McKayla Archambeau, 25, pleaded guilty in August to the 2022 killing of 31-year-old Taylor Hawkins near Farley, Missouri, and was sentenced on Friday in Platte County. She was convicted of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and two counts of tampering, receiving 22 years for the murder plus additional terms for the other convictions. Prosecutors allege Archambeau shot Hawkins; co-defendant Cordero Cervantes is accused of helping clean the vehicle and later faced an added second-degree murder charge. Both suspects were arrested out of state and returned to Missouri on July 7, 2022.
McKayla Archambeau Sentenced to Decades in 2022 Platte County Killing of 31-Year-Old Taylor Hawkins
McKayla Archambeau, 25, pleaded guilty in August to the 2022 killing of 31-year-old Taylor Hawkins near Farley, Missouri, and was sentenced on Friday in Platte County. She was convicted of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and two counts of tampering, receiving 22 years for the murder plus additional terms for the other convictions. Prosecutors allege Archambeau shot Hawkins; co-defendant Cordero Cervantes is accused of helping clean the vehicle and later faced an added second-degree murder charge. Both suspects were arrested out of state and returned to Missouri on July 7, 2022.
08:53 AM, 11/15/2025Society
McKayla Archambeau Sentenced in 2022 Platte County Killing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — McKayla Archambeau, 25, who pleaded guilty in August to the 2022 killing of 31-year-old Taylor Hawkins near Farley, Missouri, was sentenced in Platte County court on Friday, according to court records.
Archambeau admitted to second-degree murder, armed criminal action, first-degree tampering and tampering with physical evidence. Court records show she received a 22-year prison term for the murder conviction, three years for the armed criminal action count, seven years for the first tampering charge and four years for the second tampering charge.
Those records state that Hawkins’ body was discovered on June 28, 2022, at a home on Oberdiek Lane near Farley. Prosecutors allege Archambeau shot Hawkins. A co-defendant, Cordero Cervantes, is accused of assisting Archambeau by wiping down Hawkins’ vehicle after the incident; Cervantes was initially charged with tampering and had a second-degree murder charge added in recent weeks. He has not yet been sentenced.
Officials say both suspects were arrested in another state and were returned to Missouri on July 7, 2022. The facts and sentencing details are drawn from court filings and statements from local prosecutors.