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'We knew her as Maya,' new details emerge about Windsor mother killed in 2018

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Windsor, Ont. -

The first-degree murder trial of Jitesh Bhogal, 31, continues in Superior Court, charged in the death of Autumn Taggart.

Testimony from three witnesses has revealed Taggart, 31, also went by the name Maya.

Chris Sherwin, the father of Taggart’s son, Sherwin’s fiancé Kristle Quinlan and her mother, Kelly Quinlan all testified they knew Taggart as Maya.

Sherwin testified she wanted to legally change her name but there is no evidence to this point to indicate Taggart ever did.

Court heard Sherwin and the Quinlans were together on June 10, 2018, when a text message was received from Taggart’s son, “Mommy’s not waking up.”

They all testified they arrived at 1382 University Avenue within “minutes” of the text message.

Kristle Quinlan testified Sherwin went in alone at first, before returning with his son, and asked her to come into the apartment, leaving the boy with Kelly Quinlan in the parking lot.

“Chris said, I think she (Taggart) is dead,” Kristle Quinlan told the jury.

She testified she went into the apartment to Taggarts room.

Quinlan told the court Taggart’s body was covered with a blanket up to her collarbone and “she had blood and bruises all over her face.”

When she didn’t get a response from Taggart, Quinlan and Sherwin left the apartment to call 9-1-1.

Kelly Quinlan testified she then went into the apartment to see if she could help.

“I seen Maya on the bed (with a blanket) completely covering her except for her left hand and her head.”

Quinlan told the Jury she couldn’t get a pulse on Taggarts’ wrist so she pulled the blanket down.

“That was when I noticed she was completely naked,” Quinlan told the court.

Kelly Quinlan returned to the parking lot as Kristle tried to direct dispatchers to the correct apartment, but she told the court there was confusion because they were using both Ms. Taggart’s names of Autumn and Maya.

Kelly Quinlan returned to the apartment to find ID for the deceased, and found identification with the name Autumn Taggart.

Quinlan says she stood at the door to the apartment until first responders arrived.

On cross-examination Kelly Quinlan was asked why this is the first time she testified she removed the blanket down to Taggart’s waist.

She told defence lawyer Maureen Salama, when she said “down to the waist” she meant the side of Taggarts body was visible to the waist, but the blanket still covered half of her body.

The cross-examination of Kristle Quinlan will commence Thursday in Superior Court.

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