Man convicted in death of the Brambletts’ pleads guilty to drug test-related charge

Johnston Edward Taylor/Source: Lee County Jail

The man convicted in the 2019 deaths of Rod and Paula Bramblett had plead guilty to a drug test-related charge20-year-old Johnston Taylor plead guilty to the illegal use of synthetic urine.

Court records say on or about June 2, 2023, Taylor knowingly manufactured, marketed, sold, distributed, used or possessed synthetic urine or a urine additive to defraud an alcohol, drug or urine screening test by using a bottle of urine that had a hand warmer wrapped around the bottle.

Taylor was sentenced to 6 months in jail with a credit of 46 days already served. In addition, Taylor must complete the court ordered STOP program.

The drug tests were part of Taylor’s condition of bail on his six counts of possessing child pornography charges in 2022.

Taylor was charged with manslaughter in a 2019 car crash that killed the Brambletts. A judge sentenced him for their deaths in 2021, but details of that sentence weren’t released because he had been granted youthful offender status.