Idaho Falls man to face murder charge
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-Douglass Taylor, 34, has been bound to district court to face charges of first degree murder. Taylor appeared for a preliminary magistrate court hearing Thursday.
Taylor is charged in the death of 51-year-old Hermann Hans Woerrlein, a German man who had been living in Idaho Falls for several months.
According to court documents, police were called to investigate a stabbing at a group home at 1710 S. Higbee at about 10:30 p.m. on March 10, 2020.
A witness told police he saw Taylor standing over Woerrlein, stabbing him in the neck and slicing his throat. He said Taylor ran away from the home after the incident.
In a subsequent interview, officers said Taylor claimed to have “brutally stabbed that guy” with a three-and-a-half inch knife about 15 times before cutting his throat.
Taylor claimed Woerrlein was attempting to start a new cult based on German mythology. He told police he was an atheist and did not tolerate proselytizing. According to the documents, Taylor said he thought he should go to jail and then on to prison.
A district court will ultimately decide that beginning with an arraignment February 2. If found guilty, Taylor could face 10 years to life in prison, a $5,000 fine, and or financial restitution of up to $50,000.
