PENSACOLA, Florida (WKRG) – Newly obtained court documents illuminate the financial problems that may have led to the murder of Taylor Wright. Her friend, Ashley McArthur is charged Wright’s death. According to the affidavit for search warrant filed by Pensacola Police Detective Chad Wilhite, Ashley McArthur deposited a check for $34,000 into a joint account held by Ashley McArthur, her husband Zachary and Taylor Wright.  In the days leading up to that deposit, the account was overdrawn several times, and for over a month at one point, according to the filing.

“A review of the joint account showed on 07/03/2017 the account was negative $43.33 and stayed in the negative until 8/10/2017 until two small deposits ($26.89 and $160.00) were made on 08/10/2017.  The account went back into negative on 08/14/2017 and continued to be in the negative until 08/15/2017 when two small deposits were made ($75.00 and $17.50)” – Detective Chad Wilhite

The report continues that on 8/16/2017, a cashiers check made out to Taylor Wright was deposited into the account in the amount of $34,000.  Bank records included in the affidavit show that there were several transfers from the joint account to the McArthur’s account and, that by the next day, the balance was down to $627.57.

Detective Wilhite states that Detective Jef Brown compared the signatures on two other checks deposited by Talyor Wright into her account appears to be different from the signature of the $34,000 check deposited into the joint account.

Taylor Wright was reported missing on September 14, 2017, by her domestic partner, Cassandra Waller after Wright spent the day with McArthur, according to the arrest report filed late last week.  According to that report, Wright was attempting to get the money she had left with McArthur back.  According to a second affidavit for search warrant filed, Ashley McArthur had kept $20,000 in cash and several cashiers checks made out to Wright in her home.  According to the documents, Wright took nearly $100,000 from a joint account she held with her now ex-husband before the assets were divided and she was under a court order to return the money.

Taylor Wright’s body was discovered on October 19 buried on property next to the McArthur residence in north Escambia County,

Ashley McArthur is being held on a $1 Million bond and is due in court on November 9, 2017.