Authorities charged a Virginia man with the murder of missing 17-year-old Alexis Murphy, NBC4 reported.
A special grand jury indicted Randy Allen Taylor of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, abduction with intent to defile, and grand larceny. The last charge is unrelated to Murphy's case.
"The return of the indictments only means that the grand jury found that probable cause exists for the charges I mentioned and that Randy Taylor should go on trial for those charges," said Nelson County Commonwealth's Attorney Anthony Martin.
Taylor will appear in court on Monday and be served with new indictments. He was arrested on Aug. 11 after authorities found a strand of Murphy's hair in his camper. Murphy was last seen on Aug. 3, 2013 at a gas station talking to Taylor. Three days after her disappearance, her car was found in a parking lot in Charlottesville.
One month later, the FBI announced they discovered Murphy's cell phone, though they did not disclose where or how they found it.
Todd Stone, a legal expert for CBS 6, said some of the charges carry a life sentence.
"It is much more difficult to prove a murder case when there is no body, but it can be done," Stone said. "In cases where a body is found, the medical examiner performs an autopsy and testifies about the cause of death and that is normally very helpful for the prosecutor. In this case, it will need to be proven with other evidence."
Taylor is being held without bond at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail.
