Trial set for former teaching assistant accused of sexually assaulting a student and conspiring to kill them and their parent

(AP) – Trial has been set for a former suburban St. Louis teaching assistant accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old student, then conspiring to kill the boy and his mother. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 38-year-old Deonte Taylor’s trial was set for Aug. 9 on Thursday after plans for him to plead guilty to charges in the case fell through. Prosecutors have said Taylor was a teaching assistant with the Hazelwood School District in 2015 when he took the child out of class and sexually assaulted him. Prosecutors say months later, Taylor and his boyfriend conspired to murder the boy and his mother to keep them from testifying against Taylor.