Image Credit: MNPD & Lahti213 / CC
Tennessee Conservative News Staff –
A Nashville man is sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the 2023 shooting death of a Belmont University student.
31-year-old Shaquille Taylor was originally charged with felony murder, along with other charges, for shooting 18-year-old Jillian Ludwig, a student at Belmont University, as she walked at a park near the university campus.
Authorities say Taylor, who was in a gang, shot at a car carrying rival gang members. The bullet missed the car and instead struck Ludwig in the head. She died after being transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Taylor pleaded not guilty to the felony murder charges and was set to go to trial. On the first day that the trial was to begin, Taylor pleaded guilty to second degree murder as part of a plea deal.
He was sentenced to 35 years for that charge and 3 additional years for aggravated assault stemming from a July 2023 incident. He will not be eligible for early release.
Controversy surrounded the case after it was learned that Taylor had been released from jail just a few months before the shooting occurred. At the time, a judge found Taylor incompetent to stand trial in another case. He was found competent to stand trial in Ludwig’s case.
These circumstances sparked the creation of “Jillian’s Law.” This new law states that if someone is found incompetent to stand trial on misdemeanor charges, the case would not be retired until two years after that. It could also require some defendants to be committed for mental health treatment.
Ludwig’s parents say 38 years is not enough.
“He needs to be in jail forever,” father Matthew Ludwig said.
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