The Columbus woman charged with aggravated murder after a 5-year-old boy died in her care has denied a plea deal and will go to trial.
Pammy Maye, 50, who is charged in the death of Darnell Taylor, appeared briefly Friday morning for a hearing at the Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Sam Shamansky, Maye's attorney, said his client understood the prosecutors’ plea deal but would rather go to trial.
At the start of the hearing, Maye rose and began shouting “God is dead” before she was ushered out of the courtroom.
The prosecutors’ offer would have had Maye plead guilty to aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse. She is also charged with three counts of tampering with evidence. The charges carry a sentence between 21 years and life in prison.
Maye’s trial is scheduled to start on Nov. 9.
Last year, Maye was declared not competent to stand trial, though in April of this year, she was deemed competent to stand trial.
Maye allegedly killed Taylor on Feb. 14, 2024, and discarded his body in a sewer drain in Columbus before fleeing to the Cleveland area, according to court documents. Police found and arrested Maye in Brooklyn, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb, and later recovered Taylor's body.
Maye was the boy's legal guardian.
