have much to say about this. Taylor, as my old best friend in high school, never seemed to have anything wrong with her, except her being a little emotional at times. I wish she had not done such a stupid stunt, throwing the rest of her life away. I will miss her mother tremendously, who was a very kindhearted person. She treated me like her own daughter. Personally, I do not think that ANYONE should receive the death penalty, no matter what the crime. They are best put away in jail for the rest of their lives. I just hope she is feeling extreme guilt for what she did.
Fairlawn, OH
Posted 02:12 PM, 10/28/2009
I have another thing to say here. All you ignorant people need to stop with these hateful comments. None of you have actually known the Mark's family. You have no clue about their lives. Maybe if you knew them like I did, you would change your perspectives. It really hurts the family and friends of their family, and you all are just adding more hurt to us. Please keep your comments to yourself.
Ashland, OH
Posted 08:49 PM, 10/29/2009
I am truely nauseated by some of the comments that you people have left. Taylor was a close friend of my roommate. She was adopted by her mother and came from a horrible home. Her real mother was on drugs and didn't take care of her. Her dad died a few years ago and everyone in her high school made fun of her because she was different. She only had a few friends and everyone thought she was a freak because she was bipolar. I don't condone what she did at all. I think it is sick and horrifying, but please have some respect. My roommate grew up with her and never knew her to be hurtful or cold person. There are people who loved Taylor and her mother and are struggling terribly with this situation, so keep your demented ignorant comments about the death penalty and staying skinny "to find a vein" to yourselves. If that is the only comment you can give, when family and friends are confused and heart broken, then you are no better than those that killed Kristie. Have some respect and compassion. Don't presume to understand the pain of a situation that is so awful for those involved.
Athens, Oh
Posted 07:57 AM, 10/31/2009
omd & katie18: if you're this close to the situation and their opinions makes you so distraught, you shouldn't even read the posts...
akron, oh
Posted 06:22 PM, 11/06/2009
FOR LieD, AND OTHERS WHO THINK LIKE YOU. SO YOU THNK THAT RAP MUSIC AND THE GHETTO IS THE REASON THAT MS. TAYLOR BECAME THE WAY SHE. THINK AGAIN. THERE ARE MUCH MORE TERRIBLE CRIMES BEING COMMITTED IN THE SUBURBS THAN IN THE INNER CITY. THEY JUST KEEP IT OUT OF THE MEDIA. THEY KILL THEIR PARENTS, THEN GO TO THEIR SCHOOL AND SHOT IT UP. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT POLITICAL PARTY YOU BELONG TO OR SHOULD IT. LIKE I HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR SOME TIME. "IF YOUR WHITE YOU PUT THEM IN THE SPOT LIGHT, BUT IF YOUR BLACK YOU PUT THEM TO THE BACK. I FEEL THE ONLY WAY THAT THIS KIND OF SITUATIONS AND RACIST VIEWS WILL STOP, IS TO HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS THE MOST. MS. TAYLOR IS SITTING DOWN AT THE COUNTY JAIL LIKE SHE IS ON VACATION, ONE RELIABLE SOURCE TOLD ME. SHE HAS REMORSE TO WHAT SHE HAS DONE. HER MOTHER SPOILED HER TOO MUCH. SHE TRIED TO PROTECT HER FROM WHAT YOU CALL THE GHETTO, BUT WHEN SHE TRIED, IT COST HER HER LIFE...STOP BLAMMING THE PEOPLE FROM THE INNER CITIES, AND PUT THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS. BECAUSE I AM REALLY TIRED OF HEARING THAT SAME OLD BROKEN RECORD. I KNOW THAT IT IS HARD TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD ALL THE TIME, BUT HER MOTHER SHOULD OF SEEN SOME KIND OF SIGNS IN HER ADOPTED CHILD THAT WOULD MAKE HER THINK TWICE. BUT IT WAS THE LORDS WILL THAT IT WAS TIME FOR HER TO COME HOME TO REST.
