Woman pleads guilty to the 2021 murder of a disabled man

Heather Watson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for her role in the killing of Josh Taylor, a 32-year-old developmentally disabled man.

Taylor was found by Bollinger County deputies April 2, 2021, lying face up and partially submerged in a pond on Bollinger County Road 346. Deputies found several injuries to Taylor's face, including bruises on his eyes and nose as well as other abrasions and lacerations.

Watson committed the murder with Joshua Proffer, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in November and sentenced to life in prison. Watson was sentenced Dec. 21 by Judge Scott Lipke.

A witness told investigators that Taylor was restrained to a chair inside Proffer and Watson's residence, according to previous reporting. According to the witness, Watson struck Taylor at Proffer's instruction, repeatedly with closed fists and a bar of soap that was placed inside a sock. The witness also told police a towel had been placed over Taylor's head, covering his face, and water was continuously poured onto it. Proffer dragged Taylor's body outside and placed it in the pond after he died, according to previous reporting.

Proffer and Watson were originally charged with first-degree murder.

Joshua Proffer

"I would like to thank the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control, as well as many other entities that assisted with obtaining the sentences and convictions pertaining to this investigation," Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham said in a statement on the sheriff's office's Facebook page. "I hope the conclusion of this investigation brings closure to the victim's family in their grieving process regarding the loss of their loved one."