Brian Waldron is now about a month away from standing trial in the case. Police say they might never have known Waldron killed Jonathan Taylor if he hadn't turned himself in three days later. And as the case gets closer to trial, both investigators and mental health experts told us they're not convinced Taylor is the only person Waldron killed.
Taylor's body was in pieces when police found it near Shaver Lake four years ago. Brian Waldron led officers to the spot where he buried the dismembered body and exclusive Action News video shows them taking it away.
Waldron claimed self-defense in a police interview played in court Monday, but the dismemberment raised eyebrows among psychologists and ABC-30 legal analyst Tony Capozzi.
"This is not something a normal person would do," Capozzi said. "There may be a problem with this individual. It may be a mental problem, may be a drug problem. He may be a sadist who takes pleasure in doing something like this."
A judge wouldn't allow us to show the videotaped interview, but in it, Waldron said the 21-year-old victim came uninvited into his apartment here in East Central Fresno. He said he was scared because Taylor had what he believed was a Bulldog gang tattoo on his face. There was a struggle, and Waldron said he ended up beating Taylor to death. He admitted to using a kitchen knife and a hacksaw to cut up the body, but never explained why. Capozzi says that may be the key to his defense.
"If he's living next door to Bulldog members and other Bulldog gang members, he may have a concern," Capozzi said. "His rationale may seem to be, 'I need to get rid of the body. I don't want anybody to know about this.'"
Waldron refused to answer questions about why he locked the door behind Taylor instead of leaving, as well as about how many times he hit Taylor with a metal flashlight, and the vehicle he used to take Taylor's body from Fresno to the mountains. He may have to answer those questions at trial.
Waldron's case is in pre-trial motions right now. The trial itself is scheduled to start in about a month.
