Taylor George just started a new life. She was then killed downtown near the War Memorial.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

People like Taylor George are the reason Elder Coleman entered his line of work.

He’d known the 23-year-old for years through his job as an advocate for homeless people with Refuge Place Indy. The organization helped her through her life on the streets. In March 2022, she secured housing and a job at Subway along 38th Street with the nonprofit’s help.

“She was on her way to becoming one of our success stories,” Coleman told IndyStar.

Her new life tragically ended on May 19, 2022.

George died May 19, 2022, after being stabbed at a downtown Indianapolis park near the Indiana War Memorial. Coleman said she was handing out meals to homeless people that afternoon when court records show an argument broke out between her boyfriend and the suspected stabber.

Police on May 22, 2022, arrested Agripino Rivera, 43, in connection with the stabbing after detectives said witnesses and video camera footage identified him as a suspect. A preliminary probable cause affidavit said Rivera was confronted by George’s boyfriend, who said the man was taking photos of George. The argument escalated into Rivera pulling out a knife and stabbing the young woman in the neck, then running away.

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George died shortly after arriving at Eskenazi Hospital.

On Oct. 2, 2024, Rivera was found guilty of one count of reckless homicide after a jury heard his case in a three-day jury trial. On Oct. 25, 2024, he was sentenced to six years in prison.

The case is a particularly heartbreaking one for Coleman. He lamented how someone like George, who was rebuilding her life, could face such violence trying to help others. George regularly helped Refuge Place Indy pass out food at a city-approved site near Alabama Street to people experiencing homelessness.

“I don’t question God in his sovereignty and wisdom,” Coleman said. “But then to have someone selfishly, maliciously take someone’s life...”

He trailed off.

“I don’t want people to walk away saying ‘Here’s another victim.’ And Taylor wouldn’t want that, either,” he said.

George lived her life in a way that’s the antithesis of victimhood, Coleman and George’s birth mother described. She’s known for being a “spirited” and “feisty” woman who often spoke her mind, but would quickly apologize if she was wrong.

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She grew up with adoptive parents in Indianapolis and attended John Marshall High School. For years, she lived on the city's streets. Yet she always made a point to dress well and confidently carry herself, Coleman said.

“She refused to let her situation make her something other than Taylor,” he said.

Lisa Mallory, George’s birth mother, described her daughter as “colorful,” pointing to a photo of George when she had pinkish-purple dyed hair and dark lipstick. Her daughter always had a knack for anything artistic, Mallory said.

Coleman said George once saw a man living on the streets wearing blue shoes with no soles underneath. She insisted Refuge Place Indy provided him with proper footwear.

“She said ‘He could use some boots,’” Coleman recalled. The man often walked around the streets and sometimes roamed the woods, he explained.

Not long later, George would pose with the man she saw in need while cradling a new pair of tennis shoes. In his raised left hand, he held up black work boots.

“(She was) a pillar of the community who tried to help people that couldn’t help themselves,” Mallory said.

The tragedy is further underscored in light of George’s efforts to establish herself, she noted. Mallory said it “baffles” her.

“She was actually doing good and this happened to her,” Mallory said. “She was just starting to get her life together.”

Contact Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com or 317-503-7514. 

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Taylor George had a new life. She was then killed downtown.