Second man arrested in Bartlett cemetery corpse abuse case

March 30--A second man has been charged with abuse of a corpse and theft in connection with the mishandling of bodies at Galilee Memorial Cemetery, where widespread problems prompted a state takeover of operations.

Based on witness statements taken by an investigator in the Shelby County District Attorney General's office, Corey Taylor, 21, was arrested and charged Friday evening, according to an affidavit.

Taylor will face the same charges as the Bartlett cemetery's owner, Jamar Lambert, 38.

Galilee was closed Jan. 24 under a court injunction. The state Department of Commerce and Insurance has been granted receivership of the business, meaning they have oversight of it.

On Nov. 3, the witnesses, two funeral home directors, went to Galilee on Ellis Road and spoke with Taylor about Renisha Johnson, who was murdered almost a year ago.

According to the affidavit, Lambert instructed Taylor to exhume Johnson's body. When Taylor opened the casket, another "older female who was not fully decomposed and obviously not Renisha Johnson" was inside.

Taylor later took the men to office where he produced a separate set of records that showed the locations of gravesites containing three to four caskets.

The witnesses told the investigator they also saw the casket-stacking and knew that the families of the deceased did not grant permission to the cemetery to occupy their graves with multiple bodies.

The affidavit also said Taylor was present when Robert "Juicy" Savage crushed caskets with the wheel of a backhoe to make room for several caskets in a grave.

On Feb. 10, a $100 million class-action lawsuit was filed in Chancery Court against the cemetery and two funeral homes. On the same day, a Davidson County court granted the state control of operations at Galilee.

Johnson's father is one of the key plaintiffs in another lawsuit seeking class status for relatives of those buried at the Bartlett cemetery. The lawsuit -- filed by attorneys Howard Manis and Jimmy Blount -- also names several funeral homes, saying the businesses continued to use Galilee despite knowing the cemetery didn't have a license.

Former U.S. Atty. David Kustoff is the state-appointed receiver working on straightening out the affairs at Galilee, including the finances.

Taylor was released on a $5,000 bond Saturday. He is due in court on Monday.

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