Lenoir man sentenced in beating death of homeless man

LENOIR, N.C. — A Lenoir man will spend the next two decades in prison for murdering a homeless man.
 
Cory Vanover was not happy about the outcome of the case, cussing both the judge and prosecutor but also admitting again that he killed Michael Taylor.
 
"(Explicative) the judge," Vanover said. "(Explicative) the D.A."
 
The judge sentenced Vanover to spend the next 18 1/2 to 23 years in prison.
 
Vanover beat Taylor to death two years ago, police said.

He was found dead near a campsite in the woods behind the Lenoir Mall.
 
The two men knew each other, police said.
 
Vanover told Channel 9 he beat Taylor to death with his hands and feet after Taylor made an unwanted sexual pass at him. 

"I was so drunk," Vanover said. "I didn't make the right decision."

"What did you do?" he was asked.

"I beat him to death," Vanover said.
 
Taylor's friends and family, who did not want to be interviewed, shared a statement Tuesday in court after Vanover pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
 
They mentioned the difficulty of the last 26 months since Taylor's death. 
 
"It's a pain that never goes away," the family said in the statement. "The term closure, as we so often hear, still hasn't come. There is no moving on. There is nothing that makes you feel better."
 
They said, "Time heals all wounds, but I have to disagree."

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