
MURDERED: Aaron Taylor
Aaron Taylor was 36 and experiencing homelessness when he was lit on fire on Christmas Day in 2007. Police think they know who’s responsible… but a lack of physical evidence…coupled with reluctant witnesses…has kept this case open for years. But multiple people know what happened…and investigators are hoping they’ll come forward.

For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode.
A Google Earth aerial view of the strip mall where Aaron’s body was found on fire
Photo Source: Google Earth
A crime scene photo of the charring left behind after Aaron was set on fire
Photo Source: Phoenix Police Department
A crime scene photo of the benches and tables in the courtyard
Photo Source: Phoenix Police Department
Please contact the authorities If you have any information about the following:
If you have any information about the death of Aaron Taylor, please contact the Phoenix Police Department at (602) 495-5883 or email [email protected]. You can also leave tips anonymously by contacting Silent Witness at 1-800-343-TIPS, or on its website at silentwitness.org.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Phoenix Police Department case files
- Arizona Department of Corrections records
- Phoenix New Times: A Paradise Valley homeless man who burned to death in December may have been tortured by John Dickerson
- The Arizona Republic: Phoenix cold case: Police seek killers who burned homeless man alive by Megan Cassidy
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