WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A Watertown man is charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a woman in a city apartment building.
City police arrested Robert Taplin, 35, shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday on Water Street.
Robert Taplin(Jefferson County jail)
He’s accused of stabbing a 37-year-old woman at 661 Factory Street, Apartment 27. The woman’s name is being withheld until family members can be notified.
Police declined to say if Taplin and the woman knew each other. Officials said he admitted to the crime.
Taplin was being held in the Jefferson County jail pending his arraignment.
Convicted sex offender
According to the New York State Sex Offender Registry, Taplin is a convicted sex offender. It lists his address as 661 Factory Street, Apartment 26.
The registry says Taplin was convicted on a third-degree rape charge in 2013 for having sex with a 14-year-old girl.
He was sentenced to 18 months to 3 years in prison.
Arrested in Georgia murder case
In 2017, 7 News reported that he and another man from the North Country were arrested in connection with a murder in Ware County, Georgia.
A 72-year-old woman was found stabbed to death following a home invasion. While Taplin was not accused of murder, he was charged with first-degree arson in the case.
According to the Watertown Daily Times, Taplin pleaded guilty in 2018 to theft by bringing stolen property into the state, theft by receiving stolen property, and failure to register as a sex offender.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the newspaper reported.
Factory Street investigation
The stabbing is still under investigation. Police ask people with information to call Detective Gibbs at the Watertown Police Department at 315-786-2601.
Law enforcement officials from several agencies, including city police, the county sheriff’s office, state police and U.S. Border Patrol responded to the scene at around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Yellow police tape surrounded the building and an adjacent parking lot.
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