PADUCAH, Ky. (WBKO) - A Hopkinsville man is awaiting his fate after pleading guilty to damaging religious property.

According to court documents, on January 28 and 29, 27-year-old Marley R. Taylor of Hopkinsville destroyed a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus located at a Catholic church by using an axe to chop off both statues’ heads.

Taylor admitted that he intentionally decapitated the statue of Mary and Jesus because he believed people prayed to the statue as an act of worship. The statue had been hand-carved from marble and imported from Italy.

He pleaded guilty to one count of damage to religious property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. If the court accepts the terms of the plea agreement, Taylor faces a penalty of not more than 3 years in prison

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