The Indianapolis man charged with murder in the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins in rural Farley is scheduled for a preliminary hearing next month.
Cordero T. Cervantes, 36, is alleged to have acted with McKayla Archambeau, of Parkville, in killing Hawkins. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Friday, May 22, but on May 19 Cordero appeared in custody and the state requested a continuance. No further continuances will be granted, per Judge Quint Shafer. A five-day trial is expected to be scheduled. In December 2025, Cervantes filed his own motion to dismiss the charge against him due to “inflammatory pretrial publicity and denial for a fair trial.” A bond reduction motion was also filed, as he is currently being held at the Platte County Detention Center without bond. That motion was denied.
Cervantes
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said the second-degree murder charge was filed in late 2025 following a lengthy investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. Cervantes was originally arrested along with co-defendant Archambeau, in 2022.
According to court documents, on June 28, 2022, Platte County deputies responded to a report of a shooting at a residence near 28000 Oberdiek Lane. A witness told deputies that Cervantes, Archambeau, and Hawkins went behind a barn on the property. Moments later, the witness heard a gunshot, followed by Hawkins shouting, “No! Why’d you do it?”
The witness then reported seeing Cervantes emerge from behind the barn allegedly “with a smirk on his face.” Court documents allege that Cervantes had encouraged Archambeau to shoot Hawkins after repeated arguments about her prior relationship with Hawkins.
Following the shooting, Cervantes and Archambeau allegedly fled Missouri in a 2012 Ford Focus, which was later recovered when both were arrested in Carlisle, Ark. Investigators believe the pair traveled across several states before being apprehended.
In a later interview, court documents state that Archambeau admitted to detectives that Cervantes pressured her to shoot Hawkins, allegedly telling her “he needs to go” and ordering her to “finish him” after the first shot. She stated that Cervantes rummaged through the victim’s pockets while he lay dying.
For her role in the murder, Archambeau pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree last August. She was sentenced to 22 years on that charge in late 2025.